Phobia Treatment

Question 1

Two types of Exposure Therapy

Answer 1

Systematic Desensitisation and Flooding

Question 2

Systematic Desensitisation

Answer 2

Behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce the phobic anxiety through the principle of classical conditioning. A new response to the phobic stimulus is learned which is called counter conditioning.

Question 3

Three processes to Counter Conditioning

Answer 3

Anxiety hierarchy, Relaxation, and Exposure

Question 4

Anxiety hierarchy

Answer 4

Put together by the client and therapist it is a list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety arranged in an order from least to most frightening.

Question 5

Relaxation

Answer 5

The therapist teaches the client to relax as deeply as possible. It is impossible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time so one emotion prevents the other. This is reciprocal inhibition. The relaxation may include breathing exercises, mental imagery, meditation, or drugs.

Question 6

Exposure

Answer 6

Client is gradually exposed to the phobic stimulus in a relaxed state. This takes place across several sessions, starting from the bottom of the hierarchy. When they are relaxed at the first level they will move up. The treatment is successful when the client can stay relaxed in the highest level of the hierarchy.

Question 7

Flooding

Answer 7

This involves exposing patients to the phobic stimulus without a gradual build-up. This is immediate exposure to a very frightening experience. The sessions are longer but there is only one in which the phobia is cured. They are no longer able to avoid it and so learn that the phobic stimulus is harmless. A learned response is extinguished when the condition stimulus is encountered with the unconditioned stimulus which results in the phobia becoming extinct.
This is not entirely ethical so it is important the client gives full informed consent to this traumatic procedure and are fully prepared.

Question 8

(B) Strength (S)

Answer 8

Research support.
Choy et al (2007) reported that systematic desensitisation and flooding were effective but flooding was more effective.
Immediate it more useful than gradual which could be because it is faster and more sudden and over one session so they cannot drop out as easily as for some the lowest level may have been too distressful that they don’t want to go again.
However… systematic desensitisation is appropriate for a wider range of patients unlike flooding which may not be suitable for patients with learning disabilities as they may not be able to understand fully which would just mean they are put through extreme distress.

Question 9

(S) Strength (S)

Answer 9

Research support.
Gilroy et al (2003) followed up 42 patients who had been treated for spider therapies in three 45-minute sessions of systematic desensitisation and a control group treated with just relaxation and found at both 3 months and 33 months those who had systematic desensitisation were less fearful.
Relaxation is not enough and exposure is needed for it to be most effective and properly better an individuals life.
Furthermore… when patients were given a choice between flooding and systematic desensitisation they would choose systematic desensitisation which suggests gradual exposure is the best form of treatment.

Question 10

(F) Strength (S)

Answer 10

Supporting evidence for effectiveness.
Ougrin (2011) compared flooding to cognitive therapies and found flooding was highly effective and quicker than alternatives.
This means people can go back to their old lives sooner and function better within society.
However… highly traumatic experience which means often means they don’t see the treatment through and they just waste their money.