Can EMDR be used to treat panic disorder?

43 outpatients with DSM-III-R panic disorder were randomly assigned to receive 6 sessions of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), the same treatment but omitting the eye movement, or to a waiting list. Posttest comparisons showed EMDR to be more effective in alleviating panic and panic-related symptoms than the waiting-list procedure. Compared with the same treatment without the eye movement, EMDR led to greater improvement on 2 of 5 primary outcome measures at posttest. However, EMDR's advantages had dissipated 3 months after treatment, thereby failing to firmly support the usefulness of the eye movement component in EMDR treatment for panic disorder.

Examined whether eye movement desensitization and reprocessing can be used to treat panic disorder. This research appeared in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 1026-1035.

English

Ulrike Feske
Alan J. Goldstein

Feske, U., & Goldstein, A. J. (1998). Can EMDR be used to treat panic disorder? Clinician's Research Digest, 16(5), 3