The Intensive Treatment of
Adolescent Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Center

Panic disorder occurs in about three to six million Americans and is twice as common in women as it is in men. Individuals who suffer from panic disorder experience feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly without warning. These recurring panic attacks are episodes of intense fear and unease, which include physical symptoms and fearful thoughts. Panic attacks are unpredictable, causing many individuals suffering from the disorder to develop intense anxiety between episodes about the next attack.

Although panic disorder can appear at any age, it begins most often in young adulthood. Because of this, our program focuses on panic disorder in adolescents, helping teens return to school, engage in extra curricular activities, and participate in other developmentally appropriate events.

The Intensive Treatment of Adolescent Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Center is housed within the Child and Adolescent Fear and Treatment Program at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. Our aim is to provide information to the public about panic disorder, its symptoms, and current evidence-based treatment options for treating the disorder. In order to do so, we welcome interested community organizations around the Boston area to contact us at 617-353-9610 or (panic @ bu.edu) and arrange an informational presentation about panic disorder and other anxiety disorders. For more information about who we are, visit our About Us page.

The Program is also currently offering an intensive cognitive-behavioral treatment study for adolescents 12-17 years of age with a primary diagnosis of panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. The study has been found by many patients to help them overcome their panic symptoms and quickly reduce the impairment and distress associated with panic disorder and agoraphobia. To find out more about how to enroll in the study, click here. To view a clip from ABC’s Good Morning America of Dr. Donna Pincus, the Director of the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program, treating an adolescent with panic disorder using the intensive treatment, visit (http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=1984554).