Korean guidelines for the treatment of panic disorder

The Korean Association of Anxiety Disorders developed a Korean guideline for the treatment of panic disorders in 2018 to help clinicians make treatment decisions. This study investigated the consensus about treatment strategies for initial and maintenance treatment, non-responsive cases, comorbid conditions, and psychotherapy in patients with panic disorder. The executive committee developed questionnaires about treatment strategies for patients with panic disorder based on guidelines, algorithms, and clinical trials previously published in foreign countries and Korea. Seventy-two 61% of 112 experts on a committee reviewing panic disorders responded to the questionnaires. We classified the consensus of expert opinions into 3 categories (first-line, second-line, and third-line treatment strategies) and identified the treatment of choice according using the chi-square test and 95% confidence intervals. This study presents useful information about the consensus among Korean experts regarding pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy for patients with panic disorder.