Management of panic disorder in the elderly.

ABSTRACT

Panic disorder in the elderly is an understudied disorder, despite being associated with substantial functional impairment, a diminished quality of life and an increased suicide risk in this population. This disorder is likely to be underdiagnosed and sometimes inadequately treated due to the absence of national and international guidelines for this vulnerable population. Few therapeutic trials have specifically focused on the efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological and psychotherapy treatments for panic disorder in the elderly and current approaches to detect and manage this disorder are mainly based on expert opinions or extrapolation from data available on younger adults. This report aims to provide a summary of current knowledge on pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments for panic disorder in the elderly and to propose a medical treatment algorithm, which should be viewed as a tool that may contribute to the choice of treatment, especially for treatment-resistant older patients with panic disorder. The main results here are the emphasis on antidepressant treatment, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), restricted benzodiazepine usage, awareness of drug interactions and the importance of psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).