This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by PARK, J.-M.
Right arrow Articles by AL-KUBAISY, T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by PARK, J.-M.
Right arrow Articles by AL-KUBAISY, T.
The British Journal of Psychiatry (2001) 178: 543-548
© 2001 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Two-year follow-up after a randomised controlled trial of self- and clinician-accompanied exposure for phobia/panic disorders

JE-MIN PARK, MD

Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Pusan, Korea

DAVID MATAIX-COLS, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Imperial College School of Medicine, London

ISAAC M. MARKS, FRCPsych

Imperial College School of Medicine and King's College London

THIENCHAI NGAMTHIPWATTHANA, MD

Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand

MELANIE MARKS, PhD

Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London

RICARDO ARAYA, MD

Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile

TARIK AL-KUBAISY, MD

Baghdad, Iraq

Correspondence: Professor Isaac M. Marks, Department of Psychiatry, Imperial College School of Medicine, Stress Self-Help Clinic, 303 North End Road, London WI4 9NS, UK. Tel: 0207 610 2594; fax: 0207 385 7471; e-mail: I.Marks{at}ic.ac.uk

Declaration of interest None.

Background Long-term follow-up has rarely been reported after self-exposure therapy for phobias.

Aims Completion of such a follow-up.

Method Two-year follow-up was achieved in 68 (85%) of 80 patients with phobias who had completed a previous 14-week randomised controlled trial comparing therapist-accompanied self-exposure, self-exposure or self-relaxation. Measures were self-reported ratings of symptoms, satisfaction and use of other treatment.

Results Improvement at week 14 was maintained 2 years later. Clinician-accompanied exposure and self-exposure did not differ on any measure. Compliance with self-exposure homework during weeks 0-8 predicted more improvement 2 years later. Patients who failed to improve with relaxation by week 14 improved after subsequent crossover to exposure. A need for more treatment for their phobias was still felt by 33 patients (49%).

Conclusions Patients with phobias maintained their improvement to 2-year follow-up after the end of self-exposure therapy.