Intensive one-week internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder and agoraphobia: A pilot study

Eileen P Stech; Ashlee B Grierson; Aileen Z Chen; Maria J Sharrock; Alison E J Mahoney; Jill M Newby

doi:10.1016/j.invent.2020.100315

Intensive one-week internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder and agoraphobia: A pilot study

Internet Interv. 2020 Mar 19:20:100315. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2020.100315. eCollection 2020 Apr.

Authors

Eileen P Stech^{1

2}, Ashlee B Grierson^{3

2}, Aileen Z Chen^{3

2}, Maria J Sharrock^{3

2}, Alison E J Mahoney², Jill M Newby^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
² Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
³ School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

Abstract

This is the first pilot study to explore the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of intensive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder and/or agoraphobia delivered via the internet. Ten participants who met DSM-5 criteria for panic disorder and/or agoraphobia (6 males; mean age = 43.40, SD = 15.25) completed The Intensive Panic Program: a six-lesson exposure-based CBT program, delivered online over seven days. Clinician support was provided via phone and email. All 10 participants completed the program (100% adherence) and high levels of satisfaction were reported. We found large and significant reductions in panic symptom severity at post-treatment (d = 1.40), which were maintained at two-month follow-up. We also found large reductions in agoraphobic avoidance (d = 0.92) and functional impairment (d = 1.04) at follow-up, and days out of role were halved. On average, 132 min (SD = 42, range: 47-183) of clinician time was spent per participant during the treatment week. The results provide promising preliminary evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of internet-delivered intensive CBT for panic disorder and/or agoraphobia. A larger, randomized control trial is now needed to evaluate the efficacy of this program compared to a control group and to explore long-term outcomes. Clinical trial registration number ACTRN12618001501235.

Keywords: Agoraphobia; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Intensive CBT; Internet-delivered CBT; Massed therapy; Panic disorder.