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ICBT for Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: From the Computer at Home to Real-Life ‘In Vivo’ Exposure

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Guided Internet-Based Treatments in Psychiatry

Abstract

Panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD/A) is a disabling disorder that involves physical anxiety symptoms, maladaptive cognitions and avoidance behaviour. Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) can provide accessible mental health care to those who suffer from PD/A, which may increase the uptake of psychological treatment. The literature on ICBT for PD/A shows largely positive results, especially for therapist-guided ICBT among the general population. Unguided ICBT for PD/A is less studied. It has also demonstrated positive results, but is commonly associated with higher attrition than guided ICBT. There is also some evidence that guided ICBT for PD/A is effective for inpatients. Cost-effectiveness of ICBT for PD/A has only been minimally studied, but some evidence indicates it can be cost saving compared with face-to-face CBT. This chapter further describes the existing ICBT programmes for PD/A, a case study and implementation examples from Sweden and Australia. Finally, this chapter discusses the feasibility of minimally guided ICBT and current innovations in ICBT for PD/A, such as the use of mobile technology and virtual reality, and provides future directions for research and development.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam/GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Wouter van Ballegooijen

  2. Department of Psychology, Federation University, Mount Helen, VIC, Australia

    Britt Klein

  3. Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden

    Nils Lindefors

Authors
  1. Wouter van Ballegooijen
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  2. Britt Klein
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  3. Nils Lindefors
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wouter van Ballegooijen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neuroscience Division of Psychiatry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Nils Lindefors

  2. Department of Behavioural Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

    Gerhard Andersson

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van Ballegooijen, W., Klein, B., Lindefors, N. (2016). ICBT for Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: From the Computer at Home to Real-Life ‘In Vivo’ Exposure. In: Lindefors, N., Andersson, G. (eds) Guided Internet-Based Treatments in Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06083-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06083-5_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-06083-5

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