Research has also shown that behavioral therapy and cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT) can be effective for treating panic disorder and agoraphobia.
Self-help and support groups are the least expensive approach to managing panic disorder and agoraphobia, and are helpful for some people. A group of about 5 to 10 people meet weekly and share their experiences, encouraging each other to venture into feared situations and cope effectively with panic attacks. Group members are in charge of the sessions. Often family members are invited to attend these groups, and at times a therapist or other panic disorder expert may be brought in to share insights with group members. Information on self-help groups in specific areas of the country can be obtained from the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
Behavioral therapy focuses on changing specific behaviors using several techniques to help people decrease or stop unwanted behavior. It often includes learning relaxation techniques. By learning to relax, people may acquire the ability to reduce generalized anxiety and stress that often sets the stage for panic attacks.
Breathing exercises are often included in behavioral therapy. The patient learns to control his or her breathing and avoid hyperventilation—a pattern of rapid, shallow breathing that can trigger or exacerbate some people's panic attacks.
One of the most important parts of behavioral therapy is real-life experience. You and the therapist determine whether you have been avoiding particular places and situations, and which patterns are causing you problems. You agree to work on the avoidance behaviors that are most seriously interrupting your life. For example, fear of driving may be of most importance for one patient, while inability to go to the grocery store may be most important for another.
In behavior therapy, you learn to slowly approach a situation or place you are anxious about. Using this step-by-step approach, helped by encouragement and skilled advice from the therapist, people gradually master their fears and begin to approach situations that they thought they never could.
Like behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches patients to react differently to the situations and bodily sensations that trigger panic attacks. Cognitive behavioral therapists use many of the same behavioral techniques of behavior therapists. However, in CBT, you also learn to understand how your thinking patterns contribute to your symptoms. With the help of their cognitive behavioral therapist, people learn how to modify or eliminate the thought patterns that contribute to their symptoms. Peoples’ growing awareness of their thinking patterns is combined with exposure and other behavioral techniques to help them confront their feared situations. The Panic Program is a free, web-based 12-week self-guided educational program for people with panic disorder and/or agoraphobia.
