A study of the clinical effects of phenelzine and placebo in the treatment of phobic anxiety.

The detailed results are presented of a double-blind controlled trial of phenelzine and placebo in chronic agoraphobic and socially phobic psychiatric out-patients. Forty patients entered the trial and thirty-two of these completed the 8 weeks period of treatment, in which phenelzine or placebo were taken in flexible dosage, 30-90 mg daily. Patients were prospectively matched in pairs so that clinical response could be assessed in detail. Phenelzine was significantly superior to placebo on a number of measures, particularly for overall assessment ( P<0.01). The treatment differences were not significant after 4 weeks treatment but were so at 8 weeks. The correlates of response and the results of the clinical ratings suggest that phenelzine is not acting as an antidepressant in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]