CBT Interventions for Panic Disorder & OCD

Safety behaviors are developed in an effort to “control” anxiety

They maintain negative cognitions that the anxiety is dangerous, must be avoided, and that panic would be disastrous

They prevent the development of self-efficacy in managing anxiety

They prevent the patient from breaking the link between the stimulus and response

CBT Interventions for Panic

• Education about panic

• Panic attack recording - keep a panic attack log

• Explanation of CBT interventions for panic

• Reappraisal of the interoceptive sensations and interpretations

• Identifying automattic thoughts and images associated with sx and learning how to restructure those

• Breathing & relaxation exercises

• Interoceptive exposure

  • Exposure to the feared bodily sensations

  • Activate dysfunctional thoughts associated with these

  • Experiences the sensations without avoidance

  • Permits new learning about the sensations to occur - corrective experience

  • Interoceptive cues can be induced in a variety of ways

    • Ex. hyperventilation, physical activity, spinning

• Systematic exposure for avoidance behaviors