Chapter 9 (Biopsychosocial Model For Phobia) Flashcards
specific phobia
is an anxiety disorder that is characterised by marked fear about a specific object or situation leading to avoidance behaviours
phobia categories
- animal
-situational - natural environmental
- blood, injection, injury
- other (death, vomiting, clowns)
response to phobia
- F-F-F response triggered
- can take form in a panic attack, feeling of impending doom
- panic attacks has both psychological and physiological symptoms
psychological factors
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
- classical and operant conditioning
- cognitive bias (memory bias, catastrophic thinking)
INTERVENTION
- CBT
- systematic desensitisation
biological factors
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
- GABA neurotransmitter dysfunction
- role of stress response
- long-term potentiation
INTERVENTION
- short term GABA agonists
- breathing retraining
- exercise
social factors
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
- specific environmental triggers
- stigma around treatment
INTERVENTION
- psychoeducation for supporters (challenging unrealistic thoughts, not encourage avoidance behaviours)
GABA dysfunction
- inhibitory neurotransmitter
- acts as a calming agent to reduce anxiety by slowing down neural transmission
- individuals with anxiety disorders may have GABA dysfunctions
role of the stress response
- people with phobia tend to activate stress response when not needed
- could be the result of other factors
long-term potentiation
- strengthening of regularly used neural connection
- fear responses strengthened by repeat activation
- more pathway is activated the stronger the response
- LTP likely to occur in the amygdala
biological interventions
target the workings of the body that contribute to the phobia
medication - benzodiazepine
- group of drugs that work to target GABA receptors
- increases GABA affects on the postsynaptic neurons
- can be highly addictive, not recommended for long term use
- known as GABA agonists
- usually first treatment option for phobias
breathing retraining
- people when experiencing a phobia tend to over breath
- respiration rate increases, can increase fear and anxiety
- excessive breathing can disrupt balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the bloodstream
exercise
- reduces anxiety by releasing endorphins
- provides distraction from the phobic stimulus
- copes with physical aspects (using up stress)
- increases tolerance to stress response
psychological contributing factors
we acquire and maintain phobias psychologically via behavioural and cognitive
behavioural models
phobias are learnt through experience, and could be from environmental consequences
precipitation by classical conditioning
- pairing unfrightening stimulus with a frightening stimulus
- the stimuli are paired together so that the NS is now a CS and cause a CR of fear
precipitation by operant conditioning
- assists a person perpetuating their phobia and prevents a person improving their disorder
ANTECEDENT- travel interstate to visit family
BEHAVIOUR- make excuses your sick to avoid flying
CONSEQUENCE- relief avoiding flying, negatively reinforced behaviour
cognitive models
how an individuals processes information about the phobic stimulus and related events (cognitive biases)
memory bias
distorting influences of present knowledge on the recollection of previous experiences, better recall of negative experiences
catastrophic thinking
that involves over exaggerating a situation and focusing of worst possible outcome, underestimate ability to cope
psychological interventions
focus on changing the thought process and the behaviours that a person has
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- avoidance behaviours
- during CBT individuals are encouraged to identify their fear
- encourages people to take educational course to learn more about the phobic stimulus
- they can then find better ways to be equipped to encounter the stimulus
systematic desensitisation
- aims to replace anxiety responses with a relaxation response
1. learning a relaxation technique to reduce the physiological symptoms of anxiety
2. creating ‘fear hierarchy (gradually exposed to the phobic stimulus)’ for the phobia
3. pairing relaxation with items so the that CS elicits relaxation not phobia
specific environmental triggers
specific situations in the environment trigger and extreme fear response at the time
- the more severe the more likely a fear will develop
stigma around seeking treatment
usually acts as a barrier to receiving treatment and perpetuates the phobia
social interventions
usually exist around providing psycheducation to families and supporters of sufferers
psychoeducation
- form of education for people who have been diagnosed with a phobia
- increased understanding of the phobia will enable a individual to cope more effectively
PROGRAM - nature of the disorder
- what having a phobia is like
- impact
- support
challenging unrealistic/anxious thoughts
- they are unhelpful, catastrophic and exaggerated
- learning to challenge these can help you to overcome being anxious or distressed
not encouraging avoidance behaviours
- avoidance behaviours provide comfort to the individual
- psycheducation help family and friends recognise someone with a phobia so they can ensure they are not encouraging those behaviours
- instead they assist in reinforcement behaviours
