Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T10:47:57.906Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Treatment of spasmodic vomiting and lower gastrointestinal distress related to travel anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2011

Richard W. Seim ,
C. Richard Spates  and
Amy E. Naugle
Richard W. Seim*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, MI, USA
C. Richard Spates
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, MI, USA
Amy E. Naugle
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, MI, USA
*
*Author for correspondence: Mr R. W. Seim, Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, 3700 Wood Hall, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008, USA. (email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Gastrointestinal distress is a common symptom of anxiety. While these symptoms are usually transient and not severe, in some cases they can cause significant impairment. This report details the treatment of a 45-year-old male who presented with symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting which occurred every time he travelled more than 10 miles away from his home. These symptoms arose suddenly and without warning, and on at least two occasions the vomiting was so severe that it caused the patient to vomit blood. Due to this problem, the patient had developed agoraphobia which had affected his life for over 15 years. The patient was treated in 14 sessions which involved educating him about gastrointestinal reactivity and having him perform a series of emotional tolerance, opposite-action, and real-life exposure exercises. After receiving treatment, the patient embarked on a series of vacations and business trips, all without experiencing diarrhoea or vomiting, and a follow-up assessment showed that the treatment gains were maintained 1 year later.

Keywords

Agoraphobiairritable boweltravel anxietyvomiting
Type
Original Research
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , March 2011 , pp. 30 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

APA (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn, Text Revision). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Barlow, DH, Craske, MG, Cerny, JA, Klosko, JS (1989). Behavioral treatment of panic disorder. Behavior Therapy 20, 261–282.Google Scholar
Beck, AT, Emery, G, Greenberg, RL (2005). Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Brown, TA, Di Nardo, PA, Barlow, DH (1994). Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV. Albany, NY: Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders.Google Scholar
Clark, DM, Salkovskis, PM, Hackmann, A, Middleton, H, Anastasiades, P, Gelder, MG (1994). A comparison of cognitive therapy, applied relaxation and imipramine in the treatment of panic disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry 164, 759–769.Google Scholar
Clark, DM, Salkovskis, PM, Hackmann, A, Wells, A, Ludgate, J, Gelder, M (1999). Brief cognitive therapy for panic disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 67, 583–589.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Devilly, DJ (2004). An approach to psychotherapy toleration: the Distress/Endorsement Validation Scale (DEVS) for clinical outcome studies. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 35, 319–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Golden, WL (2007). Cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy in the treatment of irritable-bowel-syndrome-induced agoraphobia. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 55, 131–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayer, EA, Craske, M, Naliboff, BD (2001). Depression, anxiety, and the gastrointestinal system. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 62 (Suppl. 8), 28–36.Google ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.