ABSTRACT
Panic is receiving considerable research attention due to myriad factors which are converging in psychology and psychiatry. The convening of scientists in the anxiety field by the National Institute of Mental Health is one reflection of this trend. The present volume represents the state of the art in research and practice. Reviews of panic have been addressed in previous chapters with regard to epidemiology, etiology, assessment, taxonomy, and treatment. The aim here, therefore, is to examine two critical areas of panic empirically. First, what are the relative and combined effects of behavioral, cognitive, and pharmacological treatments on a short- and long-term basis? Second, are there differential patterns across the tripartite systems for subjects identified as in vivo panickers versus nonpanickers to address the controversial issue of whether panic is a distinct entity or merely one end of the anxiety continuum.
