A Novel Therapy for Depression with Co-Occurring Panic

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DESCRIPTION: Complication of major depression by the co-occurrence of panic attacks or panic disorder is both common and clinically significant. Patients with this condition show more severe symptom profiles, greater risk of suicidality, poorer psychosocial functioning, and a poorer response to traditional depression treatments. The primary aim of the current proposal is to develop an effective yet efficient psychotherapeutic intervention for patients with major depression complicated by panic symptoms. This new treatment, interpersonal psychotherapy for depression with panic symptoms (I PT-PS), will adapt and integrate components of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for panic and anxiety (Barlow & Craske, 1989) into the therapeutic framework of interpersonal psychotherapy for depression (IPT, Kierman et al., 1984) to treat this clinically severe yet treatment-resistant condition. Conceptually, this integrated treatment approach will seek to promote active resolution of interpersonal problems while concurrently addressing symptoms of panic and anxiety that interfere with active interpersonal problem solving. In Phase I of the proposed study, 12 patients with major depression complicated by panic symptoms will be treated with a 16-session course of the newly developed treatment. Specific aims of Phase I include the development, elaboration, and iterative refinement of a treatment manual for IPT-PS; development of therapist training procedures; and the development of measures of treatment adherence, competence, and satisfaction. In Phase II, 24 patients with depression complicated by panic symptoms will be randomly assigned to treatment using IPT-PS, and will be compared with 12 patients randomly assigned to receive standard IPT. Specific aims of this pilot study include: finalizing the treatment manual and measures of treatment adherence, competence, and satisfaction; testing treatment satisfaction with IPT-PS; evaluating characteristics of treatment responders and non-responders; and generating treatment effect size estimates for use in planning a larger efficacy/effectiveness study of IPT-PS.