Alprazolam and Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Treatment of Panic Disorder

Authors: AHMET ATAOĞLU, MUSTAFA ÖZKAN, HAMDİ TUTKUN, ABDULLAH MARAŞ

Abstract: Panic is an often incapacitating and chronic disorder. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and alprazolam have been shown to be effective in the treatment of panic disorder. Patients who met the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder, were randomized and given 16 weeks of double-blind treatment with CBT (n=16), or alprazolam of up to 6 mg/day (n=18). The 17-item HAM-D and HAM-A scales were administered to all the subjects before and after treatment, which took place over 16 weeks, and the changes in the scores were analyzed. The patients' anxiety levels and numbers of panic attacks were assessed at the beginning of treatment, and then at weeks 4,8,12 and 16 by means of self-monitoring. On the basis of HAM-D, HAM-A, anxiety level, and panic number, the CBT and alprazolam groups showed a significant improvement at the end of treatment. When compared to each other, the groups showed no significant differences at the end of the treatment. In the last month, 10/16 (62.5%) of the CBT patients and 11/18 (61.1%) of the alprazolam patients were panic-free.

Keywords: Alprazolam, Cognitive behavior therapy, Panic disorder.

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