Evaluation of behavioural approach to treating phobias Flashcards
What is it important for with patients who undergo flooding?
they give fully informed consent and they are fully prepared as it could cause psychological distress
What does research show about the effectiveness of systematic desensitisation?
it is effective in the treatment of specific phobias
What did Gill Roy et all 2003 follow up?
42 patients who had been treated for spider phobias in 345 minute sessions of SD
How was spider phobias measured in Gill Roy et al 2003?
questionnaires and assessing responses to spiders
What did Gill Roy et al 2003 use?
a control group who were treated by relaxation without exposure
What did Gill Roy et al 2003 find at 3 and 33 months and what does it show?
after the treatment, the SD group were less fearful than the relaxation group - strength as it shows that SD is helpful in reducing phobias
What is a limitation of SD and flooding?(differences)
it’s not well suited to some patients and everyone acts differently
What could learning difficulties do?
make it harder for patients to understand what is happening during treatments
Which treatment do patients prefer?
SD as it doesn’t cause the same degree of trauma as flooding
Why is flooding cost-effective?
studies have compared flooding to cog therapy and found flooding is effective and takes less time therefore more cost-effective
Why is flooding less effective for complex phobias?
as they have cognitive aspects - irrational thinking
What is the most serious concern with flooding?
it involves a traumatic experience for patients - ethically wrong - time and money wasted if patients refuse
