PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH BEHAVIORAL TREATMENTS FOR PANIC DISORDER WITH AGORAPHOBIA

A Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire was constructed and administered to 69 panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) patients who completed either group behavior therapy (n = 28) or telephone behavior therapy (n = 41). In general, patients were found both to like and to find useful the various treatment components, and reported improvement in several areas. In both samples there were significantly higher usefulness ratings for self-directed in vivo exposure, compared to ''personally liked'' ratings, suggesting that patients may perceive exposure as a type of ''bitter medicine.'' In general, psychoeducational components (both useful and liked) on the nature of panic and fear were positively and significantly correlated with panic severity and frequency, whereas in vivo and interoceptive exposure (both useful and liked) were positively and significantly correlated with avoidance behavior. These findings suggest that cognitive (psychoeducational) and behavioral components can be combined in a complementary treatment package for PDA that is both efficacious and cost-effective.