title: Comparing two brief psychological interventions to usual care in panic disorder patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Panic disorder (PD) is a common, often unrecognized condition among patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency departments (ED). Nevertheless, psychological treatment is rarely initiated. We are unaware of studies that evaluated the efficacy of brief cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for this population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate the efficacy of two brief CBT interventions in PD patients presenting to the ED with chest pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight PD patients were assigned to either a 1-session CBT-based panic management intervention (PMI) (n = 24), a 7-session CBT intervention (n = 19), or a usual-care control condition (n = 15). A structured diagnostic interview and self-reported questionnaires were administered at pre-test, post-test, 3- and 6-month follow-ups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical analysis showed significant reduction in PD severity following both interventions compared to usual care control condition, but with neither showing superiority compared to the other.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CBT-based interventions as brief as a single session initiated within 2 weeks after an ED visit for chest pain appear to be effective for PD. Given the high prevalence of PD in emergency care settings, greater efforts should be made to implement these interventions in the ED and/or primary care setting.
authors.affiliation: University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-Josée
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lessard
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marchand
authors.forename: Marie-Ève
authors.initials: MÈ
authors.lastname: Pelland
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Belleville
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vadeboncoeur
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chauny
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poitras
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dupuis
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fleet
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Foldes-Busque
authors.forename: Kim L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lavoie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009449:Neurocirculatory Asthenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods*; D011792:Quebec; D055815:Young Adult