A case report: Treatment of panic disorder (odontophobia) with therapeutic key words “Good myself” “Bad myself”

Abstract

We have introduced the therapeutic key words “Good myself” “Bad myself” into the treatment of an odontophobia patient who was diagnosed as suffering from panic disorder by a psychiatrist.
Dr. Ken Fukamachi named the ambivalent feeling in eating disorder patients as “Good myself” “Bad myself”. These key words were also very useful in the treatment of this case.
A 45-year-old female, complaining of toothache and odontophobia, was hospitalized for 99 days in our ward to improve her panic disorder through psychotherapy and extract her decayed teeth. She had avoided dental treatment because of fear of panic attack for 23 years. She went to a dentist only when she had an unbearable toothache.
At first, we listened to her carefully, then asked her, “Is there bad yourself tempting you to a panic attack?”. She said, “Yes, there is. And there is another myself, who is encouraging me to undergo medical treatment.”
Since then, we have interpreted her ambivalent feelings or behavior with these therapeutic key words. The patient herself also began to use these expressions in her “description of impressions”. Step by step, she come to be able to cope with fear by herself. Finally she was able to undergo the extraction of her decayed teeth.
It can be concluded that the therapeutic key words “Good myself” “Bad myself” may be effective in the treatment of odontophobia due to panic disorder.