An unusual case of a wasp phobic.

This study concerns a woman with a very specific phobia of free-flying wasps. Her underlying and disabling belief was that she was allergic to wasp venom and, if stung, would certainly die. A behavioural approach, such as systematic desensitization and exposure, was not thought suitable because of the patient's pattern of fear. Instead, the treatment of choice was an allergy test to directly challenge her belief. The allergy test was negative and led to a dramatic improvement which was maintained 1 year after treatment.