Exposure Therapy with Patients Who Are Pregnant
Challacombe FL., Jansen MA.
Approximately 15% of pregnant women are known to have an anxiety disorder. In addition to causing distress to women, studies have highlighted the longstanding impact of untreated maternal anxiety on infant and child outcomes. Whilst many studies have demonstrated that cognitive behavioural approaches using exposure are effective for anxiety disorders, scant evidence exists of their use with pregnant women. Furthermore, women are sometimes denied treatment due to assumptions about the risks involved. This chapter reviews evidence and techniques for the use of exposure-based treatments in pregnancy, presenting case material on the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.