Abstract

SHINOHARA, Helene. Transtorno de pânico: da teoria à práticaPanic disorder: from theory to practice. Rev. bras.ter. cogn. [online]. 2005, vol.1, n.2, pp. 115-122. ISSN 1808-5687.

Panic Disorder is one of the anxiety disorders that strikes about 3% of the population, provokes great personal suffering and impacts the daily life of patients. A panic attack is a sudden sensation of intense apprehension, fear or terror, often associated with feelings of imminent disaster. The presence of recurrent attacks and the preoccupation about future ones and their consequences characterize the panic disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has developed an accurate comprehension of the disorder that helps the professional with both the assessment of the case and the planning of the treatment. Results of successful psychological treatments have been reported by several research centers. Besides the purpose of a didactic review about the disorder, the present article also describes the case of a male, 40 years old, married, with a high school degree, who sought treatment for recurrent panic attacks and increasing restrictions in his personal and professional life. The comprehension of the developmental factors (wrong information about body functioning, exaggerated concern about health and irritability), the precipitating factors (problems with marriage and stress at work) and the maintenance ones (attention on sensations and avoidance of them) helped the case formulation and the treatment.

Keywords : Cognitive-behavioral therapy; Panic disorder; Case study.