Application of biopsychosocial model to specific phobia Flashcards
Define specific phobia.
A persistent irrational and intense fear of a particular object or event. This is a type of anxiety disorder.
Outline the four types of specific phobias.
Animal phobias, natural environment phobias (heights), situation phobias (dentists) and blood injection phobias (needles).
Define anxiety.
Feelings of persistent and extreme apprehension when stressors are not necessarily present
Explain the continuum of phobias.
Like mental health, phobias exist on a continuum. Ranging from healthy (left), to reacting, to injured, to disorder (right).
Define stress.
The psychological and physiological response to internal/ external stressors.
Distinguish stress and anxiety.
Stress is the psychological and physiological response to internal or external stressors, whilst anxiety is feelings of persistent and extreme apprehension when stressors are not necessarily present (anxiety= stressors may be real or imagined, stress= stressor is present).
Define consolidation memory and how it applies to specific phobias.
Proposal that the structural changes to a neural circuit occur with the formulation of LTM.
This means that every time phobic stimulus is encountered the synapses within that memory circuit are strengthened and the the fear response is activated.
Define catastrophic thinking.
When an individual repeatedly overestimates potential dangers of an object or event.
What are evidence based treatment options for specific phobias?
An evidence based treatment option is a treatment that has been proven effective based on clinical research and changing the target behaviour. For specific phobias these aim to change the unrealistic thought and behaviours associated with the phobic stimulus. In treating specific phobias cognitive behavioural therapy could be used.
Define cognitive behavioural therapy.
(CBT) A type of psychotherapy that uses a range of cognitive and behavioural principles to help people change unhealthy thought practices, feelings and behaviours (changes how people think about x, and so how they react to x).
Outline and explain the three different CBT’s that can be used to treat specific phobias.
Relaxation training. Using meditation/ guided imagery/ breathing exercises to teach the person how to relax when encountering the phobic stimulus.
Flooding. Exposing the person to the phobic stimulus while practicing relaxation techniques.
Imaginal flooding. Imaging exposure to phobic stimulus while practicing relaxation techniques.
Define systematic desensitisation.
A behavioural therapy in which the person is exposed to the phobic stimulus very slowly under relaxed conditions until the response is extinguished. Based on the idea of reciprocal inhibition (one emotional state blocks another, so cant be anxious and relaxed at same time).
