Addiction: Reducing Addiction - Behavioural interventions

Question 1

Intro - What kind of behavioural interventions are there?

Answer 1

Aversion Therapy
Covert Sensitisation

Question 2

Intro - What do both behavioural interventions work on?

Answer 2

The principles of classical conditioning

Question 3

Intro - What do both behavioural interventions aim to do?

Answer 3

Replace the pleasureable association with the addictive substance/behaviour with an unpleasant association (counterconditioning)

Question 4

What is the aim for aversion therapy?

Answer 4

Use the principles of classical conditioning to change the pleasureable association with the addictive substance/behaviour and replace association in a vivo experience

Question 5

How does aversion therapy work for nicotine addiction?

Answer 5

One technique is ‘rapid smoking’

Question 6

What is rapid smoking?

Answer 6

Individuals sit alone in a room taking a puff of a cigarette every 6 seconds
Begin to feel nauseous and sick

Question 7

What will individuals associate the feeling of rapid smoking with?

Answer 7

Smoking
Repeated until they develop an aversion to smoking
Reduces their addiction

Question 8

How does aversion therapy work for gambling addiction?

Answer 8

Electric shocks avert people and cause pain

Question 9

What does the addicted gamble do in electric shock?

Answer 9

Think of phrases related to their gambling behaviour and write them on cards
When they get to their gambling related card, they are given a two-second electric shock
Associate gambling with the painful shock rather than pleasure

Question 10

How does aversion therapy work for alcohol addiction?

Answer 10

Client is given a drug like Disulfiram

Question 11

What does Disulfiram do?

Answer 11

Interferes with the bodily process of metabolising alcohol into harmless chemicals
So a person drinking alcohol whilst taking Disulfiram will experience severe nausea and vomitting
Association the alcohol with nausea, develop aversion to alcohol, reduces their addiction

Question 12

What is the aim of covert sensitisation?

Answer 12

Pleasurable association with the addictive substance/behaviour is broken down and replaced with an unpleasant association in a vitro experience

Question 13

How does covert sensitisation work for nicotine addiction?

Answer 13

Therapist reads from script and client imagines aversive situation
E.g., imagine smoking followed by the most unpleasant consequence like vomitting
The more the vivid the imagery, the better it works

Question 14

At the end of the covert sensitisation session, what happens?

Answer 14

The client imagines turning their back on the addiction and experience feelings of relief
Associate addiction with the unpleasant scenario rather than pleasure
Reduces their addiction

Question 15

1 - Who researched behavioural interventions?

Answer 15

McConaghy et al

Question 16

1 - What did they do?

Answer 16

Compared electric shock aversion therapy with covert sensitisation in treating gambling addictions

Question 17

1 - What did they find?

Answer 17

In a one year follow up, those who received CS were signficantly more likely to reduce their gambling activities (90% CS compared to 30% AT)

Question 18

1 - What is the link?

Answer 18

Suggests CS is more effective compared to AT

Question 19

2 - What may some people question?

Answer 19

How ethical AT is

Question 20

2 - What are the thoughts on AT?

Answer 20

Rapid smoking/electric shocks could lead to physical/psychological harm like making them physically sick or electric shocks

Question 21

2 - What may be more appropriate?

Answer 21

CS as it is carried out in vitro, potentially reducing any physical/psychological harm

Question 22

2 - What is the link?

Answer 22

CS is more appropriate than AT

Question 23

3 - What is a weakness of behavioural interventions?

Answer 23

Require motivation and commitment

Question 24

3 - Why does it require motivation and commitment?

Answer 24

Patient has to commit to attending sessions and work with their therapist to unlearn their addictive behaviour, whilst placing themsleves in adversive situations such as feeling sick or giving electric shocks

Question 25

3 - What is it unlike?

Answer 25

Drug therapy which requires less motivation as they only need to take a tablet or wear a patch to reduce their addiction

Question 26

3 - What is the link?

Answer 26

May drop out of behavioural intervention, reducing the effectiveness