Psychosocial treatment for panic disorder: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Background: Panic disorder is a common and disabling psychiatric condition marked by sudden onset of physiological sensations that are appraised as dangerous. A number of studies and reviews have examined the efficacy of psychosocial treatments for PD; however, there is a lack of overarching reports that discuss the strength of evidence for the different psychosocial treatments for PD. This umbrella review provides an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on psychosocial treatments for PD. Methods: A systematic search and review of the literature was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Results: A total of 38 reviews (31 meta-analyses and 7 systematic reviews) were included in the umbrella review. Most of the 38 reviews were focused on the use of CBT, both in-person and internet-based, to treat PD among adults, generally finding it to be an efficacious treatment compared to control conditions. A limited number of the 38 reviews included other age ranges or examined other forms of psychosocial treatments. The methodological quality of most included reviews was rated as critically low according to the AMSTAR-2 rating system. Conclusions: Future reviews should focus on improving their methodological quality. Although the included reviews supported CBT as an efficacious treatment for reducing panic symptoms among adults, future research could focus on how CBT compares to other psychosocial treatments and the efficacy of CBT for PD among other populations (e.g., children and adolescents) and among diverse cultural groups.

Automated summary

This study provides an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on psychosocial treatments for panic disorder (PD). The majority of the included reviews support cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as an effective treatment for PD among adults. However, the methodological quality of most reviews is rated as critically low. Future research should focus on improving methodological quality and comparing CBT with other psychosocial treatments.