Reducing demands on clinicians by offering computer-aided self-help for phobia/panic - Feasibility study

被引:55
作者
Kenwright, M
Liness, S
Marks, I
机构
[1] NHS, Stress Self Help Clin, London W114 9NS, England
[2] Maudsley Hosp & Inst Psychiat, London SE5 8AZ, England
[3] Univ London Imperial Coll Sci Technol & Med, London, England
关键词
D O I
10.1192/bjp.179.5.456
中图分类号
R749 [精神病学];
学科分类号
100205 ;
摘要
Background Many patients with phobia/panic find it hard to access effective treatment. Aims To test the feasibility of computer-guided exposure therapy for phobia/panic. Method Self-referrals were screened for 20 min and, if suitable, had six sessions of computer-guided self-help (from a system called FearFighter). Pre- and post-treatment ratings of 54 patients were compared with those of 31 similar outpatients with phobia/panic who received the same treatment guided by a clinician. Results At pre-treatment, computer-guided cases were slightly less severe than clinician-guided patients. In a posttreatment intent-to-treat analysis, both groups improved comparably but computer-guided patients spent 86% less time with a clinician than did purely clinician-guided patients, who had no access to the computer system. Conclusions Computer-guided self-exposure therapy appeared feasible and effective for self-referrals and saved much clinician time. A controlled study is now needed. Declaration of interest One of the authors (I.M) shares intellectual property rights in the computer-guided system.
引用
收藏
页码:456 / 459
页数:4
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