3.1.5 Aversion Therapy Evaluation (Add)

Question 1

(Antabuse) Niederhofer & staffen compared Antabuse to a placebo group, what methods did they use?

Answer 1

Self report methods

Screening of participants for 90 days

Question 2

(Antabuse) niederhofer & staffen found Antabuse had greater what than placebo?

Answer 2

Abstinence from alcohol

Question 3

(Antabuse) Jørgensen et al found those treated with Antabuse had more what?

Answer 3

Days until relapse and fewer drinking days

Question 4

(Antabuse) why is it an issue that studies in to effectiveness of Antabuse aren’t long term?

Answer 4

Addiction required follow ups as chances of relapse are high

Question 5

(Antabuse) why is it difficult to carry out placebo trials?

Answer 5

People will know what group they are in if they drink and don’t experience adverse effects - don’t have objective baseline for comparison

Question 6

(Antabuse) what do samples tend to be and why is it an issue?

Answer 6

Small

Not generalisable to all alcoholics

Question 7

(Antabuse) why is it an issue that there are few comparison studies between Antabuse and other treatments?

Answer 7

Don’t have a full picture to draw conclusions

Question 8

(Rapid smoking) what is a strength?

Answer 8

You can self administer it - accessible

Question 9

(Rapid smoking) why is research limited?

Answer 9

Less popular treatment now

Question 10

(Rapid smoking) who did mcrobbie study?

Answer 10

100 smokers attending a clinic

Question 11

(Rapid smoking) what did mcrobbie compare?

Answer 11

Rapid smoking vs a control condition of watching a video on giving up smoking

Question 12

(Rapid smoking) mcrobbie found rapid smoking showed what?

Answer 12

Significant decrease in urge to smoke in the short term (24 hours/week)

Question 13

(Rapid smoking) mcrobbie - at 4 weeks what happened to the difference between the groups?

Answer 13

No longer significant

Question 14

(Rapid smoking) mcrobbie concluded that rapid smoking may be effective in the short term in doing what?

Answer 14

Reducing urges to smoke to kick start the process and then bring in other techniques

Question 15

aversion therapy only treats the addictive behaviour, what does it not deal with?

Answer 15

the underlying cause

Question 16

with aversion therapy a individual might switch the focus of their addiction onto another behaviour, what is this called?

Answer 16

symptom substitution

Question 17

research into aversion therapy often does not look at what?

Answer 17

long term effectiveness

Question 18

what might be needed alongside aversion therapy?

Answer 18

CBT to address deeper issues

Question 19

(ethics) what issue might rapid smoking create?

Answer 19

physical harm

Question 20

(ethics) how could rapid smoking cause physical harm?

Answer 20

it increases heart rate possibly causing heart palpitations

Question 21

(ethics) why might consent be an issue with long term alcoholics?

Answer 21

alcohol can cause changes in brain structure - brain damage

Question 22

(ethics) harmful effects can create an issue of compliance, what can this create problems with?

Answer 22

effectiveness - people may drop out

Question 23

(ethics) how can compliance issues be overcome with Antabuse? and what other issues does this raise?

Answer 23

Antabuse implants which are inserted into the abdomen and slowly release Antabuse
removes right to withdraw

Question 24

(ethics) what is an ethical alternative to aversion therapy?

Answer 24

in vitro techniques, more ethical way of achieving same association - imagine the unpleasantness

Question 25

(ethics) what may be an issue of in vitro techniques?

Answer 25

might not work

addicts are already aware of the negative consequences of their addiction

Question 26

(social) how much does the NHS spend on Antabuse?

Answer 26

just under £2.25 million

Question 27

(social) how many alcoholics are not receiving help despite doubled spending on drugs like Antabuse?

Answer 27

1.1 million

Question 28

(social) what will investment into treatment of addiction save?

Answer 28

money in the long term

Question 29

(social) “no quick fix report” - how much does alcohol abuse cost the tax payer a year?

Answer 29

£21 billion

Question 30

(social) “no quick fix report” - how much does alcohol abuse cost the NHS?

Answer 30

£3.5 billion

Question 31

(social) “no quick fix report” - alcohol abuse costs £21 billion a year in which 3 areas?

Answer 31

the NHS
Benefits
damage & alcohol related crimes

Question 32

(social) why is it important that the right treatment decisions are made for addiction?

Answer 32

addiction can cause breakdown of families, homelessness, debt and crime
cost vs. benefits