Treatment of Phagophobia: A case study

Abstract

In this paper, a case study of «swallow» phobia in a 6 year-old girl is presented. This specific phobia consists of an extreme fear of choking. In this kind of phobia one cuts down on the intake of food and changes the way of swallowing (basic food is generally easier to be swallowed). When possible physical disorders were left out by means of medical explorations, her parents asked for help to the Service of Applied Psychology in the Faculty of Psychology (UNED). At that time the girl had lost weight gradually and had rarely eaten for 2 months. After the assessment period, a mixed psychological treatment was elaborated using cognitive and behavioural tecniques. The therapeutic goals obtained remain the same after one year follow-up.