CLOMIPRAMINE TREATMENT AND BEHAVIOR-THERAPY WITH AGORAPHOBIC WOMEN

The separate and combined effects of clomipramine hydrochlorzide and behaviour therapy on agoraphobic symptoms were investigated in a 28-week placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial. One hundred and eight women diagnosed as agoraphobic were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: clomipramine alone, behaviour therapy alone, clomipramine and behaviour therapy or placebo. Sixty women completed the assigned treatment. Clomipramine was prescribed in weekly increments to a maximum of 300 mg per day, with a mean dosage at week 8 of 94.6 mg per day. Behaviour therapy focused on graded in vivo exposure therapy. Assessments of patients were performed at six points prior to and during the trial and included standardized questionnaires, daily diaries and a Behavioral Approach Test. Significant main effects for both clomipramine and behaviour therapy on 15 and 12 of the dependent measures respectively were found but no interaction of treatments emerged.