Panic disorder:A baseline period. Predictability of agoraphobic avoidance behavior

This study addresses the relationship between panic symptomatology and situational avoidance behaviour. Eighty panic disordered patients were involved with various degrees of agoraphobia, ranging from nonavoidant to extremely avoidant. Subjects recorded panic attacks by means of a diary for a period of four consecutive weeks. Subsequently, they were to receive a cognitive-behavioral treatment. The data presented in this study pertain to the baseline period, during which subjects showed a significant decrease in panic attack frequency and worry about the physical sensations. It is argued for self-monitoring to have an anxiety-reducing effect. In a comparison between minimal avoiders and extensive avoiders, symptom pattern, maladaptive thoughts concerning social consequences of panic, and secondary diagnoses differentiated best between groups. A multiple regression analysis revealed a considerable amount of variance in agoraphobia to be accounted for by social avoidance and occupational status. It is argued that social factors as well as external demands play an important role in the development of agoraphobia.