Accelerated outpatient individual cognitive-behaviour therapy for panic disorder: a case study

Objective: Panic disorder (PD) is a common mental health condition which causes substantial disability. It is well known that cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for PD and this treatment is generally provided in 8-14 weekly sessions. A small number of preliminary studies have now investigated the efficacy of accelerated or intensive CBT in the treatment of PD and have found promising results. However, many of these existing treatment formats do not allow for optimal learning, since sessions are administered daily which does not allow time for the client to practice the skills between sessions.

Method: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an accelerated CBT (aCBT) approach where treatment was provided three times per week (90-min sessions) over a two-week period (six sessions in total) using a case study design. The participant completed a structured diagnostic interview to confirm diagnosis and outcome measures were administered at baseline, post-treatment, and three-month follow-up.

Results: The results indicated that the participant significantly reduced symptoms of PD over a two-week period and no longer met diagnostic criteria for PD at three-month follow-up. Importantly, the participant also found the treatment format to be highly acceptable.

Conclusions: The results demonstrate the preliminary acceptability and efficacy of this aCBT approach in the treatment of PD.