Q: I am a 36 years old man suffering from severe panic disorder for the last 6 years and since then I am taking medicines regularly with no significant improvement. Is there a test available to find out reasons for poor improvement? Also, due to medications, I have developed constipation too. What should I do to cure it?

A:It would certainly be useful to know what medications you are on inclusive of the dosages. There could be various reasons for the poor improvement of any disorder like inadequate dosages, non specific medications, forgetfulness to take medications regularly, comorbid medical disorders, comorbid psychiatric problems, wrong diagnosis, improper implementation of the treatment plan, etc. In fact it becomes useful to evaluate using the above mentioned factors. Also, it is advisable to know that for any mental health problem - combined appropriate psychological input usually can be useful. In case of panic disorder - the best treatment is a combination of medications with cognitive behaviour therapy, which has longer lasting efficacy and more therapeutic.