Panic disorder in the elderly

Abstract

Despite being the most common group of mental disorders in later life, anxiety disorders in the elderly have historically been a neglected area of research. While clinically important, there have been few studies of anxiety disorders specifically in older persons. However, in recent years, there has been increasing interest and a growing base of studies addressing the epidemiology, comorbidity and treatment of late-life anxiety. The literature on panic disorder in the elderly is illustrative of this trend. Although clinicians who treat panic disorder in the elderly have been left to extrapolate from data derived from younger individuals with panic disorder, the last decade has witnessed the first trials of psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatments performed exclusively in older patients. Although much work remains to be done in terms of testing both psychosocial and medication treatment strategies in rigorously designed studies, preliminary evidence suggests that both psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment can be effective for panic disorder in the elderly.