[Usual Care for Panic Disorder with/without Agoraphobia in Primary Care].

OBJECTIVE: To describe therapy as usual (TAU) for panic disorder with/without agoraphobia (PDA) in primary care.

METHOD: Written survey of 38 general practitioners (GPs) who provided TAU to 189 patients with PDA as part of an interventional study. Data were analyzed descriptively.

RESULTS: The most common TAU-interventions were: exploration of psychosocial problems (83 %), recommendation not to avoid anxiety-provoking stimuli (72 %), prescription of SSRIs (62 %). Common reasons for referrals were various psychiatric comorbidities and treatment-refractory anxiety (77 %). GPs rarely used validated diagnostic tools such as structured interviews (18 %) or questionnaires (14 %).

CONCLUSIONS: TAU mostly involved guideline-recommended psychosocial and pharmacological interventions. Study-related procedures may limit the generalizability of findings.