Volume 28, Issue 4
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2019.1100
“SOMEONE COULD BE SICK”. COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY FOR A SPECIFIC PHOBIA OF VOMITING (EMETOPHOBIA): A STUDY CASE
Abstract
Specific phobia of vomiting (SPOV), also known as Emetophobia, is an intense, irrational fear of vomiting. SPOV is a little-known anxiety disorder, and is relatively understudied with respect to its aetiology, clinical features, and treatment. This paper presents the treatment of a 40-year-old woman with SPOV since childhood, which interfered in her everyday life. A SPOV-focused Cognitive Behaviour Treatment based on Veale's (2009) treatment model was conducted by a Clinical Psychologist in training with the supervision of an expert. Treatment included implementation of shared formulation, indoors and outdoors in-vivo exposure, imaginary re-scripting, and cognitive restructuring. For measurement of the efficacy of the treatment several scales were used. The results supported that Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for SPOV was a satisfactory treatment for a patient with emetophobia who presented clinically significant change.
Keywords
Cognitive behaviour therapy, cognitive therapy, emetophobia, vomit phobia, phobia of vomiting