Supporting Research for the Intensive Treatment Approach

• Panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia, is prevalent, chronic, and is regarded as one of the most severe anxiety disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).
• Panic disorder is associated with substantial impairment, including school avoidance, disruption in peer involvement, and avoidance of other activities (Albano, Chorpita, & Barlow, 2003).
• Research shows that the onset of PDA occurs predominately in adolescence (Barlow, 2002).
• Panic control treatment is a cognitive behavioral treatment method that was first used in adults (Barlow et al., 1984)
• Panic control treatment was found through a number of controlled clinical trials to work in treating adults with panic disorder (Barlow, 2002).
• The adult panic control treatment was used to create a treatment method tailored for adolescents
• The adolescent panic control treatment method was also successful in treating adolescents with panic disorder (Mattis, 2004).
• However, panic control treatment lasts several months. One of the most common reasons for family refusal to participate in treatment was the length of treatment.
• Given the severe impairment and level of interference in daily functioning associated with panic disorder, an intensive intervention is a promising treatment option for adolescents.
• Intensive treatment approaches have been successful in treating other disorders, including specific phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, school refusal, and social phobia (Heimberg & Barlow, 1991; Moffitt, Chorpita, & Fernandez; Ost 2001; Storch et al., 2007).
• Our study uses an 8-day intensive treatment format which we believe will help adolescents return to everyday activities more quickly.
• This treatment method was adapted from the panic control treatment methods mentioned above, which have been found to be successful in treating panic disorder.