Abstract
The purposes of the present study were to examine the effects of a program of cognitive-behavioral group therapy in a counseling room setting for patients with panic disorder (PD) with agoraphobia. The program was conducted like a seminar, with four 90-minute sessions. Sessions I and II were dedicated to patient education; Sessions III and IV included conducting exposure in the group. Patients were 10 women recruited through advertisements in a local newspaper in a suburb of Tokyo, all of whom were diagnosed as having panic disorder with agoraphobia according to the DSM-IV. The effect of the program was assessed by measuring anxiety, depressive mood, self-efficacy, avoidant behavior, and SUD. Blood pressure was measured in Sessions III and IV during in vivo exposure. The results showed that avoidance behavior and SUD improved after the seminar, and that those improvements were maintained at the time of follow-up measurement. Anxiety and depressive mood were also eliminated. Furthermore, changes in blood pressure showed that in vivo exposure resulted in physiological calming when the women were faced with anxious situations.
