Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39920620›Full record

ArticleBMC psychiatry2025

The bergen 4-day treatment for panic disorder: a longer-term follow-up.

Thorstein Olsen Eide, Bjarne Hansen, Kay Morten Hjelle, Stian Solem, Michael G Wheaton, Thröstur Björgvinsson, Gerd Kvale, Kristen Hagen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Thorstein Olsen EideMolde Hospital, Møre og Romsdal Hospital Trust, Molde, Norway. thorstein.eide@uib.no.
Bjarne HansenCenter for Crisis Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Kay Morten HjelleCenter for Crisis Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Stian SolemBergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
Michael G WheatonDepartment of Psychology, Barnard College, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
Thröstur BjörgvinssonMcLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA.
Gerd KvaleBergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
Kristen HagenMolde Hospital, Møre og Romsdal Hospital Trust, Molde, Norway.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionBergen 4-Day treatment (B4DT) is a form of concentrated exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in which patients receive treatment over four consecutive days. Previous studies have shown B4DT to be a promising treatment format for panic disorder (PD), although the long-term stability of treatment gains requires additional study.

aimThe aim of the current study was to evaluate the longer-term effectiveness of B4DT for patients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. This study extends a previously published study by providing a long-term follow-up of the same cohort (n = 30), initially assessed at three months post-treatment.

methodThirty patients with panic disorder were consecutively included in a retrospect open trial. The primary outcome measure was the Panic Disorder Severity Scale. The secondary outcome measures were the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Outcomes were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, 3-month follow-up, and longer-term follow-up (with a mean time of 18 months).

resultsThere was a significant reduction in panic disorder symptoms from pretreatment to longer-term follow-up (d = 5.03, 95% CI [18.55, 21.12] to [1.33, 3.87]). The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) mean decreased from 19.83 (SD = 0.64, 95% CI [18.55, 21.12]) before treatment, to 4.37 (SD = 0.64, 95% CI [2.98, 5.76]) post-treatment, followed by further decreases at the 3-month follow-up to a mean of 2.84 (SD = 0.64, 95% CI [1.45, 4.22]), and at the longer-term follow-up to 2.60 (SD = 0.64, 95% CI [1.33, 3.87]). There was no significant difference in symptom severity between the 3-month and 18-month assessments, indicating a sustained improvement (p <.001). At the 18-month follow-up, 90% of the patients were classified as being in remission. There were also significant reductions in symptoms of depression (d = 1.44) and generalized anxiety (d = 1.62) that were maintained at the longer-term follow-up assessment.

conclusionThe results from the current study indicated that the treatment effects of B4DT are stable over time and that the treatment format appears to be promising for PD. Confirming these preliminary results in rigorous study designs is needed.

trial registrationThe study was approved by the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics of Northern Norway (REK Nord-2021/209619).

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyImplosive TherapyPanic DisorderAdultAgoraphobiaFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeB4DTCBTExposureIntensive treatmentPanic disorder

Identifiers

PMID39920620
PMCPMC11806683

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.