Thunderstorm phobias

This study, consists of a retrospective analysis made from the case notes of 10 thunderstorm phobics who were treated between 1963 and 1977.A wide range of data was abstracted from the histories in order to formulate some generalizations concerning the aetiology of this type of phobia. All the patients studied were female, generally they had experienced the problem in childhood usually in a severe form and its further exacerbation was often attributed to aversive life events. While many reported related sensitivities such as overreaction to sudden and loud noises, other psychiatric problems were rarely presented for treatment.     

Conditioning experiences and phobias

A retrospective study was conducted to examine the extent to which phobias are associated with a conditioning pathway to fear. The Phobic Origin Questionnaire (Öst and Hugdahl, Behav. Res. Ther. 19, 439–477, 1981) was administered to a sample of 91 phobic outpatients (patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia, social phobics, simple phobies). Results show clearly that conditioning experiences occur more frequently than either vicarious or informational, learning experiences, which confirms the findings previously reported by Rimm, Janda, Lancaster, Nahl and Dittmar (Behav. Res. Ther. 15, 231–238, 1977) and by Öst and Hugdahl (1981; Behav. Res. Ther. 21, 623–631, 1983). Yet, conditioning experiences consist mainly of panic attacks in confined environments. The findings also suggest that a considerable number of phobias are based on a combination of different pathways to fear.     

One-session treatment for specific phobias

A rapid and effective treatment for specific phobias, in which the treatment is done in one single session, is described in detail. The treatment method consists of a combination of exposure in vivo and modeling. The short- and long-term outcome for a consecutive series of 20 patients are reported. Mean treatment time was 2.1 h and at follow-up after an average of 4 yr 90% were much improved or completely recovered.     

The psychoanalytic view of phobias. Part III: Agoraphobia and other phobias of adults.

This is the third part of a review and commentary on the psychoanalytic literature on phobias. This section takes up agoraphobia and other phobias of adults, and suggests further avenues for interpenetration of psychoanalytic and psychiatric approaches.     

The psychoanalytic view of phobias. Part IV: General theory of phobias and anxiety.

This is the final part of the work on the psychoanalytic view of phobias. Here we consider general views of phobias, developments and issues in the psychoanalytic theory of anxiety, as it relates to phobias, and take up aspects of some broader theoretical issues, including nosology.     

The psychoanalytic view of phobias. Part I: Freud's theories of phobias and anxiety.

This paper initiates a series of communications on psychoanalytic and current psychiatric approaches to the understanding and treatment of phobic syndromes with a review and discussion of Freud's evolving ideas on phobias and anxiety. A list of issues that any theory of phobic syndromes must address is compiled on the basis of Freud's work.     

Prepared phobias and obsessions: Therapeutic outcome

Sixty-nine phobic and eighty-two obsessional patients, treated at the Maudsley Hospital, were rated for ‘preparedness’, the evolutionary significance of the content and behaviour of the disorder. Reliable ratings (r = 0.78 and 0.90) of the dangerousness of the object or situation to pretechnological man indicated that the content of the large majority of the phobias and obsessions are judged as evolutionarily significant. Degree of preparedness, however, did not predict outcome of therapy, suddenness of onset of the disorder, severity of impairment, intensiveness of the treatment received, or age of onset. Nor was there any significant relationship between preparedness and certain other variables in the obsessional sample: stimulus generalization, effect on life style, impaired reproductive capacity and abnormal personality. The implications of these findings for the hypothesis that human phobias and obsessions are prepared, and for the clinical usefulness of the concept of preparedness, are discussed.