A home-based treatment program for agoraphobia: Replication and controlled evaluation

Twenty-eight agoraphobic women were randomly allocated to one of two treatments: programmed practice in entering feared situations or a treatment aimed at anxiety reduction by resolving life problems. Each treatment was conducted by one of two therapists and both were carried out at the patient's home, involved the spouse, and used the same structured format of delivery. Behavioral changes were assessed by the patient, spouse, and an independent psychiatrist. Assessments were made before and after treatment and 3 and 6 months later. Results replicated the findings of a previous study and showed the superiority of programmed practice over the problem solving treatment. However, changes in the latter were unexpectedly large, and one therapist obtained results comparable to these which both therapists obtained with programmed practice. This finding does not support the hypothesis that systematic practice in entering the feared situations is essential for the treatment of agoraphobia.