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A Pilot Study

Marjorie Raskin, MD; George Johnson, MSW; Joanne W. Rondestvedt, MSS

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1973;28(2):263-267.

Abstract
An estimated 5% of the United States population a is afflicted by chronic anxiety–a persistent or recurrent state of dread or apprehension accompanied by signs of physiological arousal such as palpitations, tremulousness, tachycardia, and dizziness. This painful and disabling state commonly persists for decades.¹ Insight-oriented psychotherapy^2.3 and behavioral therapy_4.5 fail to give satisfactory symptomatic relief in approximately one half the cases. The minor tranquilizers constitute the most popular treatment of chronic anxiety. The results of studies of the effectiveness of these agents are contradictory and inconclusive.^6-8 Moreover, even our safest and most effective antianxiety agents expose the patient to some risk from unwanted side effects, such as impaired driving proficiency_9,10 and long-term use of these agents for decades may lead to unexpected complications.

Author Affiliations
San Francisco

From the Department of Psychiatry, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco.

Footnotes
The effects of daily deep muscle relaxation, achieved through electromyographic feedback training, on the symptoms of ten chronically anxious patients were assessed. All ten successfully learned to sustain 25 minutes of profound relaxation of the frontalis muscle with or without feedback. The most striking results occurred when a patient learned to use relaxation techniques at critical times. Three patients learned to use partial relaxation to control previously intolerable situational anxiety and four patients learned to abort tension headaches in the same manner. However, a limited period of relaxation gives insufficient relief from symptoms which endure in time. Only one patient had a marked lessening of his pervasive anxiety and although patients with insomnia learned to put themselves to sleep by relaxing, most experienced frequent awakenings.

Accepted for publication Nov 16, 1972.

Reprint requests to Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, 401 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco 94122 (Dr. Raskin).

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