People can be afraid of just about anything
(The following was written by Carolyn
Satterfield and is reprinted from Tlie Durham
Sun.)
It's possible to be trapped in your own
home.
Not by locked windows and doors, but
by exaggerated fears.
It's a condition known as agoraphobia,
or fear of just about everything, and it's
afflicting increasing numbers of people,
according to Dr. Patrick A. Boudewyns,
director of the Behavior Change and Self-
Control Program, also known as the "Bad
Habits Clinic."
More women than men seem to have
agoraphobia, he added, due in part to
reports of rapes and other dangers
inherent in our society.
Buying groceries most difficult
The most difficult thing for many
agoraphobics is going into a large
supermarket and buying groceries. That's
usually one of the last things persons
undergoing therapy can accomphsh. At
that point, they are well on their way to
being cured, Boudewyns said.
Techniques used in the Bad Habits
Clinic in dealing with this and other
phobias are quite successful. Most people
experience an 80-90 percent
improvement through therapy, according
to the director.
Boudewyns, an associate professor in
the Division of Community and Social
Psychiatry, also serves as chief of
psychology services at the Veterans
Administration Hospital.
Fears can be necessary
Everybody has fears, he said. In fact,
realistic fears are necessary for survival.
When fears become obsessions, when a
person's lifestyle is crippled in any way by
an inability to deal with one or more fears,
that person has crossed the fine line
between fears and phobias.
For instance, a person who is leery of
elevators, bothered by heights, afraid of
flying is reacting normally, as long as
these feelings are just minor discomforts,
pretty easily ignored.
Boudewyns defined a phobia as a
"morbid, irrational fear or dread of a
situation, place or thing, so severe that it
interferes with one's life."
Since a phobia is unrealistic in its
intensity, the idea of therapy is to help the
person deal with the problem in a more
realistic sense.
First the person must be able to talk
freely about such fears and the usual
reaction to them.
Then he or she is encouraged, with
guidance from a trained professional, to
"test reality."
Boudewyns discourages individuals
from trying these techniques without the
aid of a professional, since he believes this
might make the situation worse.
Gradual or 'flooding'
Two techniques are used — a gradual
exposure to the feared object or situation,
or a more direct approach, called flooding,
m psychological jargon.
In the gradual exposure, the person
tests reality in small doses, either through
an imaginary situation or tlie real thing.
Boudewyns gave as an example a
person deathly afraid of heights. The
person would be encouraged to chmb a
flight of outdoor steps, such as a fire
escape, one step at the time, while being
taught to relax and observe certain
emotional responses.
(Continued on page 4)
Joklik chosen president-elect
Dr. Wolfgang K. Joklik, James B. Duke
Professor and chairman of the
Department of Microbiology and
Immunology, is president-elect of the
American Medical Schools Microbiology
Chairmen's Association.
Joklik, who was born in Vienna,
Austria, l-eceived bachelor's and master's
degrees in biochemistry from the
University of Sydney, Australia, and
earned a doctorate in virology at the
University of Oxford, England, in 1952.
Joklik was appointed to the Duke
faculty as professor and chairman of
microbiology and immunology in 1968.
He came to Duke from Albert Einstein
College of Medicine in New York, where
he had been a faculty member since 1962
and Siegfried Ullman Professor of cell
biology since 1965.
Joklik was named a James B. Duke
Professor, the university's highest
academic honor, in 1972.
He is a member of the editorial boards
of three professional journals and is
editor-in-chief of Virology.
Joklik was named American Society for
Microbiology Foundation Lecturer in
1966-67 and 1976-77.
DR. JOKLIK
I Safety hotline
• If you have questions about
: situations such as spills, maintenance
! or safety problems, the number to call
• is 684-3232, 24 hours a day.
; This "Safety and Maintenance
; Hotline" was established by the
; medical center's safety committee and
: the Department of Medical Center
I Engineering and Operations.
Nursing inservice education plans workshops
Kid stuff
The universal appeal of children's
art is reflected in the exhibit on display
in the East Campus Library through
April 14, presented by Duke's
Preschool and Primary Program.
The program also is sponsoring an
open house in the 4-year-old group,
Thursday, March 30, at 10 a.m. in the
Bivins Building.
Program director Musia Lakin has
announced that registration is in
progress for children 3-8.
The Office of Nursing Inservice
Education has announced three public
courses to be offered in April.
The topics will be pediatric eye
conditions, basic life support and diabetes
patient education.
"A Comprehensive Approach to
Pediatric Eye Conditions" will be held at
the Eye Center on April 4-5.
The workshop is designed to provide a
chnical update on several ophthalmic
disorders and injuries of young children,
with emphasis on examination
techniques, pre- and post-operative care,
prosthetics, psychosocial aspects and
diagnostic tests. The registration
deadline is March 31.
An instructor certification course in
"Basic Life Support" will be given April
13-14 at Duke's Croasdaile Education
Center in the Croasdaile Shopping
Center.
A prerequisite is certification as a Basic
Rescuer by the American Heart
Association.
"Diabetes Mellitus and Patient
Education" will be offered April 19 at the
Croasdaile Center.
The session will provide basic
information necessary for the delivery of
A-V says thanks for waiting
First chief resident
in pediatrics dies
Duke's first chief resident in pediatrics.
Dr. Jean Davidson Craven, died last
Saturday in Lexington. She was 73.
A native of New Mexico, Dr. Craven
graduated from Occidental College in Los
Angeles and received her M.D. from The
Johns Hopkins University.
She served on the pediatrics house staff
here from 1930-34 before entering
practice in Lexington.
Dr. Craven is survived by a son, two
brothers, one sister and five
grandchildren.
Renovations in the Division of
Audiovisual Education have been
completed, director Sam Agnello has
announced.
"This means that we are able to
produce in all formats and emulsions and
we will be able to meet most reasonable
deadlines," he said.
"We appreciate everyone's patience
during our recent moves and renovation
and the consequent inconvenience,"
Agnello said.
For the convenience of clients, the
division is testing an expanded pick-up
and delivery system.
An artist is stationed in the medical
photography section. Room 021 Hospital,
(basement, yellow zone) from 8:30-9:30
a.m., Monday-Friday, to consult and pick
up art work.
A photographer is stationed in the
medical art section. Room 328 Bell
Building, from 3:30-4:30 p.m., weekdays,
for consultation there.
Agnello added that work can be left at
any time, and arrangements can be made
to pick it up at either location.
He noted that the normal completion
time for routine work is three full work
days.
nursing care to the patient with diabetes
and promotion of self-care by the patient.
Further information about each of the
workshops may be obtained from
Nursing Inservice Education, Box 3883,
phone 684-4293.
Professional news
Dr. Sue Y. S. Kimm, assistant professor of
pediatrics, was assistant lecturer at the Johns
Hopkins School of Hygiene on March 3. She
spoke on the "Epidemiology of Hypertension."
Dr. Shirley K. Osterhout, assistant*
professor of pediatrics and assistant dean for
student affairs, is attending this weekend's
meeting of the Southern Regional Association
of American Colleges in Atlanta.
she is participating in a panel discussion of
"Psychological Causalities among Medical
Students."
Dr. Seymour Grufferman, assistant
professor of community and family medicine
and pediatrics, spoke on "The Epidemiology of
Hodgkin's Disease" at The Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine March 3.
On March 7-8, the Comprehensive Cancer
Center faculty member presented two papers
at the third annual conference of cancer center
epidemiology and biostatistics staffs in
Washington, D.C.
One paper, on "The Epidemiology of Carotid
Body Tumors," was co-authored by Duke
medical students L. Reuven Pasternak and
Caroline Peterson. The second paper was
entitled "Teaching Epidemiology in Schools of
Medicine."