Behavioral treatment of choking phobia in an adolescent: an experimental analysis

A multiple baseline approach across foods was used to evaluate an exposure-based treatment for choking phobia in a 13-year-old girl. Following 14 sessions, the patient demonstrated substantially reduced self-reported, observer-rated, and parent-reported anxiety, increased eating rate and bite size, and increased variety of food intake. Clinical diagnoses present at pretreatment were not present at posttreatment at a clinical level. These gains were maintained at a 9-month follow-up assessment.