An investigation of the effectiveness of desensitization and flooding with two types of phobias

Behaviour Therapy for Neurotic Disorders

This article reviews evidence about the value of behaviour therapy for the treatment of patients who present with phobic disorders anxiety states, obsessional neuroses, and hysteria. Although progress has been made in developing effective behaviour therapy for the major neurotic syndromes, much remains to be done. Only in the phobic disorders is there a sufficient body of knowledge to give clear guidance to the clinician about the best methods of treatment. However, this work on phobias already has pointed to several lines of enquiry which are likely to be fruitful with the other syndromes in which the contribution of behavioural methods is promising, though less certainly established. In particular, more attention needs to be given to ways of ensuring that patient treatment by behavioural measures will be continued.

Repeated exposure to interoceptive cues: does habituation of fear occur in panic disorder patients? A preliminary report

In order to explore the mechanism of action of interoceptive exposure, 12 Panic Disorder (PD) patients were presented with two sessions of repeated CO2 inhalation. Two distinct patterns of responding were noted. The first pattern was described as habituation of fear (n = 6). These patients showed decrements in pre- and post-inhalation anxiety during both sessions (with more rapid decline during session 2), as well as spontaneous recovery of fear at the onset of session 2. The second pattern indicated fear sensitization. These patients showed relatively low levels of anticipatory anxiety preceding CO2 inhalation during both sessions but reported robust increases in fear following gas inhalation. The extent of this increase was slightly less during session 2 relative to session I and did not appear to be mediated by cardiovascular arousal, as both groups showed rapid HR habituation during both sessions. Results are discussed in light of current theories of PD and its treatment.

Awareness of internal cues and concordance among verbal behavioral, and physiological systems in dysfunction

It is proposed that persons suffering from a particular dysfunction lack awareness of internal cues associated with physiological activity in the dysfunctional system. Further, this deficit in awareness results in a lack of concordance among verbal, behavioral, and physiological measures of the dysfunctional system; persons not suffering from the particular dysfunction have adequate perception of internal cues and exhibit concordance among these measures. To evaluate these hypotheses, relevant research is reviewed. Discussions of the potential relevance of the proposed theoretical orientation to treatment and methodological issues pertinent to empirical validation are included.