View clinical trials related to Panic Disorder.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to examine how certain brain chemicals work in patients with Panic Disorder (PD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with and without major depressive disorder (MDD). Brain chemicals that regulate emotion, anxiety, sleep, stress hormones, and other body functions bind to serotonin (5-HT1A) and benzodiazepine (BZD) receptors. Evidence suggests that 5-HT1A and BZD receptor function is abnormal in patients with PD, PTSD, and depression. This study will use positron emission tomography (PET) scans to examine BZD and 5-HT1A receptor binding potential in patients with PD and patients with PTSD with and without co-morbid MDD, as well as in healthy volunteers. This study will also determine the effects of the stress hormone cortisol on 5-HT1A and BZD receptors. The current emotional state and psychiatric, medical, and family history of potential participants will be evaluated during an initial telephone interview. After entering the study, participants will be asked questions about general mood, degree of nervousness, and behavior. A physical examination, an electrocardiogram (EKG), and tests of intelligence and cognition will be given. Urine, blood, and saliva samples will be taken. Women will be given pregnancy tests and tests to determine menstrual phase and time of ovulation. All volunteers will undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET scans of the brain.
OBJECTIVES: I. Determine which treatment is most effective for patients with panic disorder: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) plus imipramine (IMI), CBT plus placebo, CBT alone, IMI alone, or placebo alone.
OBJECTIVES: I. Determine whether the benzodiazepine alprazolam reinforces self-medication behavior in anxious patients with varying histories of using other drugs. II. Establish outpatient methods for the study of self-medication and drug reinforcement in patients vulnerable to prescription drug abuse or dependence. III. Evaluate the influence of alcohol and other non-prescription drug use as determinants of vulnerability in these patients. IV. Identify personality, attitudinal, or other variables that might predict different patterns of self-medication. V. Assess the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on alprazolam self-medication.
OBJECTIVES: I. Determine whether the prevalence of abnormalities on clinical vestibular (balance) tests is higher in panic disorder with agoraphobia than in uncomplicated panic disorder and nonpanic anxiety disorder. II. Determine whether the prevalence of abnormalities on audiological tests of cochlear or brainstem function is elevated in panic disorder without agoraphobia or nonpanic anxiety disorder. III. Determine whether symptom patterns can be identified that are indicative of vestibular abnormalities in panic disorder. IV. Determine whether vestibular dysfunction can be induced by psychosomatic mechanisms.
OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate whether vestibular rehabilitation training is of value in reducing anxiety symptoms in patients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia who have vestibular dysfunction as identified by clinical vestibular tests.
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with or without medication has been used in the treatment of panic disorder (PD). The purpose of this study is 1) to determine whether nine months of maintenance cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) significantly improves the likelihood of sustained improvement; and 2) to determine the acute acceptability and efficacy of medication therapy or continued CBT alone among patients who fail to respond sufficiently to an initial course of CBT alone. It has been found that patients with PD respond as well to CBT or medication alone as they do to a combination of the two. Since the combined treatments are expensive and CBT is associated with less risk of medical toxicity compared to medications, CBT alone will be used first. All patients will first receive CBT alone. If the patient responds to this therapy, the patient will be assigned randomly (like tossing a coin) to 1 of 2 groups. One group will continue to receive CBT (maintenance therapy) for 9 months. The other group of responders will not receive any further therapy. If a patient does not respond to CBT alone, he/she will be assigned randomly to 1 of 2 different groups. One group will receive paroxetine; the other will continue to receive CBT for a longer period. The response to treatment will be evaluated to see which regimen works best to treat PD. The study will last approximately 3 years. An individual may be eligible for this study if he/she has panic disorder with no more than mild agoraphobia (fear of being in public places) and is at least 18 years old.