Solving panic disorder problems. When your patients' fears thwart their lives
Rifkin, A.
Postgraduate Medicine 88(6): 133-138
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0032-5481 PMID: 1978303 Document Number: 360271
All in all, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia is a very satisfying illness to treat. Most patients enter treatment with considerable pain and disability and within a few weeks to months are free of panic attacks, no longer fearful of them, and no longer phobic. Panic disorder must be distinguished from generalized anxiety, and signs of agoraphobia must be sought during the initial diagnosis. Drug therapy is effective for panic disorder, while agoraphobia may respond to drug therapy or to a range of cognitive therapies.