NICE is currently updating existing guidance published in December 2004 on the management of anxiety. As part of this process, draft recommendations have been published on the NICE website for public consultation. The 2004 NICE guidance included the care of adults who have panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia) or generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). This update only covers the recommendations on the management of adults with a diagnosis of GAD... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Source: NICE Area: News The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a draft clinical practice guideline on "Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia) in adults: management in primary, secondary and community care." The guidance is a partial update of NICE clinical guideline 22 (published 2004, amended 2007). The recommendations for the treatment and management of generalised anxiety disorder have been updated. With the exception of recommendation 1.4.37, the recommendations for the treatment and management of panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia) have not been updated.   Pharmacological management has been outlined on pages 16 to 21 of the short version of the guideline.   The consultation period ...

Conclusions. While paroxetine was superior to placebo, aerobic exercise did not differ from relaxation training in most efficacy measures. PMID: 20602575 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry)

Conclusions: This study provides support for the effectiveness of Internet CBT in a psychiatric setting for patients with panic disorder, and suggests that it is equally effective as the more widely used group administered CBT in reducing panic- and agoraphobic symptoms, as well as being more cost effective with respect to therapist time.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00845260 (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

In this study, participants were randomized to either unassisted bibliotherapy (n=20) with a scheduled follow-up telephone interview or to a waiting list control group (n=19). Following a structured psychiatric interview, participants in the treatment group were sent a self-help book consisting of 10 chapters based on cognitive behavioral strategies for the treatment of panic disorder. No therapist contact of any kind was provided during the treatment phase, which lasted for 10 weeks. Results showed that the treatment group had, in comparison to the control group, improved on all outcome measures at posttreatment and at 3-month follow-up. The tentative conclusion drawn from these results is that pure bibliotherapy with a clear deadline can be effective for people suffering from panic disor...

Authors: Chambless DL, Blake KD, Simmons RA The relationship between perceived criticism from one's relative and attributions about that relative's behavior was examined in two studies. In Study 1, 50 community couples volunteered to participate in a study of marital interaction. Participants rated their interaction-specific perceived criticism after a 10-min problem-solving interaction and their attributions for their spouses' behavior during a review of the videotaped interaction. In Study 2, 70 outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (n=41) or panic disorder with agoraphobia (n=29) completed a measure of global perceived criticism in their relationship with their spouse or other family member and on another occasion participated in a 10-min problem-solving interaction with th...MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Conclusions: These results replicate those from the open trial of the Panic Program indicating the efficacy of the Internet-based clinician-assisted cognitive behavioural treatment program for panic disorder with agoraphobia. PMID: 20560847 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry)

Research indicates that psychiatric comorbidity can limit the effectiveness of evidence-based psychotherapy interventions. Panic disorder (PD) can be effectively treated with panic control treatment. However, the effectiveness of this intervention with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not well established. This case is about a 57-year-old Vietnam Veteran diagnosed with PD with agoraphobia and comorbid PTSD and depression. The veteran participates in 10 sessions of panic control treatment after limited success with pharmacotherapy. He completed a structured clinical interview and self-report measures at pretreatment, 1-week posttreatment and 3-month follow-up. The veteran’s panic attacks were eliminated prior to completing the protocol. He remained panic free at posttr...

OBJECTIVES: The most important change of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) is the use of dimensional approach to assess the severity of symptoms across different diagnosis. There are 2 purposes in this study: ... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) is a seven-item scale designed to assess overall severity of panic disorder symptoms. Although the PDSS is widely used, there have been limited independent studies confirming reliability and validity, particularly of the self-report version of the PDSS, and even fewer studies directly comparing the two versions. Given the need for psychometrically sound measures that comprehensively assess the main features of panic disorder, this study examined the psychometric properties of both the clinician-administered and self-report versions of the PDSS. As the PDSS targets symptom severity across a number of specific domains, PDSS items were compared to several scales designed to measure similar constructs, including the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Illness In...

The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) is a seven-item scale designed to assess overall severity of panic disorder symptoms. Although the PDSS is widely used, there have been limited independent studies confirming reliability and validity, particularly of the self-report version of the PDSS, and even fewer studies directly comparing the two versions. Given the need for psychometrically sound measures that comprehensively assess the main features of panic disorder, this study examined the psychometric properties of both the clinician-administered and self-report versions of the PDSS. As the PDSS targets symptom severity across a number of specific domains, PDSS items were compared to several scales designed to measure similar constructs, including the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Illness In...MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Conclusions: This study showed a modest but significantly higher 1-hour cortisol awakening response among anxiety patients, which was driven by those with panic disorder with agoraphobia and those with comorbid depression. (Source: Psychosomatic Medicine)

Conclusions: This study showed a modest but significantly higher 1-hour cortisol awakening response among anxiety patients, which was driven by those with panic disorder with agoraphobia and those with comorbid depression. (Source: Psychosomatic Medicine)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Although situational avoidance is viewed as the most disabling aspect of panic disorder, few studies have evaluated how dimensions of neurotic (i.e., neuroticism, behavioral inhibition) and extraverted (i.e., extraversion, behavioral activation) temperament may influence the presence and severity of agoraphobia. Using logistic regression and structural equation modeling, we examined the unique effects of extraverted temperament on situational avoidance in a sample of 274 outpatients with a diagnosis of panic disorder with and without agoraphobia. Results showed low extraverted temperament (i.e., introversion) to be associated with both the presence and the severity of situational avoidance. Findings are discussed in regard to conceptualizations of conditioned avoidance, activity levels, so...

Although situational avoidance is viewed as the most disabling aspect of panic disorder, few studies have evaluated how dimensions of neurotic (i.e., neuroticism, behavioral inhibition) and extraverted (i.e., extraversion, behavioral activation) temperament may influence the presence and severity of agoraphobia. Using logistic regression and structural equation modeling, we examined the unique effects of extraverted temperament on situational avoidance in a sample of 274 outpatients with a diagnosis of panic disorder with and without agoraphobia. Results showed low extraverted temperament (i.e., introversion) to be associated with both the presence and the severity of situational avoidance. Findings are discussed in regard to conceptualizations of conditioned avoidance, activity levels, so...

Conclusion  Prevalence rates of DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders in late life tend to decline with age, but remain very common, especially in women. These results highlight the need for intervention and prevention strategies. (Source: Archives of General Psychiatry)

Conclusion  Prevalence rates of DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders in late life tend to decline with age, but remain very common, especially in women. These results highlight the need for intervention and prevention strategies. (Source: Archives of General Psychiatry)

Conclusions: Patterns of service use are similar among francophone populations. Variations that exist may be accounted for by differences in health care resources, health care systems, and health insurance coverage. PMID: 20482956 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Canadian Journal of Psychiatry)

Conclusions: Patterns of service use are similar among francophone populations. Variations that exist may be accounted for by differences in health care resources, health care systems, and health insurance coverage. PMID: 20482956 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Canadian Journal of Psychiatry)

CONCLUSION: The MHGP study showed that anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in France with a high frequency of comorbidities. Our results highlight the need for considering anxiety disorders as a public health priority in France as well as in other European countries. PMID: 20430592 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: European Psychiatry)