Formulation-based treatment of a complex phobia.

This case study describes the treatment of a 22-year-old woman presenting with a complex balloon phobia. She was first treated by the empirically proven method of in vivo exposure and then by a course of behavior therapy based upon the case formulation. Although the exposure resulted in some decrease in phobic symptoms, the formulation-based treatment produced significantly greater clinical improvement in the phobia and also impacted other problem areas. Three-year follow-up data are provided.