A Series of Panic Disorder Cases Treated with Detached Mindfulness.

Summary

Detached mindfulness (DM) significantly reduced panic disorder symptoms in a small group of 11 patients, with 64% being female. Participants showed notable improvements, as evidenced by decreased scores on the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) after treatment. Attendance and homework completion rates were high, indicating strong engagement. This suggests that DM is an effective and practical approach for managing panic disorder, warranting further investigation with larger sample sizes to confirm these promising results.

Abstract

Studies evaluating the efficacy of detached mindfulness (DM) as a standalone intervention for patients with panic disorder are lacking in the literature. In this context, the aim of this open study was to evaluate the efficacy of DM in patients with panic disorder. The study was conducted in 11 patients (7 females and 4 males). The DM therapy process was applied to the patients. The clinical course was followed using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Patients' attendance at therapy and completion of DM homework were found to be quite good. Patients' PDSS scores decreased significantly at the end of treatment compared to baseline. A similar change was seen in the BAI and BDI scores. In conclusion, it can be stated that DM is an effective, easily applicable, and highly therapeutic method for the treatment of patients with panic disorder. However, the present study needs to be supported by future studies with larger samples.

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