Double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study of paroxetine for specific phobia

Jonathan Benjamin, Itzhak Z. Ben-Zion, Elena Karbofsky, Pinhas Dannon

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    44 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Drugs are not recognized as a standard treatment for specific phobia, despite its apparent similarities to other kinds of phobia. Reluctance on the part of patients and clinicians to see the disorder as more than normal anxiety may explain the apparent resistance to pharmacotherapy. Eleven patients fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for specific phobia were randomized to 4 weeks of double-blind treatment with placebo or paroxetine up to 20 mg/day. They were assessed weekly with the Fear Questionnaire and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety. Paroxetine showed significant superiority in reducing all measures (ANCOVA for reductions in phobia scores F = 7.9, P = 0.02). One out of six patients responded to placebo, compared to three out of five patients on paroxetine. This new therapeutic option (i.e. drug treatment) for specific phobia deserves further examination in a larger trial.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)194-196
    Number of pages3
    JournalPsychopharmacology
    Volume149
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1 Jan 2000

    Keywords

    • Anxiety
    • Paroxetine
    • Pharmacology
    • Phobic disorder
    • Serotonin

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pharmacology

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