Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ) Assessment

The Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ) is a trusted tool for checking scary thoughts in panic disorder. It helps clinicians understand patient fears. This 14-item scale looks at how often a person has catastrophic thoughts when they feel anxious or tense. It digs into the specific worries fueling their panic. Patients rate items on a simple 1 to 5 scale ranging from thoughts that never occur to those that always happen. The questions cover two main areas involving physical health fears like having a heart attack and social worries about losing control or acting crazy. Clinicians use these scores to plan therapy and track changes over time. It is really handy for spotting the exact thoughts that need work during cognitive behavioural therapy. By seeing if these negative thoughts drop, you can tell if the treatment is actually working well for the client.