The Anxiety Disorders Research Laboratory

Overview
Prospective Graduate Students
Prospective Undergraduate Students
Major Research Areas

Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
Nature and Measurement of Anxiety Disorders
Brain Disease/Chemical Imbalance Model of Mental Health Problems

Brett Deacon, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming
Department of Psychology, Dept. 3415
1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307)766-3317
E-mail: bdeacon@uwyo.edu

OVERVIEW

The primary objective of Dr. Deacon’s Anxiety Disorders Research Laboratory is to advance knowledge of the measurement, development, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety disorders. A secondary objective is to advance the scientific integrity of mental health research and treatment, broadly defined. While these objectives encompass a wide array of topics, a number of specific research areas and current laboratory projects are detailed below. The final objective of the laboratory is to train advanced undergraduates and graduate students to develop strong scientific values and critical thinking skills. These objectives are pursued within a translational research framework that encompasses both basic and applied studies. The lab’s philosophy is that clinical practice and basic research are at their best when they are informed by each other. As such, we strive to develop improved treatment protocols from our research on the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders, as well as use insights gleaned from clinical practice to develop and test hypotheses about the nature and treatment of anxiety disorders.

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PROSPECTIVE GRADUATE STUDENTS

I am actively recruiting prospective graduate students each year for the foreseeable future. Graduate students in the University of Wyoming clinical psychology program who work with me typically come in with interests in the anxiety disorders. Prior experience in this area is desirable but not necessary for a student to be admitted. The most important qualification is a sincere interest in and enthusiasm for understanding the nature and treatment of anxiety disorders (or for one of the other major lab research areas described below). While working in our program, graduate students conduct research and learn how to deliver effective cognitive-behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. Our program is committed to the scientist-practitioner model and strives to provide well-rounded, balanced training in research and clinical practice. All students in my lab have significant interests in both areas. Additionally, each has a strong research focus and is actively engaged in numerous research projects beyond the program requirements of a thesis and dissertation.

All graduate students in the Anxiety Disorders Research Laboratory become full members of my research group from the first semester they arrive. Even while students start to gain familiarity with the research and clinical literature, they receive hands-on experience working in the lab, either helping design a new study and/or collecting data on a study already underway. There are numerous opportunities for students to initiate their own research studies, utilize existing datasets to investigate research questions, or contribute to other lab projects in various capacities. Students in our lab have many opportunities to present and publish lab research (see below). In the process of conducting research, graduate students also become active participants in the laboratory, joining meetings where all current and planned projects are discussed. In addition to attending lab meetings, they meet individually with me on a regular basis to discuss the development of their research skills and the ideas they generate.

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PROSPECTIVE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Undergraduate students also play an important role in the Anxiety Disorders Research Laboratory. The typical student is a psychology major with an interest in research and future graduate studies. Undergraduate students are often involved in all aspects of lab research, from preparing study material, to interviewing research participants, to scoring and interpreting data. In recent years undergraduate students have co-authored conference poster and symposium presentations as well as peer-reviewed, published manuscripts. Undergraduate lab members attend weekly lab meetings where we discuss important journal articles and ongoing lab research projects. All lab members get a chance to see multiple studies through from start to finish, which provides a good appreciation of the entire research process. I am always looking for talented and motivated undergraduates with an interest in anxiety disorders who wish to gain research experience. The first step to becoming involved in the lab is to contact me at bdeacon@uwyo.edu to find out whether openings are available. Undergraduate students interested in joining the lab are also required to complete and submit an application, which can be obtained from me via e-mail.

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MAJOR RESEARCH AREAS

Below is a description of the general areas of study in our lab, up-to-date as of November 3, 2009.

Philosophy of Anxiety Disorders
Prior to detailing more specific research areas and lab projects below, it is important to note that our lab takes a transdiagnostic, process-based perspective on anxiety disorders. That is, our focus is more on understanding the processes involved in anxiety-related problems in general than on investigating the specific characteristics associated with particular anxiety problems. This philosophy applies to principles involved in the development, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety disorders. Despite obvious differences in feared stimuli, avoidance behaviors, and so on, the anxiety disorders have a great deal in common at the level of core psychological processes (e.g., cognitive biases, safety behaviors, attentional biases, etc.). Likewise, the procedures used to treat anxiety problems, such as exposure to feared stimuli and the prevention of safety behaviors, are essentially the same regardless of the specific anxiety disorder. A quick inspection of the research projects below will reveal studies of panic disorder, social anxiety, health anxiety, contamination fear, body image problems, needle fears, and claustrophobia to name a few. Many of these studies are designed to help us understand transdiagnostic processes rather than the unique aspects of a particular anxiety-related problem. Having said that, we also conduct a number of disorder-specific studies, and graduate students with interests in either transdiagnostic or disorder-specific phenomena will find plenty of opportunities to conduct interesting research.

My lab primarily uses an experimental psychopathology approach to study anxiety problems. Within this approach, the emphasis is on conducting true experiments in order to test the causal relationships between independent and dependent variables of interest. Most lab studies involve randomly assigning participants to multiple experimental conditions, delivering a manipulation designed to either exacerbate or alleviate anxiety symptoms, and measuring the effects using both self-report and behavioral methods. Participants typically consist of undergraduate students with elevated fear in a particular domain (e.g., contamination, social anxiety, enclosed spaces), and our treatments typically involve single-session exposure-based interventions. This analogue research approach is useful for addressing important theoretical and clinical questions that are often more difficult to study in a scientifically rigorous manner in the context of the therapy clinic. We believe that "abnormal" behavior is learned through the same processes as "normal" behavior, and that it is possible to shed light on the nature of clinical problems by studying their sub-clinical manifestations.
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1. TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

A major research focus in the lab concerns the development, evaluation, and dissemination of treatments for anxiety disorders. Our lab has increasingly adopted an applied focus, and over the past few years many of our research projects, including student theses and dissertations, have been intervention studies. To illustrate, we recently completed four studies examining variants of exposure therapy for anxiety sensitivity, claustrophobic fear, and social anxiety. These studies investigated methods of maximizing the effectiveness of exposure therapy by more directly targeting individuals' core fears, eliminating treatment procedures that might interfere with improvement, or by introducing treatment procedures designed to increase self-efficacy and treatment acceptability. A fifth study was conducted to elucidate the mechanisms through which safety behaviors interfere with the effectiveness of exposure therapy.

Attention to the phenomenon of "safety behaviors" is a common theme running throughout these studies. Safety behaviors are those actions intended to prevent feared catastrophes (e.g., avoiding or escaping from a feared situation), and are generally thought of as something to be eliminated in exposure therapy. One line of our research aims to determine whether commonly used anxiety treatment procedures such as diaphragmatic breathing function as potentially harmful safety behaviors. A second line of research tests the validity of recent scientific arguments that allowing patients to use safety behaviors during exposure therapy will make this treatment less aversive without compromising its effectiveness. A third line of research aims to test theories about the mechanisms through which safety behaviors interfere with the benefits of exposure therapy. In addition to our research efforts, we work to disseminate CBT to treatment providers at the local, regional, and national level through clinical workshops, presentations, and other forums.

Papers Published/In Press/Submitted for Publication (*denotes student co-author)
Abramowitz, J. S., Deacon, B. J., & Whiteside, S. P. (in preparation). Clinical handbook of
exposure therapy for anxiety. Guilford Press.

*Deacon, B. J., Lickel, J. J., Nelson, E. O., Abramowitz, J. S., & Mahaffey, B. (2009).
Dismantling the delivery of interoceptive exposure for anxiety sensitivity: A randomized,
controlled trial. Manuscript in preparation.

*Sy, J. T., & Deacon, B. J. (2009). Mediating cognitive processes involved in safety behavior
interference with exposure therapy. Manuscript in preparation.

*Deacon, B. J., Fawzy, T. I., Lickel, J. J., & Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B. (2008). Cognitive defusion
versus cognitive restructuring in the treatment of body image concerns: An analog
investigation of process and outcome. Manuscript in preparation.

*Nelson, E. O., Deacon, B. J., Lickel, J. J., & Sy, J. T. (2009). Exposure to the probability
versus cost of feared outcomes in public speaking anxiety. Manuscript under review.

*Deacon, B. J., Sy, J., Lickel, J. J., & Nelson, E. O. (in press). Does the judicious use
of safety behaviors improve the efficacy and acceptability of exposure therapy for
claustrophobic fear? Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.

Abramowitz, J. S. & Deacon, B. J. (in press). Anxiety and its disorders: Implications
for pharmacotherapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.

Olatunji, B. O., Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2009). The cruelest cure? Ethical
issues in the implementation of exposure-based treatments. Cognitive and
Behavioral Practice, 16, 172-180.

*Lickel, J., Nelson, E., Hayes, A., & Deacon, B. (2008). Interoceptive exposure exercises
for evoking depersonalization and derealization: A pilot study. Journal of Cognitive
Psychotherapy, 22, 321-330.

*Deacon, B. J., & Nelson, E. A. (2008). On the nature and treatment of scrupulosity.
Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy, 4, 39-53.

Deacon, B. J. (2007). Two-day, intensive cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder:
A case study. Behavior Modification, 31, 595-615.

Deacon, B. J. (2007). The effect of pharmacotherapy on the effectiveness of exposure
therapy. In Richard, D. C., S., & Lauterbach. D. (Eds), Comprehensive handbook of
the exposure therapies (pp. 311-333). New York: Academic Press.

Brown, A., Deacon, B. J., Abramowitz, J. S., & Whiteside, S. P. (2007). Parents' perception
of pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatments for childhood anxiety disorders.
Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45, 819-828.

Olatunji, B. O., Deacon, B. J., Abramowitz, J. S., & Valentiner, D. P. (2007). Body vigilance
in nonclinical and anxiety disorder samples: Structure, correlates, and prediction of
health concerns. Behavior Therapy, 38, 392-401.

McKay, D., Abramowitz, J., Taylor, S., & Deacon, B. (2007). Evolving treatments for
panic disorder (letter to the editor). American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 977.

Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2006). A pilot study of two-day cognitive-behavioral
therapy for panic disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 807-817.

Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2005). Patients' perceptions of pharmacological and
cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety disorders. Behavior Therapy, 36, 139-145.

Abramowitz, J. S., Whiteside, S. P., & Deacon, B. J. (2005). The effectiveness of treatment
for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis. Behavior Therapy, 36,
55-63.

Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2004). Cognitive and behavioral treatments for anxiety
disorders: A review of meta-analytic findings. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 429-
441.

Abramowitz, J. S., & Deacon, B. J. (2004). Severe health anxiety: Why it persists and how
to treat it. Comprehensive Therapy, 30, 44-49.

Recent Presentations (*denotes student co-author/presenter)
*Deacon, B. J., Abramowitz, J., Lickel, J. J., Nelson, E. A., Ringer, M., Mahaffey, B., &
    Simpson, S. (2008, November). Dismantling the delivery of interoceptive exposure
    for anxiety sensitivity: A randomized, controlled trial. In McKay, D., & Deacon, B.
    (Chairs), Experimental and therapeutic effects of interoceptive exposure procedures.
    Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and
    Cognitive Therapies, Orlando, FL.

*Lickel, J. J., Lickel, A., Nelson, E. A., & Deacon, B. (2008, November). Inducing
    depersonalization and derealization. In McKay, D., & Deacon, B. (Chairs), Experimental
    and therapeutic effects of interoceptive exposure procedures. Symposium presented
    at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies,
    Orlando, FL.

*Sy, J. T., Lickel, J. J., Nelson, E. A., & Deacon, B. (2008, November). Does the judicious
    use of safety behaviors improve the efficacy and acceptability of exposure therapy for
    Claustrophobic fear? Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Association
    for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Orlando, FL.

*Nelson, E. A., Lickel, J. J., Sy, J. T., & Deacon, B. (2008, November). Exposure to the
    Likelihood versus severity of feared outcomes in public speaking anxiety: A randomized,
    controlled trial. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Association for
    Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Orlando, FL.

*Lickel, J. J., Abramowitz, J., Nelson, E. A., Ringer, M., Mahaffey, B., Simpson, S., &
    Deacon, B. J. (2008, November). Dismantling the delivery of interoceptive exposure
    for anxiety sensitivity: A randomized, controlled trial. Poster session presented at
    the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies,
    Orlando, FL.

*Deacon, B. J., Abramowitz, J., Lickel, J., Nelson, E., Mahaffey, B., & Simpson, S.
    (2008, March). Methods of delivering interoceptive exposure for reducing anxiety
    sensitivity: Preliminary results from a randomized, controlled trial. In B. Schmidt &
    K. Cromer (Chairs), Anxiety sensitivity and psychopathology: Recent findings and
    new research directions. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Anxiety
    Disorders Association of America, Savannah, GA.

Deacon, B. J. (2008, March). Maximizing the power of cognitive-behavioral therapy for
panic disorder. Clinical workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Anxiety
Disorders Association of America, Miami, FL.

Deacon, B. J. (2008, March). Navigating complexities in the delivery of exposure therapy.
Chaired panel discussion presented at the annual meeting of the Anxiety Disorders
Association of America, Miami, FL.

Deacon, B. J. (2007, November). Cognitive defusion versus cognitive restructuring for
    negative body-image thoughts. In C. A. Timko (Chair), Eating your words: Relational
    responding and experiential avoidance is disruptions of eating and body image.
    Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and
    Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.

Abramowitz, J. S., & Deacon, B. J. (2007, November). Listening to hypochondriasis and
    hearing health anxiety: A cognitive-behavioral approach to assessment and
    treatment. Master clinician seminar presented at the annual meeting of the Association
    for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.

*Lickel, J. J., Hayes, A. D., Nelson, E. O., Fawzy, T. I., & Deacon, B. J. (2007, November).
    Inducing feelings of depersonalization and derealization. Poster session presented at the
    Annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia,
    PA.

Deacon, B. J. (2007, March). Two-day cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder. In
    S. P. Whiteside (Chair), Intensive treatment for anxiety disorders: Making cognitive-
    behavioral therapy more available. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the
    Anxiety Disorders Association of America, St. Louis, MO.

Deacon, B. J. (2006, November). Panelist in A. E. Braddock (Chair), Translating CBT for
social anxiety to patients with medical problems. Clinical round table presented at the
annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Chicago, IL.

Deacon, B. J. (2006, November). The effect of pharmacotherapy on the effectiveness of
    exposure therapy. In D. C. Richard (Chair), Translating exposure therapy into effective
    clinical practice. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Association for
    Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Chicago, IL.

*Fawzy, T. I., Lickel, J. J., & Deacon, B. J. (2006, November). A comparison of cognitive
    defusion and cognitive restructuring for negative body-image thoughts. Poster session
    Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive
    Therapies, Chicago, IL.

Deacon, B. J. (2006, April). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders. Clinical
workshop presented at the Department of Veterans Affairs conference "Promoting
Strategies of Resilience for Returning Global War on Terrorism Veterans," Denver, CO.

Deacon, B. J. (2006, April). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders. Clinical
workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Wyoming Psychological Association,
Cheyenne, WY.

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2. NATURE AND MEASUREMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

A second major focus of research in the lab concerns the role of psychological processes (e.g., cognition, behavior, attention) in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Measurement is a closely related area of interest and is placed under this heading because our psychometric research is typically conducted in order to inform our knowledge of the nature of anxiety-related phenomena. Our primary ongoing research in this area concerns the effects of safety behaviors on the development and maintenance of anxiety. In particular, we are interested in the possibility that frequently performing safety behaviors (e.g., hand washing, body checking) increases an individual's attention toward, and fear of, the stimuli associated with the behaviors (e.g., contaminants, heart palpitations). A 2008 study from our lab found that students who spent one week simulating the behavior of patients with contamination-related obsessive-compulsive disorder by frequently washing, cleaning, and attempting to avoid contaminants, subsequently reported a significant increase in the fear of contamination. Three studies have now documented this effect, and we intend to study the different contexts in which it applies and better understand the mechanisms responsible for this effect. A second interest concerns the contribution of the fear of anxiety-related body sensations, known as "anxiety sensitivity," to panic attacks and panic disorder. We are currently testing cognitive-behavioral theoretical models of panic disorder by examining the extent to which experimentally-induced anxiety sensitivity leads to panic-like symptoms in undergraduate students. Additional interests concern the contribution of disgust sensitivity to the fear of contamination, and cognitive biases in social anxiety, OCD, and hypochondriasis (health anxiety).

**Papers Published/In Press/Submitted for Publication (*denotes student co-author)**
Deacon, B. J., & Lickel, J. J. (2009). Development and validation of the shy bladder scale.*
    Manuscript in preparation.
Deacon, B. J., & Olatunji, B. O. (2009). Changes in disgust sensitivity predict changes in
    contamination fear: An experimental investigation of incremental specificity. Manuscript
    in preparation.
Nelson, E. A., Lickel, J. J., Sy, J. T., Dixon, L. J., & Deacon, B. J. (2009). Probability and
    cost biases in social phobia: Nature, specificity, and relationship to treatment outcome.
    Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy.*
Olatunji, B. O., Etzel, E. O., Ciesielski, B. G., & Deacon, B. J. (2009). The effects of
    safety behaviors on health anxiety: An experimental investigation. Manuscript under
    review.
Abramowitz, J. S., Deacon, B. J., Olatunji, B., Wheaton, M. G., Berman, N., Timpano, K.,
    Riemann, B., Adams, T., Storch, E., McGrath, P., Bjorgvinsson, T., & Hale, L. (in press)
    Assessment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms: Development and validation of the
    Dimensional obsessive-Compulsive Scale. Psychological Assessment.
Broman-Fulks, J. J., Deacon, B. J., Olatunji, B. O., Bondy, C. L., Abramowitz, J. S., &
    Tolin, D. (in press). Categorical or dimensional: A re-analysis of the anxiety
    sensitivity construct. Behavior Therapy.
Olatunji, B. O., Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2009). Is hypochondriasis an
    anxiety disorder? British Medical Journal, 194, 481-482.
Broman-Fulks, J. J., Green, B. A., Olatunji, B. O., Berman, M. E., Arnau, R. C., Deacon,
    B. J., & Sawchuk, C. N. (2008). The latent structure of anxiety sensitivity-revisited.
    Assessment, 15, 188-203.
Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2008). Is hypochondriasis related to OCD, panic
    disorder, or both? An empirical evaluation. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 22,
    115-127.
Deacon, B. J., Lickel, J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2008). Medical utilization across the anxiety
    disorders. Journal of anxiety Disorders, 22,* 344-350.
Deacon, B. J., & Maack, D. J. (2008). The effects of safety behaviors on the fear of
    contamination: An experimental investigation. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46,*
    537-547.
Olatunji, B. O., & Deacon, B. J. (2008). Specificity of disgust sensitivity in the prediction
    of fear and disgust responding to a brief spider exposure. Journal of Anxiety Disorders,
    22, 328-336.
Deacon, B. J., & Olatunji, B. O. (2007). Specificity of disgust sensitivity in the prediction of
    behavioral avoidance in contamination fear. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45, 2110-
    2120.
Abramowitz, J. S., Deacon, B. J., & Valentiner, D. P. (2007). The short health anxiety
    inventory in an undergraduate sample: Implications for a cognitive-behavioral model of
    hypochondriasis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 31, 871-883.
Olatunji, B. O., Cisler, J., Deacon, B. J., Connolly, K., & Lohr, J. (2007). The Disgust
    Propensity and Sensitivity Scale-Revised: Psychometric properties and specificity in
    relation to anxiety disorder symptoms. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 21, 918-930.
Taylor, S., Zvolensky, M. J., Cox, B. J., Deacon, B. J., Heimberg, R. G., Ledley, D. R.,
    Abramowitz, J. S., Holaway, R. M., Sandin, B., Stewart, S. H., Coles, M., Eng, W., Daly,
    E. S., Arrindell, W. A., Bouvard, M., & Jurado, S. (2007). Robust dimensions of anxiety
    sensitivity: Development and initial validation of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3).
    Psychological Assessment, 19, 176-188.
Abramowitz, J. S., Olatunji, B. O., & Deacon, B. J. (2007). Health anxiety, hypochondriasis,
    and the anxiety disorders. Behavior Therapy, 38, 86-94.
Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2006). Anxiety sensitivity and its dimensions across
    the anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20, 837-857.
Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2006). Fear of needles and vasovagal reactions among
    phlebotomy patients. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20, 946-960.
Abramowitz, J. S., & Deacon, B. J. (2006). Psychometric properties and construct validity of
    the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R): Replication and extension with a
    clinical sample. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20, 1016-1035.
Nelson, L., Abramowitz, J. S., Whiteside, S. P., & Deacon, B. J. (2006). Scrupulosity in
    patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: Relationship to clinical and cognitive
    phenomena. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20,* 1071-1086.
Whiteside, S. P., Port, J., Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2006). A magnetic resonance
    spectroscopy investigation of OCD and anxiety. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 146,
    137-147.
Abramowitz, J. S., Khandker, M., Nelson, C. A., Deacon, B. J., & Rygwall, R. (2006). The
    role of cognitive factors in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive symptoms: A
    prospective study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 1361-1374.
Olatunji, B. O., Deacon, B. J., Abramowitz, J. S., Woods, C. M., & Tolin, D. F. (2006).
    Dimensionality of somatic complaints: Factor structure and psychometric properties of
    the self-rating anxiety scale. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20, 543-561.
Abramowitz, J. S., & Deacon, B. J. (2005). Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Essential
    phenomenology and overlap with other anxiety disorders. In J. S. Abramowitz & A. C.
    Houts (Eds), Concepts and controversies in obsessive-compulsive disorder (pp. 119-135).
    New York: Springer.
Abramowitz, J. S., & Deacon, B. J. (2005). The OCD spectrum: A closer look at the
    arguments and the data. In J. S. Abramowitz & A. C. Houts (Eds), Concepts and
    controversies in obsessive-compulsive disorder (pp. 141-149). New York: Springer.
Olatunji, B. O., Sawchuk, C. N., Deacon, B. J., Tolin, D. F., Lilienfeld, S. O., Williams, N. L.,
    Meunier, S. A., Lohr, J. M., & Connolly, K. M. (2005). The anxiety sensitivity profile
    revisited: Factor structure and psychometric properties in two nonclinical samples.
    Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 19, 603-625.
Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2005). The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale:
    Factor analysis, construct validity, and suggestions for refinement. Journal of Anxiety
    Disorders, 19, 573-585.
Abramowitz, J. S., Deacon, B. J., Woods, C. M., & Tolin, D. F. (2004). Association between
    Protestant religiosity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and cognitions. Depression
    and Anxiety, 20, 70-76.
Valentiner, D. P., Mounts, N. S., & Deacon, B. J. (2004). Panic attacks, depression and
    anxiety symptoms, and substance use behaviors during late adolescence. Journal of
    Anxiety Disorders, 18, 573-585.
Deacon, B. J., Abramowitz, J. S., Woods, C. M., & Tolin, D. F. (2003). The anxiety sensitivity
    index - revised: Psychometric properties and factor structure in two nonclinical samples.
    Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 1427-1449.
Deacon, B. J., Valentiner, D. P., Gutierrez, P., & Blacker, D. (2002). The anxiety sensitivity
    index for children: Factor structure and relation to panic symptoms in an adolescent
    sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 839-852.
Deacon, B. J., & Valentiner, D. P. (2001). Dimensions of anxiety sensitivity and their
    relationship to nonclinical panic, Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral
    Assessment, 23, 25-33.
Deacon, B. J., & Valentiner, D. P. (2000). Substance use and nonclinical panic attacks
    in young adult sample. Journal of Substance Abuse, 11, 7-15.
**Recent Presentations (*denotes student co-author/presenter)**
Deacon, B. J., & Maack, D. J. (2008, November). The effects of safety behaviors on the
    fear of contamination: An experimental investigation. In Olatunji, B. (Chair), New
    directions in research on contamination fear. Symposium presented at the annual
    meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Orlando, FL.
Mahaffey, B., Olatunji, B. O., & Deacon, B., Harrington, D., Draper, W., & Abramowiz, J.
    (2008, November). The relationship between cognitions and obsessive-compulsive
    symptoms. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Association for
    Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Orlando, FL.
Deacon, B. J. (2007, November). Construct validity of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index - 3
    in an anxiety disorder sample. In P. J. Norton & K. C. Sears (Chairs), Future directions in
    the conceptualization and measurement of anxiety sensitivity. Symposium presented
    at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies,
    Philadelphia, PA.
Deacon, B. J. (2007, November). Is hypochondriasis related to OCD, panic disorder, or
    both? An empirical evaluation. In J. S. Abramowitz (Chair), New directions in health
    anxiety: Psychopathology and treatment. Symposium presented at the annual meeting
    of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.
Lickel, J. J., & Deacon, B. J. (2007, November). A cognitive-behavioral model and
    investigation of paruresis (shy bladder syndrome). In A. E. Braddock (Chair), Social
    anxiety within medical problems: Empirical support for cognitive-behavioral
    conceptualizations and treatment. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the
    Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.
Olatunji, B. O., & Deacon, B. J. (2007, November). Specificity of disgust sensitivity in the
    prediction of behavioral avoidance in contamination-based OCD: An analogue study. In
    B. O. (Chair), Disgust, disgust sensitivity, and OCD: Associated features and treatment
    mechanisms. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Association for
    Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.
Nelson, E. O., Deacon, B. J., McGrath, P. B., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2007, November). The
    panic and agoraphobia scale: Psychometric properties and validity in two anxiety
    disorder samples. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Association for
    Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.
Abramowitz, J. S., Deacon, B. J., & Olatunji, B. (2006, November). Health anxiety across
    the anxiety disorders. In C. N. Carmin (Chair), New directions in health anxiety.*
    Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and
    Cognitive Therapies, Chicago, IL.
Deacon, B. J., Abramowitz, J. S., & Valentiner, D. V. (2006, November). Health anxiety in a
    nonclinical sample: Psychometric properties and validity of the Short Health Anxiety
    Inventory. In C. N. Carmin (Chair), New directions in health anxiety. Symposium
    presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive
    Therapies, Chicago, IL.
Lickel, J. J., Fawzy, T. I., & Deacon, B. J. (2006, November). A cognitive-behavioral model
    of paruresis (shy bladder syndrome). Poster session presented at the annual meeting of
    the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Chicago, IL.
Deacon, B. J., Lickel, J. J., Fawzy, T. I., Abramowitz, J. S. & McGrath, P. B. (2006,
    November). The Shy Bladder Scale: Development and psychometric properties.
    Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and
    Cognitive Therapies, Chicago, IL.
Braddock, A. E., Abramowitz, J. S., & Deacon, B. J. (2006, November). Construct
    validation of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index - 3. Poster session presented at the annual
    meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Chicago, IL.
Deacon, B. J. (2006, March). "Conducting clinical research in an academic setting." In S. P.
    Whiteside, (Chair), Developing a clinical research laboratory for anxiety disorders.
    Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Anxiety Disorders Association of
    America, Miami, FL.
Deacon, B. J., Olatunji, B. O., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2006, March). Diagnostic utility of
    questionnaire assessment in an anxiety disorders clinic. Poster session presented at the
    annual meeting of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Miami, FL.

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3. BRAIN DISEASE/CHEMICAL IMBALANCE MODEL OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

The notion that mental disorders like depression are "diseases like any other" caused by a "chemical imbalance" in the brain has become a popular, if not the predominant, explanation for mental health problems in the United States. Although experts generally acknowledge that this explanation is a scientifically inaccurate oversimplification, it is ubiquitous in our culture and is often advocated in drug ads, anti-stigma campaigns, and even by treatment providers. Despite the popularity of the chemical imbalance/brain disease model, little research exists on the manner in which its endorsement affects the attitudes and behaviors of mental health patients as well as the general public. Our initial research suggests that compared to the more scientifically valid biopsychosocial model, the chemical imbalance explanation of depression reduces blame but is less believable, fosters pessimism about one's prognosis, reduces self-efficacy, and decreases the perceived efficacy of psychosocial treatments. We are also examining the effects of feedback that one has a chemical imbalance on depressed individuals' perceptions of themselves and their treatment options. Our research in this area is less concerned with the validity of biochemical explanations of mental disorder per se than with their effects on public attitudes toward individuals with mental disorders, and the manner in which exposure to such explanations affects the perceptions and responses of persons seeking mental health treatment.

Papers Published (*denotes student co-author)
*Lickel, J. J., & Deacon, B. J. (2009). Biological explanations of depression: Relationship
with stigma, expectancies, and treatment selection. Manuscript in preparation.

*Deacon, B. J., & Lickel, J. J. (2009). On the brain disease model of mental disorders.
The Behavior Therapist, 32, 113-118.

*Deacon, B. J., & Baird, G. (2009). The chemical imbalance explanation of depression:
Reducing blame at what cost? Journal of Clinical and Social Psychology, 28, 415-435.

Recent Presentations (*denotes student co-author/presenter)
Deacon, B. J. (2009, April). The chemical imbalance explanation of depression: Reducing
blame at what cost? Invited grand rounds presented at Akron Medical Center,
Akron, Ohio.

*Baird, G., & Deacon, B. J. (2006, November). The chemical imbalance explanation of
depression: Reducing blame at what cost? Poster session presented at the annual
meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Chicago, IL.

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Thank you for your interest in the Anxiety Disorders Research Laboratory. All correspondence concerning research or training should be directed to:

Brett Deacon, Ph.D.
University of Wyoming
Department of Psychology
Dept. 3415
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307)766-3317
E-mail: bdeacon@uwyo.edu