Whatever happened to specific phobias? The

significant contribution of Lars Goran Öst to specific

phobia research and treatment

Graham C L DaveyUniversity of Sussex, UK

The 3-Stage Journey

• Searching & Researchingo Study it if it moves, and study it if it doesn’t moveo Researching the Range of Specific Phobias (1978 to 1992)

• Developing the Treatment (1989 to 1996)o Bankrupting the therapists

• Understanding Everythingo From Therapist behaviour to Quality of Life

Snakes & Spiders• 1978 FADING vs SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION IN

THE TREATMENT OF SNAKE AND SPIDER PHOBIA

Thunder & Lightning• 1978 BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT OF THUNDER AND

LIGHTNING PHOBIAS

Claustrophobia• 1982 INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE PATTERNS AND THE

EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT BEHAVIORAL METHODS IN THE TREATMENT OF CLAUSTROPHOBIA

Agoraphobia• 1983 ACQUISITION OF AGORAPHOBIA, MODE OF

ONSET AND ANXIETY RESPONSE PATTERNS

Blood Phobia• 1984 PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN BLOOD

PHOBICS

Dental Phobia• 1985 ACQUISITION OF BLOOD AND DENTAL

PHOBIA AND ANXIETY RESPONSE PATTERNS IN CLINICAL PATIENTS

Choking Phobia• 1992 COGNITIVE THERAPY IN A CASE OF

CHOKING PHOBIA

Flying Phobia• 1997 ONE VERSUS FIVE SESSIONS OF EXPOSURE

IN THE TREATMENT OF FLYING PHOBIA

Öst & Hugdahl 1981• ACQUISITION OF PHOBIAS AND ANXIETY

RESPONSE PATTERNS IN CLINICAL PATIENTS

Age of Onset• 1987 Age of Onset in Different Phobias

Bankrupting the Phobia Therapists

• 1989 ONE-SESSION TREATMENT FOR SPECIFIC PHOBIAS

Teaching the Children• 1991

1 vs. 5 Sessions• 1992

…A further turn of the screw…

• 1996 ONE-SESSION GROUP TREATMENT OF SPIDER PHOBIA

… And a final turn of the screw

• 1998 A clinical study of spider phobia: prediction of outcome after self-help and therapist-directed treatments

Understanding Everything

• 1996 PREDICTION OF OUTCOME IN THE TREATMENT OF SPECIFIC PHOBIA. A CROSS VALIDATION STUDY

o Diastolic Blood-pressure at pre-testo Treatment Credibility

Therapist Behaviour• 1997 Therapist behavior during one-session

exposure treatment of spider phobia: Individual vs group setting

Phobia Comorbidity• 2010 Comorbidity in youth with specific phobias:

Impact of comorbidity on treatment outcome and the impact of treatment on comorbid disorders

Quality of Life• 2012 Quality-of-life before and after cognitive

behavioral therapy (CBT) in patients with intra-oral injection phobia

Why has phobia research had such a low profile recently

• No Living to be Made in Phobias Therapy Any Moreo 1-session group treatmento Self-help manualo We await the App!

• Lars-Goran Öst has studied all the Specific Phobiaso We need to Invent some more!