Housebound Housewives—A Follow-Up Study of a Phobic Anxiety State

Abstract

This study was undertaken to learn more about a group of patients, married women, who had become housebound by their phobic anxiety symptoms. It was felt that it would be of some value to discover to what extent they formed a homogeneous group, what the outcome of their illness was in general terms, and specifically what proportion remained housebound and what data there had been available on admission to hospital that might in retrospect be seen to have had prognostic significance.

Neurotic disorders

“…Follow-up studies of general adult phobic populations have produced similar results, with about half of the subjects showing at least some improvement. 34,35 In a Scandinavian follow-up study of 3302 inpatients with 'pure' anxiety neurosis, 36 there was a significantly increased risk of suicide and unnatural deaths in subjects who died before the age of 70 years. Suicide rates were also higher than expected in those patients with anxiety and/or depressive neurosis who survived until 71 years of age.…”

The Natural History of Neuroses: Problems of Methods and Substance

“…Among others, Roberts (53) and Lazare (37) have noted the important depressive element in many phobic and hysterical patients, and Pollitt (51) reported on the high frequence of depressive symptoms in people with obsessions. The complex relationship between anxiety and depression need not be dwelt upon here, but it seems important to know more about the significance of depressive symptoms in the long-term outcome of neurotic patients.…”

“…Depressive symptoms are often found to be remitting (14,19,33,50,53,62). Initial high anxiety or discomfort is a good prognostic pointer (21, 41,57), and this probably reflects acute self-limited crises.…”

Behaviour Therapy and Personality Change

“…She had become so terrified of dogs that she dare not leave the house, and presented all the typical features of the housebound syndrome (3,11 The treatment involved desensitizing her to dogs, and relaxation was induced by intravenous injections of a 2~°~o solution of Methohexitone sodium (2). It was for-' tunate from the treatment point of view that her neighbour had a spaniel because,, this gave her the opportunity of practising a whole range of situations involving the neighbour's dog.…”