Panic disorder: an app used alongside medication appears to reduce symptoms

An app added to treatment, not used alone

The patients, recruited at six institutions, had frequent panic attacks. They were randomly assigned to a group receiving medication with the app or a group receiving medication alone.

The app combined structured, self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy modules, tools for use during attacks, and daily self-management monitoring. The trial evaluates this combination: it cannot determine which component contributes to the observed benefit.

A greater reduction in self-reported severity

At eight weeks, the average reduction in panic disorder severity scores, measured using the self-reported PDSS-SR questionnaire, reached 40.29% with the app versus 17.61% with medication alone. A difference was already observed at two weeks: 26.66% versus 11.05%.

The response threshold used was a reduction of at least 40% in this score. It was reached by 17 out of 32 patients in the app group, compared with 5 out of 29 in the control group. This describes an improvement in symptoms, not the disappearance of the disorder.

The abstract also reports a more sustained improvement in overall anxiety and catastrophic thoughts with the app. However, changes in depression and fear of bodily sensations were transient or similar between groups.

An encouraging but still limited signal

Five recruited patients were excluded from the analysis because there were insufficient data to assess safety or efficacy. The final analysis therefore covers 61 people. This small sample and these exclusions limit the strength of the finding.

The trial was single-blind, but the abstract does not specify who was unaware of the treatment assignment. The results rely on self-reported questionnaires. The eight-week follow-up does not allow conclusions about whether the benefit is maintained over the long term.

What we can take away

This trial supports the potential value of this app as an addition to medication for panic disorder in the acute phase. It demonstrates neither its efficacy when used alone nor that of other apps.