The effects of cognitive-behavior therapy for panic disorder on comorbid conditions

J Anxiety Disord. 1998 Jul-Aug;12(4):357-71. doi: 10.1016/s0887-6185(98)00020-6.

Abstract

In a replication and extension of prior research (Brown, Antony, & Barlow, 1995) examining the impact of treatment on additional diagnoses, our study investigated the effects of cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder on frequency and severity of comorbid conditions in 33 principal panic disorder patients. Patients were diagnosed using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-Revised (ADIS-R; Di Nardo & Barlow, 1988) and assigned severity ratings indicating degree of distress and/or impairment for both principal panic disorder and comorbid conditions. A high rate of comorbidity (63.6%) was found at pretreatment. Following cognitive-behavioral treatment, there was a significant reduction in the number of patients with at least one additional diagnosis (p < .01); the greatest declines were found in comorbid social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder. Severity ratings also declined significantly from pre- to posttreatment for comorbid social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (p < .01) and were marginally significant for depression. There was a trend for comorbidity to reduce likelihood of achieving high improvement in panic at posttreatment. Implications of these findings for classification and treatment mechanisms are discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Agoraphobia / psychology
  • Agoraphobia / therapy*
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology
  • Anxiety Disorders / therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy*
  • Comorbidity
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Depressive Disorder / therapy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Panic Disorder / psychology
  • Panic Disorder / therapy*
  • Personality Inventory
  • Phobic Disorders / psychology
  • Phobic Disorders / therapy
  • Treatment Outcome