Chapter 9 (Biopsychosocial Model For Phobia)

Question 1

specific phobia

Answer 1

is an anxiety disorder that is characterised by marked fear about a specific object or situation leading to avoidance behaviours

Question 2

phobia categories

Answer 2

• animal
  -situational
• natural environmental
• blood, injection, injury
• other (death, vomiting, clowns)

Question 3

response to phobia

Answer 3

• F-F-F response triggered
• can take form in a panic attack, feeling of impending doom
• panic attacks has both psychological and physiological symptoms

Question 4

psychological factors

Answer 4

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
- classical and operant conditioning
- cognitive bias (memory bias, catastrophic thinking)
INTERVENTION
- CBT
- systematic desensitisation

Question 5

biological factors

Answer 5

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
- GABA neurotransmitter dysfunction
- role of stress response
- long-term potentiation
INTERVENTION
- short term GABA agonists
- breathing retraining
- exercise

Question 6

social factors

Answer 6

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
- specific environmental triggers
- stigma around treatment
INTERVENTION
- psychoeducation for supporters (challenging unrealistic thoughts, not encourage avoidance behaviours)

Question 7

GABA dysfunction

Answer 7

• inhibitory neurotransmitter
• acts as a calming agent to reduce anxiety by slowing down neural transmission
• individuals with anxiety disorders may have GABA dysfunctions

Question 8

role of the stress response

Answer 8

• people with phobia tend to activate stress response when not needed
• could be the result of other factors

Question 9

long-term potentiation

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

biological interventions

Answer 10

target the workings of the body that contribute to the phobia

Question 11

medication - benzodiazepine

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

breathing retraining

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

exercise

Answer 13

• reduces anxiety by releasing endorphins
• provides distraction from the phobic stimulus
• copes with physical aspects (using up stress)
• increases tolerance to stress response

Question 14

psychological contributing factors

Answer 14

we acquire and maintain phobias psychologically via behavioural and cognitive

Question 15

behavioural models

Answer 15

phobias are learnt through experience, and could be from environmental consequences

Question 16

precipitation by classical conditioning

Answer 16

• 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

Question 17

precipitation by operant conditioning

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

cognitive models

Answer 18

how an individuals processes information about the phobic stimulus and related events (cognitive biases)

Question 19

memory bias

Answer 19

distorting influences of present knowledge on the recollection of previous experiences, better recall of negative experiences

Question 20

catastrophic thinking

Answer 20

that involves over exaggerating a situation and focusing of worst possible outcome, underestimate ability to cope

Question 21

psychological interventions

Answer 21

focus on changing the thought process and the behaviours that a person has

Question 22

cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

systematic desensitisation

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

specific environmental triggers

Answer 24

specific situations in the environment trigger and extreme fear response at the time
- the more severe the more likely a fear will develop

Question 25

stigma around seeking treatment

Answer 25

usually acts as a barrier to receiving treatment and perpetuates the phobia

Question 26

social interventions

Answer 26

usually exist around providing psycheducation to families and supporters of sufferers

Question 27

psychoeducation

Answer 27

• 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

Question 28

challenging unrealistic/anxious thoughts

Answer 28

• they are unhelpful, catastrophic and exaggerated
• learning to challenge these can help you to overcome being anxious or distressed

Question 29

not encouraging avoidance behaviours

Answer 29

• 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