Panic disorder treated with individualised homoeopathic medicines

Abstract

Introduction: Panic disorder is one category of generalised anxiety disorder that is commonly reported in a majority of the outpatient departments of primary care hospitals, especially in the COVID-19 post-pandemic era. Although its prevalence is lower compared to other anxiety disorders, panic disorder remains a serious concern, as it often leads to cardiorespiratory emergencies; therefore, prompt recognition and timely management are crucial. Since the first-line pharmacological interventions of modern medicine are expensive and associated with certain undesirable side effects, the homoeopathic system of medicine appears to be a safer and more economical alternative in such cases. Keeping this in view, a case series of diagnosed panic disorders treated with Homoeopathy has been reported. Case summary:summary: Five cases of panic disorder, each diagnosed by a consulting psychologist, were treated with individualised homoeopathic medicines. The cases were assessed for improvement using the Severity Measure for Panic Disorder scale, developed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and substantial improvement was observed. Further, the cases were also assessed using MONARCH to determine the causal attribution of homoeopathic treatment to clinical improvement, yielding a score of +8 in all cases with a positive outcome. The homoeopathic medicines found useful were Argentum nitricum, Calcarea carb., Natrum muriaticum, Staphysagria, and Arsenicum album. Furthermore, rigorously designed clinical trials are needed to generate robust and conclusive evidence.