Efficacy and Mechanisms of Psychosocial Treatments for Panic Disorder

The aim of the present study is to a) determine the comparative efficacy of the brief capnometry-assisted respiratory therapy (CART) and standard cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and b) to determine moderators and mediators. With the data collected from the study, the investigators will test the following hypotheses: (a) CART will be as effective in treating PD/A as CBT, albeit in shorter time, b) patients with greater respiratory dysregulations, especially hyperventilation, at pretreatment will benefit more from CART, whereas patients with greater cognitive dysregulation will benefit more from CBT. CART, but not CBT, will result in reversal of hyperventilation.