Treating Phobias Flashcards
What is the process of systematic desensitisation?
- Patient is taught relaxation techniques such as breathing, focusing on an object/scene or progressive muscle relaxation
- Therapist and patient establish a desensitisation hierarchy together
- Patient makes their way through the hierarchy whilst engaging in relaxation technique
- Patient moves onto next step when confident in their abilities
- Patients concludes situation and masters it
What is counterconditioning?
The process in which a patient is taught a new association through classical conditioning to associate stimulus with new response (reciprocal inhibition)
What is flooding?
A process in which a person is instantly immersed in one long session, experiencing phobia at its worst, with the session continuing until the anxiety has disappeared
What are the two types of flooding?
In vivo (actual exposure) or in vitro (virtual reality)
What is the evaluation for the strength of systematic desensitisation?
Effectiveness of treatment
* Research evidence demonstrates effectiveness of SD for treating phobias
* A study (McGrath et al (1990)) found that 75% of patients with phobias were successfully treated using SD in vivo techniques
* Another study (Gilroy et al (2002)) examined 42 patients with archnaphobia who each got three 45-minute SD sessions. When re-examined three months, then 33 months later, the SD group were less fearful than control group (only relaxation techniques)
* This provides support for SD as a long-term treatment for phobias
What is the evaluation for the weakness of systematic desensitisation?
Doesn’t work for all phobias
* May only work for a phobia where there has been a traumatic event experienced with it
* Patients with phobias which have not developed through a personal experience (classical conditioning) e.g heights, are not effectively treated
* It may not be successful with rooted evolutionary survival fears such as a fear of the dark or dangerous animals as they are embedded in our DNA. These phobias have not been acquired through experience so will be harder to treat with behaviourist principles
* Shows SD can only be used effectively at tackling some phobias and not others
What is the evaluation for the strength of flooding?
Works quickly and well
* Provides a cost-effective treatment for phobias
* Research has suggested that flooding is comparable to other treatments such as SD and cognition therapies, but is significantly quicker
* If patients undergo flooding and stick with it to the end then it can cure their phobia relatively faster in comparison with SD and CBT
* It is more cost effective for healthcare providers, and potentially a better option than other therapies
What is the evaluation for the weakness of flooding?
Not suitable for everyone
* Cost effective yet may not work for every patient
* It can be highly traumatic for patients and causes a high level of anxiety. Although patients give informed consent, many do not complete the experience as it is too stressful. This may lead to it being a waste of money. Children may also not be able to ethically undergo it as it is still a very traumatic procedure
* Those who undertake the therapy may not be aware of how actually traumatic it is and still quit during treatment
* The individual differences in response to flooding will therefore reduct the ultimate effectiveness of the therapy
What is the evaluation for the strength of behavioural therapies?
Better than other therapies
* Deals with phobias in ways that are preferable to other therapies
* SD and flooding are generally faster, cheaper and require less effort, and CBT requires a a high amount of effort when people think deeply into their problems. This is not the case with behavioural therapies
* Flooding and SD do not require a patient to think about their problems and is more suitable for those who lack insight into motivations or emotions (e.g children or patients with learning difficulties)
* Such factors therefore demonstrate why behavioural therapies may be a better option for patients due to the many advantages over cognitive therapies
What is the evaluation for the weakness of behavioural therapies?
Alternative treatments (drug therapies)
* Alternative treatment to behavioural therapies is to use medication
* Medication such as beta blockers and BZs can be prescribed which have a calming effect on the brain. They reduce the physiological response that people have to a fear
* Medications are cheaper and faster and require less effort on behalf of the patients. There is no need to attend sessions or feel stress, but it must be noted that medications such as this come with side effects, and are not a long term solution that deal with the root of the problem
* Therefore, it may be better to combine medication and behavioural therapies
