Specific phobia Flashcards
Stress
Internal or external stressors that are perceived by the individual as challenging or exceeding their ability to cope.
Anxiety
Unpleasant feelings of apprehension or uneasiness that something is wrong or something bad is about to happen.
Phobia
Excessive, persistent and unreasonable fear of an object or situation.
How are stress and anxiety different to a phobia?
- Can contribute to or develop into a mental health disorder, whereas a specific phobia is a diagnosed mental health disorder.
How are anxiety and phobia different to stress?
They are distress only, whereas stress can be either eustress or distress.
How are phobia and stress different to anxiety?
The source is usually known, whereas the source of anxiety may be unknown.
Specific phobia
An anxiety disorder characterised by fear about a specific object or situation, often leading to avoidance behaviour.
Social anxiety disorder
Excessive, persistent and unreasonable fear of social and performance situations, primarily due to concern about being negatively judged by others or behaving in a way that is embarrassing or humiliating.
Agoraphobia
Characterised by fear and avoidance of places and situations that might cause feelings of panic, entrapment and embarrassment.
Biological factors contributing to the development of a specific phobia
- GABA dysfunction
- Role of stress response
- Long-term potentiation
GABA dysfunction
May cause an individual’s sympathetic NS to be activated more easily, meaning their stress response is more easily triggered by certain stimuli. Recurrent stress can lead to development of phobia.
Long-term potentiation
Long-term potentiation can neurologically strengthen the association between a phobic stimulus and a fear response.
The more they are coactivated, the more the connection is strengthened. This enhances the transmission of transferring information and therefore decreasing the chances of forgetting the fear response.
Psychological factors contributing to the development of a specific phobia
- Precipitation by classical conditioning
- Perpetuation by operant conditioning
- Cognitive bias (memory bias and catastrophic thinking)
Precipitation by classical conditioning
When the NS becomes associated with the UCS (phobic stimulus), it becomes the CS, therefore eliciting the CR, increases the susceptibility of an individual to develop a phobia. By associating something with fear, the individual will then fear it.
Perpetuation by operant conditioning
Any avoidance response (negative reinforcement) to any phobic stimulus will continue to be reinforced through operant conditioning. Avoidance reduces the unpleasant feelings of anxiety, so avoidance is negatively reinforced as it reinforces the fear.
Cognitive bias (memory bias and catastrophic thinking)
Memory bias - Causes an individual to place emphasis on the negative experiences in a situation while disregarding the positive or neutral experiences.
Catastrophic thinking - an object or situation being perceived as far more threatening or dangerous than it really is. This can maintain the fear or anxiety response, perpetuating the phobia.
Social factors contributing to the development of a specific phobia
- Specific environmental triggers
- Stigma
Specific environmental triggers
Developing a specific phobia after a direct negative experience with an object or situation. The specific environmental trigger may induce a response from an individual when confronted.
Stigma
Can prevent individuals from seeking treatment due to worrying about being judged. This can make it difficult for them to combat or overcome a phobia.
Biological interventions that treat specific phobias
- explain each
Agonist
- Drug that imitates neurotransmitters and works to initiate a neural response (excitatory or inhibitory)
Benzodiazepines
- Short-acting anxiety medication that works to reduce anxiety by mimicking GABA’s inhibitory effects to help treat anxiety.
(Biological) Relaxation techniques to treat specific phobia
- explain each
Breathing retraining
- A method used to teach someone breathing control techniques that they can apply when facing their phobic stimulus. It can reduce anxiety and relieve symptoms.
Exercise
- Promotes relaxation and therefore relief from anxiety and provides a distraction from the stimulus.
Psychological interventions to treat specific phobia
- explain each
CBT
- Assists in changing negative thoughts that perpetuate the phobia. It assists the individual to develop a new understanding that their feared stimuli are not dangerous, so their avoidance behaviours are unnecessary.
Systematic desensitisation
- Used to overcome phobia involving a patient being exposed incrementally to increasingly anxiety-inducing stimuli. It is unlearning the connection between the phobic stimulus and anxiety response.
Social interventions to treat specific phobia
- explain
Psychoeducation
- Increases an individual’s knowledge and understanding of a mental disorder and its treatments. The more educated someone is about their disorder, the more control they have over it.
