Efficacy of telephone-administered behavioral therapy for panic disorder with agoraphobia.
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a structured exposure-based behavior therapy program delivered by telephone to agoraphobic individuals who were isolated from specialized treatment centres. Forty-two individuals with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia who were living in rural areas of Ontario were assigned to either an eight-session telephone behavior therapy program or wait-list control condition. There were significant treatment x time interaction effects on several outcome variables. Patients originally in the wait-list group then received the same type of therapy and they also significantly improved. All treatment gains were maintained at three-month and six-month follow-up. Telephone behavior therapy appears to be a cost-effective and efficacious treatment for agoraphobics living in remote regions where specialized anxiety disorder services are not readily available.
Swinson
R P
RP
Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Fergus
K D
KD
Cox
B J
BJ
Wickwire
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D012424:Rural Population; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome