Panic Disorder is an important health problem, although it is not the most frequent anxiety disorder. It is associated with marked decrease of quality of life. In Panic Disorder, the continuous demand for medical assistance is a common feature, due to the necessity of explanations for those psychological and physical symptoms. However, the misdiagnosis in these situations is usual, reinforcing the behavior of the repetitive visits of medical services, increasing the social and economic costs. These costs could be minimized through well-established treatments like medications and cognitive-behavior therapy. Recent studies showed that the combination of antidepressants medications and cognitive-behavior therapy has been more indicated because of good results obtained. The present work has for objective discussion of treatment models for Panic Disorder.
panic disorder; treatment; cognitive-behavioral therapy; psychopharmacotherapy