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PCOM Psychology Dissertations Student Dissertations, Theses and Papers

2014 Testing a Brief Treatment to Reduce the Frequency of Panic Attacks in a Clinical Outpatient Population Benjamin N. Daniels Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Daniels, Benjamin N., "Testing a Brief Treatment to Reduce the Frequency of Panic Attacks in a Clinical Outpatient Population" (2014). PCOM Psychology Dissertations. Paper 291.

This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Dissertations, Theses and Papers at DigitalCommons@PCOM. It has been accepted for inclusion in PCOM Psychology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@PCOM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running head: PANIC TREATMENT

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Department of Psychology

TESTING A BRIEF TREATMENT TO REDUCE THE FREQUENCY OF PANIC

ATTACKS IN A CLINICAL OUTPATIENT POPULATION

By Benjamin N. Daniels

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Psychology

July 2014

PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Dissertation Approval

This is to certify that the thesis presented to us by G evy--1 CclN\..ivJ OcAVI,(:e.Js on the / ~ day of ¥'-'~~ , 20E{_, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology, has been examined and is acceptable in both scholarship and literary quality.

Committee Members' Signatures:

Beverly White, PsyD, Chairperson

Robert A DiTomasso, PhD, ABPP

Jesus Salas, PsyD

Robert A DiTomasso, PhD, ABPP, Chair, Department of Psychology PANIC TREATMENT iii

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my committee that helped me through this journey: Dr. Brad

Rosenfield, Dr. Robert DiTomasso, and Dr. Jesus Salas. Their feedback and guidance was instrumental in the success of this study. I would also like to thank Dr. Scott

Glassman for his assistance with understanding and successfully completing the data analysis. This study relied heavily on the excellent work of Dr. Michelle Craske and Dr.

David Barlow for developing the cognitive-behavioral treatment for on which this study was largely based. They were also gracious enough to allow the use of their materials in this study. Dr. Brad Rosenfield in collaboration with Dr. J. Russell

Ramsey, created the intervention protocol used in this study. If not for them, this would not have been possible. The assistance of Dr. Wendy Wild in ensuring protocol adherence is also greatly appreciated. Thanks to the staff and supervisors at WellSpan

Health, including Dr. Allen Miller, Dr. Katrina Bakke-Friedland, and Dr. Michael

Eshleman, for the support they provided. I would like to give special thanks to Gabriel

Smith for her endless support and assistance throughout this journey. Finally, I would not be here today if not for the efforts and support of my parents, Jeffrey Daniels and Ann

Daniels.

PANIC TREATMENT iv

Abstract

Panic attacks, the key symptom of panic disorder and an associated feature of various anxiety disorders, are extremely distressing events that can negatively impact an individual’s mental health, physical health, and quality of life. This study validated a brief treatment for panic attacks, designed to reduce the frequency of panic attacks after the first session, in an outpatient clinical population. One participant was recruited to

participate in this single case experimental ABA design with follow-up, where a reversal

was n