[A specific phobia of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS phobia)]

A specific phobia of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS phobia) was not previously described in the literature. We examined 21 patients, 11 men and 10 women, aged 28-72 years, with symptoms of this phobia. Only 23% of patients had a history of the psychiatric disorder in the past. The duration of phobia symptoms was significantly higher in patients with moderate and severe phobia than in mild cases (1.5±0.6 and 5.0±1.1 months respectively; р<0.05). The severity of ALS phobia was correlated with its duration (r= -0.5; p=0.004). The primary character of phobia was established in 52.4% of patients basing on the regression of phobia symptoms assessed by the Hamilton anxiety scale after psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy (17±4 and 3±1 scores before and 3 months after treatment, respectively; p<0.05).