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Hyperhidrosis: A Case Study and Theoretical Formulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2014

Ann Moylan  and
Mark R. Dadds
Ann Moylan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Queensland
Mark R. Dadds
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The University of Queensland
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Abstract

A case study is presented of a 20-year-old male who experienced marked increases in body temperature and profuse sweating of the forehead and trunk when in formal social situations. No other physiological nor psychological manifestations of anxiety were admitted to and no situational avoidance was reported. Pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up self-report measures and daily self-monitoring of intensity and frequency of sweating were collected to evaluate treatment effects. Treatment was conducted over a period of 20 weeks. Cued conditioning and desensitisation were initially employed, however treatment effect was difficult to determine. The effects of an inadvertent in vivo exposure in week 6 of treatment and the subsequent change in treatment to exposure and cognitive therapy are discussed. The positive effects of treatment, which led to a decrease in the frequency and intensity of the sweating response, were evident at the completion of treatment and well maintained at 60 weeks follow-up. The use of exposure and cognitive therapy as a suitable treatment for this disorder are discussed in light of other anxiety disorders.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , June 1992 , pp. 87 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 1992

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References

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