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Agoraphobia: newer treatment approaches
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|October 1, 1978
Summary
Agoraphobia treatment involves behavior therapy, like flooding, and medications such as antidepressants. Psychotherapy is now mainly supportive for managing this severe phobic disorder.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Agoraphobia is recognized as the most prevalent and severe type of phobic disorder.
- Current treatment strategies encompass behavioral, pharmacological, and psychotherapeutic approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize the primary treatment modalities for agoraphobia.
- To highlight the efficacy of different therapeutic techniques.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on agoraphobia treatments.
- Categorization of treatments into behavior therapy, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy.
Main Results:
- Behavioral approaches, particularly flooding and group exposure, show significant effectiveness.
- Pharmacological treatments, including monoamine oxidase inhibitors (e.g., phenelzine) and tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., imipramine), are effective in preventing panic attacks.
- Psychotherapy often serves as an adjunctive treatment.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral and pharmacological interventions are key components in managing agoraphobia.
- Effective treatment often combines multiple modalities to address panic attacks and phobic avoidance.