Pain and Anxiety

Question 1

What is Behaviourism, what are the two type?

Answer 1

learning from observation, known as conditional learning

Classical and Operant

Question 2

What is Classical Behaviourism?

Answer 2

• pairing something with something to create conditioned response

e.g. pavlovs dog

Question 3

What are the Types of Classical Behaviourism?

Answer 3

1. Stimulus Discrimination - associate with specific thing
2. Stimulus Generalisation - associate it with everything similar to original response e.g. white coat
3. Extinction - weakening of conditional response when stimulus is repeatedly present without unconditioned stimulus
4. Spontaneous Recovery - spontaneous recovery of conditioned response after extinction

Question 4

What is Operant Behaviour, and its Types?

Answer 4

voluntary responses learnt because of consequences

primary reinforces - whatever strengthens
secondary - associated with primary

e.g. grandma washes hair on Thursday, brother has bad luck
so washing hair on Thursday brings bad luck, dont do it

Question 5

What is Cognivitism?

Answer 5

a learning theory that views learning as an internal mental process and not just be observing behaviours

Question 6

What is Anxiety?

Answer 6

• an emotional, protective and adaptive reaction
• triggered with size of threat, perception and inability to cope

Question 7

What are 2 Types of Anxiety?

Answer 7

Selective Attention
- assessing level of threat
- orientation and fight or flight

Memory Altercation
- selective remembering of negative info
- intrusive mems, flashbacks

Question 8

How can Anxiety Affect Patients?

Answer 8

higher anxiety
- lower pain thresholds
- difficulty to discriminate between sensation and pain

Question 9

Why do Patients Develop Anxiety?

Answer 9

personality variability
familial dental attitude
evolutionary factors
fear of unknown
psychological co-morbidity

Question 10

Define Pain

Answer 10

an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage

Question 11

What is Pain from a Psychological Aspect

Answer 11

a perception and experience rather than sensaton

Question 12

How do you Measure Pain?

Answer 12

McGill Pain Questionnaire

Question 13

What are the 2 Different Types of Pain? Explain them.

Answer 13

Acute
- adaptive and meaningful e.g. cuts
- short
- care and relief is likely
- suffering is recongised

Chronic
- enough time for healing has lapsed, long duration
- suffering may be dismissed
- pain hasn’t subsided

Question 14

What is the Gate Control Theory?

Answer 14

the regulation of pain

1. neural gate in the spinal cord regulates pain
2. info sent to gate
3. determines signals sent to fibres

large fibres - touch, vibration and position
small fibres - pain and temperature

Question 15

What is the Power of Placebo?

Answer 15

responders and non-responders cant distinguish

• relies on the expectancies and beliefs
• affected by clinician interaction

Question 16

How is Pain Managed? (5)

Answer 16

Hypnosis - control perception through relaxed state
Acupuncture - chronic pain
CBT - identify and challenge coping skills, imagery, stress management
Avoidance
Anger

Question 17

3 Pros of the Show-Tell-Do Method

Answer 17

• make the patient feel comfortable
• demonstration can help
• patient feels in control

Question 18

2 Pros of CBT

Answer 18

• patient understands cause behind anxiety
• process potentials distorted thoughts into realistic ones

Question 19

3 CONS of CBT

Answer 19

• embarrassment to speak to a mental health professional
  = treatment can be delayed
• patient needs to commit to every session
• if communication isn’t clear, patient will not benefit