Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: A Brief Overview and Guide to Assessment

A thorough assessment is essential for defining the targets for therapy, developing an individually tailored treatment plan, setting treatment goals, and measuring treatment progress and outcome. It is important to consider medical conditions and substances that may mimic panic symptoms. Determining whether panic attacks are uncued, assessing the focus of fear during a panic attack, and examining reasons for avoidance of situations are crucial to distinguishing PD from other anxiety disorders. Assessment of the nature and frequency of panic attacks and the core features of PD (interoceptive anxiety, panic cognitions, and agoraphobic avoidance) forms the basis for choosing treatment strategies, and periodic monitoring of these components provides indicators of treatment progress and outcome. Finally, comorbidity, levels of impairment, course, and family variables are also important factors to consider when developing and implementing treatment. Ideally, assessment should be multimodal, utilizing a combination of clinical interviews, self-report measures, self-monitoring diaries, and BATs.