Talk Therapy May Curb Panic Disorder

(WebMD)  A 12-week course of talk therapy may help curb the often debilitating symptoms of panic disorder -- including intense fear, chest pain, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath.

The new findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association in New York City and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The psychodynamic psychotherapy regimen used in the study was so successful that the American Psychiatric Association is in the process of changing its guidelines to reflect the new findings, according to researcher Barbara Milrod, MD. Milrod is an associate attending physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and an associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

The twice-weekly sessions are focused on the symptoms of panic disorder as well as garnering insight about the various unconscious factors that may have caused the panic disorder to develop in the first place. Such focus on the unconscious is the basic underpinning of psychoanalysis.

In the new study of 49 people with panic disorder, more than 70% of those in the talk therapy group showed significantly less anxiety and other panic symptoms as measured by a standard scale assessing panic symptoms. By contrast, just 39% of those participants who received applied relaxation training showed an improvement in their symptoms.

"People really got better -- not just a little better," Milrod says. Now a large study is under way comparing psychodynamic psychotherapy to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in people with panic disorder, she says.

Comparing Therapies

CBT is also time-limited and aims to change negative thought processes and modify behaviors. It tends to rely on exposure to triggers and a set of exercises to help offset attacks. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is aimed at helping people understand the underlying emotional meaning of their panic while minimizing the accompanying symptoms.

Other treatments for panic disorder include medication such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Medication and therapy can be used together.

"Panic disorder is a treatable condition, and people shouldn't give up hope just because one of the treatments doesn't work," Milrod says.  "It doesn't mean they won't get better because there are lots of effective treatments out there."

Chicago-based psychoanalyst Mark Smaller, PhD, the director of the Neuro-Psychoanalysis Foundation, has seen very good results using psychotherapy to treat panic disorder.

"Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a step to diffuse the really intense and debilitating symptoms of panic disorder, and you need that in order for someone to do more in-depth work or work on issues that contributed to the symptoms in the first place," he says.



By Denise Mann
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2008 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved

[ladytina20]

This article proves that anxiety disoder can be treated naturally. Talk therapy used to find a root cause of an individuals problems and help them to deal with how they feel about that situation can greatly change and bring healing to problems of anxiety.

Mostly we are relying too much on the medications without first addressing emotional problems that could be causing the problem.

[mythoughtsr]

This article brings up an excellent point. Often, people do NOT feel comfortable telling a family member, loved one, friend or other person close to them about the intense feelings of anxiety and panic they are experiencing. Due to nutjobs like Britney Spears, mental illness'' undeserving stigma is still going strong.

Taking the time to talk to a trained and qualified person about what is bugging you is an excellent way to work through difficult times in your life. Panic attacks are terrifying and relentless anxiety can wreak havoc on every aspect of your life. I''m glad they are researching this often overlooked issue.

[beehive21-2009]

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[shanev137]

pilgrimsway...you f*cking idiot...you got the wrong board again. **** already.

[pilgrimsway-2009]

When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya . His
mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia. When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia . Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta . He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school." Obama''s political handlers are attempting to make it appear that he is not a radical.