Behavioral desensitization of phobic anxiety using thiopental sodium.

Abstract

The author evaluated a random sample of 25 patients suffering from a variety of phobic anxiety states who were treated with desensitization using thiopental sodium combined with progressive reduction in the use of oral anxiolytic medication. At 24-week follow-up, 11 of the patients reported mild symptoms of phobic anxiety and 14 reported none; 9 of the patients reported their use of tranquilizers had decreased and 15 reported they had used non for at least 2 weeks. These results demonstrate the usefulness of the treatment in producing sustained reduction of phobic anxiety and tranquilizer use.