How to cure phobic neurosis
Disease description:
I recently experienced a fright, and my doctor diagnosed me with phobic neurosis. How can phobic neurosis be treated?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Lv Zhiqin
Phobic neurosis, also known as phobia, is mainly treated through two approaches: psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.
1. Psychotherapy:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy: This approach reduces fear and anxiety by modifying the patient's behaviors and irrational cognitions. It emphasizes correcting distorted cognitive patterns, and is particularly effective for patients with social phobia.
Systematic desensitization: This involves gradually exposing the patient to feared objects or situations to help them adapt and reduce fear.
Exposure therapy: This involves directly confronting the patient with the feared object or situation repeatedly to diminish the fear response.
Social skills training: Aimed at patients with social phobia, this approach improves social skills through modeling by the therapist, social reinforcement, and exposure homework assignments.
2. Pharmacotherapy:
Benzodiazepines or antidepressant medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic drugs, may be prescribed to alleviate tension, anxiety, and panic attacks. Commonly used medications include paroxetine and sertraline.
