The Bergen 4-day treatment for panic disorder: adapting to COVID-19 restrictions with a hybrid approach of face-to-face and videoconference modalities

BMC Psychiatry

Research

Bjarne Hansen¹  Kay Morten Hjelle¹  Anders Lillevik Thorsen¹  Thorstein Olsen Eide²  Gerd Kvale³  Kristen Hagen⁴  Ivar Snorrason⁵  Thröstur Björgvinsson⁶ 

[1] Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Center for Crisis Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Center for Crisis Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Møre and Romsdal Hospital Trust, Molde, Norway;Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway;Møre and Romsdal Hospital Trust, Molde, Norway;Center for OCD and Related Disorders, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA;Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA;Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA;McLean Hospital, Belmont, USA;

关键词: Panic disorder;    Concentrated treatment;    Exposure;    B4DT;    CBT;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-023-05062-7

 received in 2023-02-01, accepted in 2023-07-28,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe Bergen 4-day treatment (B4DT) is a concentrated exposure-based therapy that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The current study sought to examine the effectiveness of B4DT for panic disorder (PD), when delivered with a combination of face-to-face sessions and videoconferencing.MethodsTreatment was delivered to 50 patients from April 2020 to May 2021. Because of regulations during the pandemic, a significant portion of the treatment was conducted via videoconference. The primary outcome measure was the clinician-rated Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), and secondary measures included patient-rated symptoms of panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety, depression, and treatment satisfaction. Changes in symptom levels over time were estimated using multilevel models.ResultsPatients showed a significant reduction in clinician-rated symptoms of panic disorder (Measured by PDSS) from before treatment to post treatment (d = 2.18) and 3-month follow-up (d = 2.01). At three months follow-up 62% of patients were classified as in remission, while 70% reported a clinically significant response. We also found a reduction in symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety, and the patients reported high satisfaction with the treatment.ConclusionThe current study suggests that B4DT delivered in a combination of videoconference and face-to-face meetings may be a useful treatment approach. As the study is uncontrolled, future studies should also include more strictly designed investigations.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

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