Personality disorder and social anxiety predict delayed response in drug and behavioral treatment of panic disorder.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of pretreatment characteristics and personality disorders on the onset of response in the treatment of panic disorder.


METHODS
The data of 73 out-patients with panic disorder who had completed at least 6 weeks of a randomized trial of 24 weeks of either paroxetine only or paroxetine combined with cognitive group-therapy were analyzed in a Cox proportional hazards model.


RESULTS
The likelihood of having responded to treatment (defined by a CGI rating of improvement) was more than twice as high for patients without a personality disorder or social phobia than for Patients with a personality disorder or social phobia.


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that patients with these characteristics do benefit from prolonged treatment, and they may profit from an additional treatment focused on social anxiety.
Berger
Peter
P
Department of Psychiatry, Division of Social Psychiatry, University of Vienna, Austria. peter.berger@akh-wien.ac.at
Sachs
Gabriele
G
Amering
Michaela
M
Holzinger
Anita
A
Bankier
Bettina
B
Katschnig
Heinz
H
D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors