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Effects of four treatment methods on social phobic patients not suitable for insight‐oriented psychotherapy
Author(s) -
Alström J. E.,
Nordlund C. L.,
Persson G.,
Harding M.,
Ljungqvist C.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1984.tb01187.x
Subject(s) - psychotherapist , psychology , phobic disorder , clinical psychology , psychiatry , anxiety
– Forty‐two social phobic men and women, rated unsuitable for insight‐oriented psychotherapy, received one of four randomly assigned types of treatment for 3 months. All patients received basal therapy (B) in the form of standardized information, self‐exposure instructions, and anxiolytic medication. One group received this treatment only, with monthly appointments. The others, in addition, received either therapist‐directed prolonged exposure in vivo , in some cases supplemented with exposure in imagination (PE), dynamically oriented supportive therapy (ST) or relaxation therapy (R). There was a 9 months’ follow‐up period. The phobia variables were more improved in the PE and ST groups than in the R and B groups at the termination of treatment. Although improvement had deteriorated somewhat in the PE group during follow‐up, the improvement in target phobia was better than in the other groups. There were almost no improvements in the R and B groups. ST and PE groups also showed improved social function while the global rating showed most improvement in the PE group. The B group was not improved at all and the R group only showed a short‐lived drop in muscular tension.