AO1: Behavioural treatments for phobias

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academic weapon🎆

Cards (7)

  • Systematic desensitisation
    A behavioural therapy for treating anxiety disorders in which the sufferer learns relaxation techniques then faces a progressive hierarchy of exposure to anxiety-inflicting stimuli.
  • Systematic desensitisation - Relaxation techniques
    Meditation, mental imagery, anti-anxiety drugs (beta blockers)- aim to help the patient cope during gradual exposure.
  • Systematic desensitisation -Hierarchy of anxiety-provoking situations
    Least to most fearful (e.g looking at a photo of a spider to letting a spider crawl on you).
  • Systematic desensitisation - Gradual exposure
    Expose - relax - move on - expose - relax...
  • Flooding
    Involves going to the worst thing on the hierarchy and exposing the patient to it.
  • Flooding takes away the option of avoidance.
  • Treatment is complete when the patient is okay at the final stage.