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Pharmacologic Treatment of Panic Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Julie C. Stevens  and
Mark H. Pollack
Julie C. Stevens
Affiliation:
Ms. Stevens is a clinical research coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Pollack is associate professor of psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts
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Abstract

Panic disorder, frequently complicated by agoraphobia in the clinical setting, is a relatively common disorder that is associated with significant morbid burden and dysfunction in affected individuals. PD treatment is focused on the reduction of panic attacks, avoidance behavior, and anticipatory anxiety, as well as the resolution of comorbid conditions, with the goal of normalizing function and improving overall quality of life. Antidepressants, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, as well as benzodiazepines, are commonly used as primary pharmacotherapies for the treatment of PD, with a variety of other novel interventions potentially useful as well, to optimize treatment outcome.

Type
Research Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 10 , Issue S12 , September 2005 , pp. 25 - 31
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

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