psych seen 8 and 16 marker Flashcards
flooding ao1
involves directly exposing phobic patient to feared object in immediate situation
taught relaxation techniques (deep breathing, deep muscle relaxation) before
no gradual build up with fear hierarchy
intense and extreme situations (holding a snake for a long time if scared of snakes)
can occur in real life or virtually
stops phobic response very quickly, patient cannot avoid situation, have to face phobic object = quickly learn object harmless, extinction
extinction as they are too exhausted by own phobic response
2-3 hours long, still ethical, written and signed consent, despite initial psychological harm
flooding ao2
Dads behaviour links to flooding as a behavioural treatment for flooding, as he says “only way to deal with fear is to face it “ and that they should literslly throw him in the deep enf
Shows harsh and non gradual approach, flooding
strength flooding
cost effective
esp compared to CBT, takes months /years to work and rid person of phobia
quick therapy = patients free of symptoms ASAP, cost-effective and cheaper
weakness flooding
highly traumatic experience
many patients unwilling to continue therapy until end
time and money wasted, patient may decide dont want to complete treatment, phobia left untreated
waste of time and money
other therapies better suited (SD)
SD ao1
behavioural therapy developed by Wolpe (1958) diminish phobias by classical conditioning
replaces irrational fears and anxieties with phobic objects with calm and relaxed emotions instead
central idea = reciprocal inhibition = cannot feel 2 opposite reactions at same time (fear and relaxation)
3 steps to SD
Hierarchy of fear
constructed by therapist and patient
situations involving phobic object areranked least - most fearful
eg. Phobia of snakes may be first looking at picture of snake to holding one
relaxation techniques
taught beforehand, deep muscle relaxation techniques (deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation)
PMR = tense group of muscles, to as tight contracted as possible, hold in extreme tension few seconds, relax to previous state, finally consciously relax to most relaxed state as possible
asked to sit quietly as possible, close eyes, meditate, imagine relaxing situations
Start by relaxing foot muscles, work way up body
gradual exposure
patient introduced phobic object gradually, work way up feaf hierarchy, start with least scary stage
use relaxation techniques whilst exposed to phobic object each stage
when feel comfortable with one stage, move to next, repeated exposure with relaxation, no fear, phobia eliminated, process takes many therapy sessions
SD ao2
mother shows example of AO2 to cure sons phobia of water / swimming pools
gradual approach, include quotes, which is similar to gradual approach of SD
SD ao3
weakness
not always practical for individuals to be desensitised by confronting real life phobic situations
real life step by step situations difficult to arrange and control (scared of sharks eg..)
v difficult to apply to real life situations, question effectiveness of therapy
strength
Jones (1924) supports SD use in eradicating Little Peters phobia, white rabbit presented at gradually closer distances, each time anxiety lessoned, eventually even felt affection for rabbit, generalised to all white fluffy objects
dopamine ao1
neurotransmitter that affects mood and may be cause of OCD
frontal lobes of brain linked to dopamine activity
OCD sufferers = high levels dopamine = research conducted on animals showed high dose of drugs that increase dopamine levels, induces movements that resemble compulsive / repetitive behaviour (similar OCD sufferers experience)
high dopamine levels linked to overactivity in basal ganglia area in brain (motor function + learning)
seratonin ao1
seratonin
neurotransmitter that affects mood and cause OCD
frontal lobes in brain have been linked to seratonin activity
OCD sufferers depressed, due to low serotonin levels, cause depressive like symptoms, also obsessive symptoms
seratonin plays key role in operating caudate nucleus, in brain, seems low levels seratonin causes caudate nucleus to malfunction
strength of neural explanations of OCD
great deal of research support
state neurotransmitters do not cause OCD
antidepressant drugs with high seratonin levels in OCD patients, lead to reduction in OCD symptoms
good evidence suggests low levels of serotonin could be a cause of OCD
disadvantages of neural explanations OCD
neurotransmitters may not necessarily cause OCD
low levels serotonin and high levels of dopamine might be effect of OCD, so must be cautious looking at cause and effect of neurotransmitters
Another weakness
OCD is comorbid with depression, and exists alongside it
therefore nit clear that low levels of serotonin causes OCD or depression or both
Link between low serotonin causing OCD is not very clear, should be investigated further
