This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Course and Prognosis

W. Stewart Agras, MD; Harvey N. Chapin, MD; Donald C. Oliveau, MD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1972;26(4):315-317.

Abstract
A five-year follow-up of 30 phobics originally identified in a population survey, revealed that untreated phobia tends to improve. Children's phobias improve quickly, 100% being improved or recovered at the end of five years. Adult's phobias improve more slowly, 43% being improved or recovered, 20% unchanged, and 33.0% worse at the end of five years. Severity of the phobia was not predictive of outcome, however degree of generalization of the phobia, and fearfulness, were. High generalization and fearfulness were associated with poor outcome. The similarity of these findings to follow-up studies of treated phobia suggests common mechanisms underlying recovery in both treated and untreated cases. A review of recent findings suggests that exposure to the feared object or situation is the common mechanism.

Author Affiliations
Jackson, Miss; Burlington, Vt

From the departments of psychiatry, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Miss (Drs. Agras and Chapin), and the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vt.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication July 2, 1971.

Reprint requests to the Department of Psychiatry, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N State St, Jackson, Miss 39216 (Dr. Agras).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Behavioral Therapies for Drug Abuse
Carroll and Onken
Focus 2007;5:240-248.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Behavioral Therapies for Drug Abuse
Carroll and Onken
Am. J. Psychiatry 2005;162:1452-1460.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Outcome of Panic Disorder: Relationship to Diagnostic Subtypes and Comorbidity
Noyes et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1990;47:809-818.
ABSTRACT  

Panic Attacks in Phobia Treatment Studies-Reply
Marks
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1983;40:1151-1151.
ABSTRACT  

Imipramine and Brief Therapist-Aided Exposure in Agoraphobics Having Self-exposure Homework
Marks et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1983;40:153-162.
ABSTRACT