Evidence-based pharmacotherapy for panic disorder

ABSTRACT

Panic disorder is characterized by acute panic attack accompanied by autonomic symptoms such as tachycardia, sweating, dyspnea, chest pain, dizziness, and tremors, as well as anticipatory anxiety and avoidant behaviors. 30% of the general population may have suffered isolated episodes of panic attack, and epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that the lifetime prevalence of panic disorder is around 4.8%. Panic disorder is commonly comorbid with the other psychiatric disorders, and 30% of patients with panic disorder show treatment resistance and a chronic waxing and waning course. Therefore, adequate treatment guidelines and strategies for panic disorder by evidence-based pharmacotherapy are needed and some treatment guidelines for panic disorder have already been developed in foreign countries. In this article, among the foreign guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of panic disorder, those by World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) in particular were reviewed. Also, the recently developed Korean Medication Algorithm Project for Panic Disorder 2008 by the Korean Academy of Anxiety Disorder was reviewed.