treating phobias Flashcards
Systematic desensitisation -def
└a behavioural therapy designed to reduce an unwanted response (anxiety) to a stimulus. Involved drawing up a hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations related to the phobic stimulus and teaching the patient to relax whilst working up the hierarchy
steps SD
- anxiety hierarchy 2. relaxation 3. exposure
- anxiety hierarchy
└made my patient and therapist
└list of phobic situations- least to most frightening
- relaxation
└e.g. breaking, mental imagery techniques
└e.g. drugs- Valium
- exposure
└exposed to phobic stimulus in a relaxed state
└several sessions
└work up hierarchy
Strengths SD
Effective └for specific phobias └Gilroy et al (2003) └spiders- systematic desensitisation better than relaxation only └long lasting effects
Suitable for diverse range of patients
└leaning difficulties- easier to understand and engage
Acceptable to patients
└doesn’t cause trauma
└low refusal and attrition (drop out) rates
Limitations SD
Symptom substitution
└one phobia disappears- another in its place
└might not happen at all
Flooding def
└behavioural therapy in which a phobic patient is exposed to an extreme form of the phobic stimulus in order to reduce anxiety triggered by the stimulus. This takes place over a small number of long therapy sessions
How it works F
└without avoidance patient learns stimulus is harmless
└classical conditioning- extinction
└conditioned stimulus encountered without the unconditioned stimulus
Ethical safeguards F
└patients must give full informed consent to the traumatic procedure
└patients normally given choice between therapies
Strengths F
Cost effective
└quicker= cheaper
Limitations F
Less effective for some types of phobia
└effective for treating simple phobias
└less effective for complex phobias
└e.g. social phobias
└as cognitive aspects
Traumatic
└patients often unwilling to see through till end
└time and money wasted
