Effects of cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia on concurrent alcohol abuse

• Published in: Behavior therapy Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 423 - 433
• Main Authors: Lehman, Cassandra L., Brown, Timothy A., Barlow, David H.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 1998; Elsevier; Academic Press
• Subjects: Alcohol use; Alcoholism; Behavior; Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Medical sciences; Panic attacks; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Treatments; Case study; Human; Concomitant disease; Panic; Cognitive therapy; Agoraphobia; Follow up study; Alcoholism; Treatment efficiency; Anxiety disorder; Behavior therapy
• ISSN: 0005-7894; 1878-1888
• DOI: 10.1016/S0005-7894(98)80041-5

Research has shown that panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) and alcohol abuse co-occur frequently. One theory suggests that alcohol consumption is motivated by the goal of tension reduction and that “self-medication” will decrease with successful treatment of the anxiety disorder as more adaptive coping skills are employed by the patient. The present study is a series of three case studies examining the effects of a cognitive-behavioral treatment for PDA on concurrent alcohol abuse. At posttreatment, two patients reported a remission of PDA while the third patient had a decline, but not a remission, in the severity of PDA. All patients had diagnoses of alcohol abuse in early full remission at posttreatment. At 6-month follow-up, one patient continued to have no clinical diagnoses, one patient had a clinical diagnosis of PDA but no alcohol abuse, and one patient had clinical diagnoses of PDA and alcohol abuse. Suggestions for future research with this population are discussed.