Long-Distance Treatment for Panic Disorder: Does It Work?

Panic disorder (PD) affects twice as many women as men and may lead to severe functional impairment. Despite highly effective therapies, people with PD (particularly those with agoraphobia) often find it prohibitively difficult to seek treatment. To assess the benefit of remote cognitive behavior therapy, investigators randomized 60 adults (60% women) with PD to 10 weeks of treatment via the internet, e-mail, and telephone or a waiting list (control).

The treatment consisted of 10 modules of cognitive therapy techniques distributed via e-mail, plus brief (about 10 minutes/week) therapist contact by telephone to motivate treatment adherence. The modules covered psycho-education, socialization, breathing retraining, relapse prevention, and ass…