Hi. I am a student at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and am currently doing research on treatments for panic disorder. My hope is that internet-based CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) can be shown to effectively treat people suffering from panic disorder, since it could offer a valuable alternative to face-to-face CBT (which is more expensive, time-consuming and obviously involves leaving the house and travelling)

My research question is as follows: “Is internet-based CBT as effective as face-to-face CBT in treating panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia)?”

I would very much appreciate it if you could quickly give your views on this and answer a few questions…

(Please keep in mind that face-to-face CBT therapy would include the assisted use of a manualized CBT programme, over a period of 12 weeks. Participants would attend one hour weekly treatment session with an allocated psychologist. The internet-based CBT would consist of a structured programme, with different modules that needed to be completed. Psychologists that are trained in CBT for panic disorder would make contact via e-mail with the participants assigned to them, and guide each participant through the internet-based programme.)

If you have panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia)…
Would you be willing to take part in the study?
Have you ever tried out either internet-based CBT or face-to-face CBT?
If so, what was the outcome?
If not, do you think either of the two measures could possibly alleviate or offer a solution for your panic disorder?
Do you think that one measure would be more likely to be more effective than the other?

This is an interesting research project. Do you mind if I ask why you think that an internet based therapy would be more beneficial? Would your internet based therapy include perhaps video sessions one on one? How would you actually structure the treatments?