Prescribing patterns in agoraphobia with panic attacks. 1988

L E Evans, and T P Oei, and H Hoey
University of Queensland Anxiety Disorder and Agoraphobia Clinic, Princess Alexandra Hospital, QLD.

Although medication is used commonly in the treatment of agoraphobia with panic attacks, the actual drug-prescribing patterns of the medical profession have not been well studied in this condition. The present study compares the prescribing patterns of general practitioners and psychiatrists in their treatment of agoraphobia with panic attacks. The medical records of 111 agoraphobic patients with panic attacks were analysed and divided into those who were referred by general practitioners and those who were referred by psychiatrists. Over all, in the treatment of agoraphobia with panic attacks, general practitioners prescribed drugs less often than did psychiatrists. They used fewer combinations of drugs and tended to prescribe tricyclic antidepressant agents in doses which generally are considered to be below the therapeutic range. This finding would suggest that general practitioners are less effective than are psychiatrists in prescribing for this condition as judged by current practice, although they are less likely to prescribe combinations of drugs--a practice which might well be to their credit.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008996 Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors A chemically heterogeneous group of drugs that have in common the ability to block oxidative deamination of naturally occurring monoamines. (From Gilman, et al., Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 8th ed, p414) MAO Inhibitor,MAO Inhibitors,Reversible Inhibitors of Monoamine Oxidase,Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor,RIMA (Reversible Inhibitor of Monoamine Oxidase A),Reversible Inhibitor of Monoamine Oxidase,Inhibitor, MAO,Inhibitor, Monoamine Oxidase,Inhibitors, MAO,Inhibitors, Monoamine Oxidase
D010200 Panic A state of extreme acute, intense anxiety and unreasoning fear accompanied by disorganization of personality function. Panics
D010698 Phobic Disorders Anxiety disorders in which the essential feature is persistent and irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that the individual feels compelled to avoid. The individual recognizes the fear as excessive or unreasonable. Claustrophobia,Neuroses, Phobic,Phobia, School,Phobias,Phobic Neuroses,Scolionophobia,Disorder, Phobic,Phobia,Phobic Disorder,School Phobia
D011307 Drug Prescriptions Directions written for the obtaining and use of DRUGS. Drug Prescribing,Drug Prescription,Drug Prescribings,Prescribing, Drug,Prescribings, Drug
D011570 Psychiatry The medical science that deals with the origin, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders.
D012017 Referral and Consultation The practice of sending a patient to another program or practitioner for services or advice which the referring source is not prepared to provide. Consultation,Gatekeepers, Health Service,Hospital Referral,Second Opinion,Consultation and Referral,Health Service Gatekeepers,Hospital Referrals,Referral,Referral, Hospital,Referrals, Hospital,Consultations,Gatekeeper, Health Service,Health Service Gatekeeper,Opinion, Second,Opinions, Second,Referrals,Second Opinions
D005194 Family Practice A medical specialty concerned with the provision of continuing, comprehensive primary health care for the entire family. Family Practices,Practice, Family,Practices, Family
D005239 Fear The affective response to an actual current external danger which subsides with the elimination of the threatening condition. Threat Cues,Threat Sensitivity,Cue, Threat,Fears,Sensitivity, Threat,Threat Cue,Threat Sensitivities
D005260 Female Females

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