Since<unk>  tends to coincide with a mixture of other mental disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder, therapists endorse an extensive and multi-pronged treatment scheme. Such programs address the psychological issues related to<unk>  first, which make the choking phobia easier to oppose later on with retraining schemes and talk therapy which centre on helping the sufferer learn to relax whilst eating. Proposed treatments include hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and Eye Movement desensitisation and reprocessing. Aversion relief therapy is a commonly used treatment which has been proven to be effective in the field of choking phobias. In this case, the sufferer is given a small shock to their fingers until they swallow (Whitehead and Schuster 1985). In order to get relief, the sufferer will have no other option but to swallow the food since the shock only stops once the action of swallowing occurs. Another possible treatment for<unk>  includes tongue depressors placed on the back of the throat in order for the sufferer to defeat the anxiety associated with swallowing (Whitehead and Schuster 1958). Lastly, relaxation sessions can take place before meals. Such treatments include positive visualisation, deep breathing, and guided meditation. Although pharmacotherapy such as low doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been used for treatment, it is more common for behavioural approaches to be used. Additionally, before<unk>  can be diagnosed, it is of the utmost importance to remove any other potential natural conditions which may be actually causing choking symptoms. In this case, Dysphagia may be a real health problem that could be causing constriction of the oesophagus during swallowing, meaning that sufferers with this condition are legitimately not imagining the symptoms that they outline. Furthermore, Omophydroid Muscle Syndrome- a rare muscle condition which causes chronic soreness and pain swallowing, may be the cause of falsely diagnosed<unk> . It is also not uncommon for<unk>  to be misdiagnosed with conversion disorder (Globus Pharyngeus) and eating disorders. Treatment studies Di Scipio et al (1978) medicated three children under the age of 2- with the inability to swallow. Two of the children had earlier undergone oropharyngeal surgery whilst the other child had an uncertain diagnosis however the strain was examined to be a congenital neurological disorder and possibly pseudobulbar palsy. Those children were fed by a gastrostomy. The phobia was unexplained but may have accumulated after a traumatic incident of a barium swallow. The treatment in these three cases comprised: # positive reinforcement of the psychomotor constituent of oral consumption; # tube feeding made dependent on oral feeding (the children were fed through a tube once the child attempted swallowing); # introduction of massed learning tests over 72 hour periods. This treatment took place between 1 and 2 years.
Pseudodysphagia
Presbyphagia
Dysphagia
Dysphagia lusoria
Hypnagogia
Coccydynia
Aphagia
Spasmodic dysphonia