mized by adjusting doses, changing medications, or stopping medications altogether. 
Costs of psychological treatments.  Psychological treatments, such as confronting the 
situations that you fear, are also associated with costs. First, they are time-consuming. 
To get the most out of exposure-based treatments, for example, you may need to prac -
tice for an hour or more, three to ﬁve days per week. Also, psychological treatments 
can be expensive (especially in the short term), depending on your insurance coverage 
and the fees charged by the therapist. In addition, conducting exposure practices will 
probably make you feel anxious and uncomfortable, particularly at the start. Although 
the exercises are designed so that the discomfort is usually manageable, at times your 
fear may be intense. In addition to feeling uncomfortable, you may feel more tired, espe -
cially on days when you practice confronting situations that make you uncomfortable. 
You also may feel irritable and perhaps even have anxiety-provoking dreams. Finally, 
your improvement may not follow a smooth course. It is likely the changes will take 
time and you may have periods (days, weeks, or even months) during which you feel as 
though you’re slipping backward. For many people this is a normal part of the process