4 research outputs found
Caffeine challenge and breath-holding duration in patients with panic disorder
Objective: Breath-holding (BH) has been used as a simple probe to
increase endogenous carbon dioxide (CO2). In patients with Panic
Disorder (PD), lower baseline BH duration is associated with
caffeine-induced panic attacks. In this paper, we assessed BH duration
in PD patients in relation to panic attacks induced by caffeine intake.
Methods: BH duration and state anxiety were assessed in 40 PD patients
(12 males), both at baseline and after a 400-mg caffeine challenge test.
Results: Patients panicking after caffeine administration (14 patients,
4 males) exhibited a significant reduction of their post-challenge BH
duration, while no change of the BH duration was observed in
non-panicking patients (26 patients, 8 males), Reduction in
post-challenge BH duration was not related to higher anxiety levels - as
reflected in the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Form scores -
independently of the occurrence of a panic attack. Panickers exhibited
significantly lower baseline BH duration, compared to non-panickers.
Conclusions: Our findings indicate that in PD patients, caffeine-induced
panic attacks are strongly associated with a significant reduction of BH
duration at both pre- and post-challenge. jointly, these findings
suggest that in a Subgroup of PD patients, sensitivity to endogenous CO2
accumulation may underlie both the lower BH durations and the
caffeine-induced panic attacks. In this subgroup of PD patients,
caffeine might exert its panicogenic properties through the exacerbation
of patients’ already pathological hypersensitivity to CO2 accumulation,
as indicated by both the significant decrease of their BH duration at
post-challenge and by their significantly lower baseline BH duration
respectively. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
The screening role of an introductory course in cognitive therapy training
Objective: This study examines the role of an introductory course in
cognitive therapy and the relative importance of trainees’
characteristics in the selection process for an advanced course in
cognitive therapy.
Method: The authors assessed the files of all trainees who completed one
academic year introductory course in cognitive therapy over the last
seven consecutive years (N = 203). The authors examined variables such
as previous training, overall involvement during the course,
performance, and ability to relate to others, as well as the trainer’s
evaluations of their performance.
Results: Interaction skills in group situations and performance in
written assignments were better predictors for admission into the
advanced course.
Conclusions: Trainees’ abilities to learn and to successfully relate to
others in group situations are critical for entering an advanced
cognitive therapy training course. These findings question the policy of
full-scale training in cognitive therapy based merely on the candidates’
professional background, stressing instead the merits of an introductory
course as an appropriate screening procedure