David H. Barlow (born April 30, 1942) is an American

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

and

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of Psychology and Psychiatry at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

. He is board certified by the

American Board of Professional Psychology The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) is the primary organization for specialty board certification in psychology. Mission statement "The mission of the American Board of Professional Psychology is to increase consumer protectio ...

. Barlow is known for his research and publications on the etiology, nature, and treatment of

anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal function are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physi ...

s. The models and treatment methods that he developed for anxiety and related disorders are widely used in clinical training and practice. Barlow is one of the most frequently cited psychologists in the world. Barlow has published over 600 articles and book chapters, as well as over 80 books and clinical manuals, some of which has been translated to more than 20 languages. He is best known for his book titled, ''Anxiety and Its Disorders: The Nature and Treatment of Anxiety and Panic.'' Barlow has received numerous awards for his contributions to the field of psychology, including the American Psychological Association (APA) Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology, the

James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award The James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award is an award of the Association for Psychological Science given since 1992. The award is named after James McKeen Cattell and "honors individuals for their lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to t ...

from the

Association for Psychological Science The Association for Psychological Science (APS), previously the American Psychological Society, is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, protect, and advance the interests of scientifically oriented psychology in ...

for "distinguished achievements in psychological science", and Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts Psychological Associations. He also has been awarded honorary doctoral degrees from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

and

William James College William James College, formerly Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), is a private college of psychology in Newton, Massachusetts. With more than 750 students, William James College offers graduate academic degree and certifica ...

, the Career/Lifetime Achievement Award from the

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) was founded in 1966. Its headquarters are in New York City and its membership includes researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, social workers, marriage and family therap ...

(ABCT), and most recently, the American Psychological Foundation's 2018 Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Practice of Psychology. Barlow is currently Founder of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders and Professor of Psychology and Brain Sciences, and Psychiatry, Emeritus at

. In 2022, Barlow was involved in a controversy over 17 papers he published that supported

conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...

efforts.

Background and early life

Barlow was born in Needham,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, in 1942. His father left to fight in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

shortly before he was born and was killed in action. Barlow grew up living with his mother and maternal grandparents.Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology: David H Barlow. (2000). ''American Psychologist'', ''55''(11), 1245–1247. Influenced by his grandfather and uncle, Barlow cultivated a passion for sports at a young age. As a child, Barlow had even entertained the idea of a professional career in sports, especially after his baseball team made it to the

Little League World Series The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children—typically boys—aged 10 to 12 years old, held in the Eastern United States. Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for the Wor ...

when he was 12. Yet, Barlow was also an avid reader and a scholar of

classical language A classical language is any language with an independent literary tradition and a large and ancient body of written literature. Classical languages are typically dead languages, or show a high degree of diglossia, as the spoken varieties of the ...

s, having studied six years of Latin and two years of Greek in high school. His early literary pursuits fueled his continued fascination with the written word.

Education

Barlow attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in 1960, for an undergraduate degree in sociology and English. During intensive studies of

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, Barlow became intrigued by the often self-defeating actions of fictional characters, and he began analyzing the psychological motivations of such acts in his literary discourse. To pursue his interest in psychology, Barlow attended

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in 1964. He was a student of Joseph R. Cautela, one of the pioneers in

behavior therapy Behaviour therapy or behavioural psychotherapy is a broad term referring to clinical psychotherapy that uses techniques derived from behaviourism and/or cognitive psychology. It looks at specific, learned behaviours and how the environment, or oth ...

who eventually became president of the

(ABCT), formerly known as the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy (AABT). Barlow delved into the realm of

experimental psychology Experimental psychology refers to work done by those who apply experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ human participants and animal subjects to study a great many topics, in ...

in Cautela's research laboratories. He was convinced by Cautela that the practical applications of psychology can only advance through a scientific approach to the subject. In the summer of 1966, Barlow worked with Joseph Wolpe, widely known as the father of

, to gain clinical experience in Wolpe's emerging techniques of

systematic desensitization Systematic desensitization, or graduated exposure therapy, is a behavior therapy developed by the psychiatrist Joseph Wolpe. It is used when a phobia or anxiety disorder is maintained by classical conditioning. It shares the same elements of both c ...

, assertiveness training, and reciprocal inhibition. In the same fall, Barlow left Boston to attend the

for his doctoral degree. He worked under Harold Leitenberg and Stewart Agras who were collaborating on a

clinical research Clinical research is a branch of healthcare science that determines the safety and effectiveness ( efficacy) of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use. These may be used for prevention, treatm ...

program at the time. They developed a new experimental approach to clinical research, later known as single case experimental designs, for which Barlow eventually published a sourcebook. Barlow received his Ph.D. in 1969.

Career

1969–1979

After completing his PhD, Barlow became an assistant professor of

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

at the

University of Mississippi Medical Center University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) is the health sciences campus of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and is located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. UMMC, also referred to as the Medical Center, is the state's only aca ...

(UMMC) in 1969. He founded the

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...

internship program there, with the aim of training students on science-based clinical practices. In 1974, he was promoted to professor of psychiatry. In 1975, Barlow relocated to

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

with a joint appointment as professor of

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, and Director of Education and Training at

Butler Hospital Butler Hospital is a private, non-profit, psychiatric and substance abuse hospital for adolescents, adults, and seniors, located at 345 Blackstone Boulevard in Providence, Rhode Island. The hospital is affiliated with the Warren Alpert Medical Sch ...

. At Brown, Barlow was again in charge of creating a clinical psychology internship program, which had been successful at the UMMC. Barlow was to spend five years at Brown. In 1979, Barlow served as the president of the

(ABCT). Throughout this time, Barlow developed a research program that was focused on understanding sexual behaviors and gender expression, with a focus on using behavioral therapy to change homosexual behaviors as well non-cisgender gender expression. Some this work categorized homosexuality along with pedophilia as sexual disturbances. The work included "treating" homosexual men with behavioral techniques including aversion therapy, covert sensitization, fading, and classical conditioning, a practice that is now known as

. One of the studies details changes in gender identity expression that were attributed to an exorcism.

1979–1996

In 1979, Barlow accepted a position as professor (and later, distinguished professor) of psychology at the

State University of New York at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

. It was here where Barlow was able to focus more deeply on

. Together with his colleague and friend, Edward B. Blanchard, Barlow founded the Center of Stress and Anxiety Disorders, which became a large federally funded research clinic. In addition to continuing his early research on the relationship between

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...

and

sexual dysfunction Sexual dysfunction is difficulty experienced by an individual or partners during any stage of normal sexual activity, including physical pleasure, desire, preference, arousal, or orgasm. The World Health Organization defines sexual dysfunction as ...

, Barlow also studied the nosology and treatment of anxiety and related disorders. Together with his colleagues, he started to develop new treatment methods for the anxiety disorders, most notably, the treatment of panic disorder developed with

Michelle Craske Michelle G. Craske (born 1959) is an Australian academic who is currently serving as Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Sciences, Miller Endowed Chair, Director of the Anxiety and Depression Research Center, and Associate Direct ...

, and Ron Rapee.Barlow, D.H., Craske, M.G., Cerny, J.A., & Klosko, J.S. (1989). Behavioral treatment of panic disorder. ''Behavior Therapy'', ''20'', 261–282. In addition to this work, Barlow continued work to characterize differences in gender identity expression as well as using behavioral treatments to change sexual orientation and gender expression. As Barlow's ideas of the nature and origins of anxiety started to become more elaborate, he published a series of books that delineated the results from his research and advocated for a more empirical

scientific approach The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific me ...

to clinical psychology. In 1985, he published the first edition of the ''Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: A step-by-step treatment manual'', explicating

evidence based practices Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the idea that occupational practices ought to be based on scientific evidence. While seemingly obviously desirable, the proposal has been controversial, with some arguing that results may not specialize to indivi ...

. Aggregating his ideas from this period of extensive research, Barlow published what the ''

American Psychologist ''American Psychologist'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Psychological Association. The journal publishes articles of broad interest to psychologists, including empirical reports and scholarly reviews covering science ...

'' deemed as his "most influential book", ''Anxiety and its disorders: The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic''. From 1984 to 1994, Barlow served on work groups for the third (revised) edition and on the task force for the fourth edition of the

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM; latest edition: DSM-5-TR, published in March 2022) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a common langua ...

, (abbreviated to

DSM-III-R The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM; latest edition: DSM-5-TR, published in March 2022) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a common langua ...

and

DSM-IV The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM; latest edition: DSM-5-TR, published in March 2022) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a common langua ...

, respectively).American Psychiatric Association (1987). ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author. American Psychiatric Association (1994). ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. He was instrumental in developing the criteria for classifying anxiety disorders in both revisions. In 1993, Barlow was elected the president of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

, Division of Clinical Psychology.

1996–present

In 1996, Barlow returned to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to serve as a professor of psychology and psychiatry at

. He also took on the roles of Director of Clinical Training Programs and Director of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders. At Boston University, he continued updating and deepening his theories of the origins and nature of anxiety disorders. With his team at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University, Barlow developed the Unified Protocol for transdiagnostic treatments of anxiety related disorders. He continues to conduct research on the efficacy and treatment mechanisms of the protocol and is working to enhance dissemination. In 2022, Barlow was interviewed about his research on changing sexual orientation and gender identity expression. Although he expressed regret for this work, he stated that he does not believe these articles should be retracted, saying that " e only reason you can really retract a journal article, based on my understanding, and I've been an editor myself, is if you have some evidence that the data was manipulated or fabricated or false, and the science is wrong." He added that individuals calling for a retraction of his research simply "don't like the conclusion" but denied that his science was "faulty". Barlow's response is consistent with publishing guidelines. The journal publisher subsequently refused retraction of these articles, for the same reasons that Barlow cited.

Selected awards and honors

Barlow has received over 40 awards and honors for his contributions to the understanding and treatment of anxiety and related disorders, including, but not limited to: * 1987—1997

National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the prima ...

MERIT Award * 2000 American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology * 2000 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12),

* 2001 Award in Appreciation of Outstanding Achievements, General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China. With appointment as Honorary Visiting Professor of Clinical Psychology * 2001 Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, California Psychological Association * 2001 Career Contribution Award, Massachusetts Psychological Association * 2004 Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology Award, Connecticut Psychological Association * 2004 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters,

(formerly Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology) * 2006

(ABPP) Distinguished Service Award to the Profession of Psychology * 2012

, Association for Psychological Science * 2014 American Psychological Association Presidential Citation * 2014 Identified as Highly Cited Researcher by Thomson-Reuters' Institute for Scientific Information * 2015 Honorary Doctorate of Science,

* 2015 Appointed Honorary President of the

Canadian Psychological Association The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) is the primary organization representing psychologists throughout Canada. It was organized in 1939 and incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act, Part II, in May 1950. Its objectives are to imp ...

Publications

Selected books

* Barlow, D.H. (2002). ''Anxiety and its disorders: The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic'' (2nd ed.). New York: The Guilford Press. st edition published in 1988, * Barlow, D.H., Nock, M.K., & Hersen, M. (2009). ''Single case experimental designs: Strategies for studying behavior change'' (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon. * McHugh, R. K., & Barlow, D. H. (Eds.). (2012). ''Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions''. New York: Oxford University Press. * Barlow, D. H. (Ed.). (2014). ''The Oxford handbook of clinical psychology''. New York: Oxford University Press. * Barlow, D.H. (Ed.). (2014). ''Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: A step-by-step treatment manual''. (5th ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. * Barlow, D. H. (2015). ''The neurotic paradox: Progress in understanding and treating anxiety and related disorders'' (Vols. 1–2). New York, NY: Routledge. , * Barlow, D. H., & Farchione, T. J. (Eds.). (2017). ''Applications of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders''. Oxford University Press. * Barlow, D. H., & Durand, V. M. (2018). ''Abnormal psychology: An integrative approach'' (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Selected clinical manuals

* Craske, M.G., & Barlow, D.H. (2007). ''Mastery of your anxiety and panic: Workbook for primary care settings''. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. * Craske, M.G., & Barlow, D.H. (2006). ''Mastery of your anxiety and Worry.'' New York, New York: Oxford University Press. * Barlow, D.H., Rapee, R.M., & Perini, S. (2014''). 10 Steps to Mastering Stress: A lifestyle approach, Updated edition''. New York, New York, Oxford University Press. * Barlow, D.H., Farchione, T.J., Sauer-Zavala, S., Latin, H., Ellard, K.K., Bullis, J.R., …Cassiello-Robbins, C. (2017). ''Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Therapist guide.'' (2nd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press.

Selected chapters and articles

* Agras, W. S., Leitenberg, H., & Barlow, D. H. (1968). Social reinforcement in the modification of agoraphobia. ''Archives of General Psychiatry'', ''19'', 423–427. * Barlow, D. H. (1981). On the relation of clinical research to clinical practice: Current issues, new directions. ''Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology'', ''49'', 147–156. * Barlow, D. H. (1986). The causes of sexual dysfunction: The role of anxiety and cognitive interference. ''Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology'', ''54'', 140–148. * Barlow, D. H., Blanchard, E. B., Vermilyea, J. A., Vermilyea, B. B., & Di Nardo, P. A. (1986). Generalized anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder: Description and reconceptualization. ''American Journal of Psychiatry'', ''143'', 40–44. * Barlow, D. H. (1991a). Disorders of emotion. ''Psychological Inquiry'', ''2'', 58–71. * Barlow, D. H. (1991b). Introduction to the special issue on diagnosis, dimensions, and DSM-IV: The science of classification. ''Journal of Abnormal Psychology'', ''100'', 243–244. * Barlow, D. H., Brown, T. A., & Craske, M. G. (1994). Definitions of panic attack and panic disorder in DSM-IV: Implications for research. ''Journal of Abnormal Psychology'', ''103'', 553–564. * Barlow, D. H. (1996). Health care policy, psychotherapy research, and the future of psychotherapy. ''American Psychologist'', ''51'', 1050–1058. * Chorpita, B. F., & Barlow, D. H. (1998). The development of anxiety: The role of control in the early environment. ''Psychological Bulletin'', ''124'', 3–21. * Barlow, D. H., Gorman, J. M., Shear, M. K., & Woods, S. W. (2000). Cognitive-behavioral therapy, imipramine or their combination for panic disorder: A randomized controlled trial. ''JAMA'', ''283'', 2529–2536. * Barlow, D.H. (2000). Unraveling the mysteries of anxiety and its disorders from the perspective of emotion theory. ''American Psychologist, 55''(11), 1245–1263''. '' * Bouton, M.E., Mineka, S., & Barlow, D.H. (2001). A modern learning-theory perspective on the etiology of panic disorder. ''Psychological Review'', ''108'', 4–32. * Barlow, D.H. (2004). Psychological treatments. ''American Psychologist, 59''(9), 869–878. * Barlow, D.H., Allen, L.B., & Choate, M.L. (2004). Toward a unified treatment for emotional disorders. ''Behavior Therapy, 35,'' 205–230. * Barlow, D.H., & Nock, M.K. (2009). Why can't we be more idiographic in our research?. ''Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4''(1), 19–21. * Barlow, D. H. (2010). Negative effects from psychological treatments: A perspective. ''American Psychologist, 65''(1), 13–20. * McHugh, R. K., & Barlow, D. H. (2010). Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions: A review of current efforts. ''American Psychologist, 65''(2), 73–84. * Barlow, D.H. (2011). A prolegomenon to clinical psychology: Two 40-year odysseys. In D.H. Barlow (Ed.), ''The Oxford handbook of clinical psychology'' (pp. 3–20). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. * Barlow, D. H., Bullis, J. R., Comer, J. S., & Ametaj, A. A. (2013). Evidence-based psychological treatments: An update and a way forward. In S. Nolen-Hoeksema, T.D. Cannon, & T. Widiger (Eds.), ''Annual Review of Clinical Psychology'' (Vol. 9, pp. 1–27). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews. * Ciraulo, D. A., Barlow, D. H., Gulliver, S. B., Farchione, T., Morissette, S. B., Kamholz, B. W., ... Knapp, C. M. (2013). The effects of venlafaxine and cognitive behavioral therapy alone and combined in the treatment of co-morbid alcohol use-anxiety disorders. ''Behaviour Research and Therapy'', ''51''(11), 729–735. * Barlow, D. H. (2014). The neuroscience of psychological treatments. ''Behaviour Research and Therapy'', ''62'', 143–145. * Barlow, D. H., Ellard, K. K., Sauer-Zavala, S., Bullis, J. R., & Carl, J. R. (2014). The origins of neuroticism. ''Perspectives on Psychological Science'', ''9''(5), 481–496. * Barlow, D.H., Sauer-Zavala, S., Carl, J.R., Bullis, J.R., & Ellard, K.K. (2014). The nature, diagnosis, and treatment of neuroticism: Back to the future. ''Clinical Psychological Science'', ''2''(3), 344–365. * Barlow DH, Farchione TJ, Bullis JR, et al. (2017). The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders Compared With Diagnosis-Specific Protocols for Anxiety Disorders A Randomized Clinical Trial. ''JAMA Psychiatry'', ''74''(9), 875–884.

References

External links

Barlow's Transdiagnostic Treatment Lab

Center for Anxiety & Related Disorders at Boston University

The Unified Protocol Institute

''Treatments That Work'' series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barlow, David H. 1942 births Living people University at Albany, SUNY faculty Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters alumni Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences alumni University of Vermont alumni University of Mississippi faculty Brown University faculty Boston University faculty People from Needham, Massachusetts