Phobias, Treatments And Capafóns Flashcards
Systematic Desensitisation as a Treatment for Phobias: P1 (Intro, 1st Step)
- Aims to remove the fear response to a phobia and substitute a relaxation response to the CS gradually using counter-conditioning
- Patient and therapist complete a functional analysis to gather info about triggers
- 1st step: taught relaxation techniques (controlled breathing) - supports reciprocal inhibition, fear response is inhibited as it is incompatible with relaxation
Systematic Desensitisation as a Treatment for Phobias: P1 (Supporting Evidence - Capafons, S/W)
AO3 ‹+› (1998) used SD to treat individuals with aviophobia (fear of flying), after 12 weeks of therapy, patients had lower levels of fear, shows that SD may be an effective treatment after a relatively short period of time
AO3 ‹-› only effective with simple phobias, able to show the patient the phobic object (snails, buttons), less effective when treating complex phobias (social phobias, agoraphobia) which involve visualising more abstract concepts
Systematic Desensitisation as a Treatment for Phobias: P2 (2nd/Final Steps)
- 2nd step: creation of fear hierarchy, start with a situation that creates the least fear, build up to the most fear-provoking situation, exposure to phobia can be done in vitro (imagine the object/situation) or in vivo (direct exposure)
- Final step: patient works their way up the fear hierarchy, practise relaxation technique at each stage, move on to the next stage when they are comfortable and no longer fearful - gradual process
Systematic Desensitisation as a Treatment for Phobias: P2 (Supporting Evidence - Rothbaum et al, Competing Argument)
AO3 ‹+› (1995) created a VR helmet which displays a phobic object/situation to the patient, uses gradual exposure, effective treatment for phobias were exposure to it may not be possible in real-life (sharks), more ethical without losing effectiveness
AO3 ‹-› if VR helmets are not an option, in vitro exposure may be less effective if patients cannot imagine the phobia, less accessible for people who cannot create a vivid image or avoid thinking about the object/situation
Systematic Desensitisation as a Treatment for Phobias: Conclusion
AO3 ‹+› used regularly in the NHS with patients as an evidence-based treatment for phobias, patient controls the rate of exposure, more ethical
AO3 ‹-› palliative, does not tackle the underlying causes of the phobia, only addresses the symptoms, phobias as a result of trauma may be more likely to return (low long-term effectiveness)
One Other Treatment for Phobias: P1 (Intro, S.E, (-) Social Phobias)
- Flooding - a type of exposure therapy
- Patient directly exposed (in vivo) to phobia for an extended period of time, avoidance and escape are prevented
- Face their phobia head on, realise that their catastrophic beliefs/expectation won’t come true
AO3 ‹+› Wolpe - took a girl who was scared of cars and drove her for 4 hrs, became hysterical at first, then calmed down when she realised she was not in danger, phobia disappeared, learnt to enjoy car rides
AO3 ‹-› not as effective for social phobias, has significant cognitive elements that are not addressed through therapy, limits accessibility depending on the phobia of the patient
One Other Treatment for Phobias: P2 (Treatment Process, S/W)
- During treatment - patient exposed to phobic stimulus, experience high levels of anxiety due to activation of the stress response (fight or flight), increased heart rate, muscle tension
- Adrenaline released into the blood, experience intense anxiety
- Physical symptoms and anxiety reduce, likely due to exhaustion, learned fear response extinguished, new association between phobic object and relaxation response
AO3 ‹+› reflects real-life exposure where patients sometimes cannot avoid their fear, patients give informed consent, more effective as patients are willing to try and believe it will help
AO3 ‹-› may worsen phobias due to the traumatic nature of the treatment, some may not be able to cope with the high levels of anxiety and refuse treatment, patients have less control - lead to concerns about social control and the power of the therapist
One Other Treatment for Phobias: Conclusion
AO3 ‹+› Prof Lars-Göran Öst found that 90% of patients improved/recovered after 2 hrs of therapy when treated for simple phobias, lower attrition rate in terms of completion compared to other therapies
AO3 ‹-› palliative, doesn’t address the root cause of the phobias, may lead to the phobia returning, less effective long-term
