flooding

• AO1


  Flooding involves one long session where the patient experiences their phobia as it's worst while at the same time practising relaxation. The session will continue untill the patient is fully relaxed in the pressence of their phobia. This cantake place in person (vivo) or in virtual relatity. Priror to the flooding, patient learn relaxation technique before being exposed for 2-3 hours. Adrenaline has a time limit and decreases overtime. This mean a new stimulus - response link can be learned between the feared stimulus and relaxation.
• strength: more appropriate than SD

  As it's more efficient because flooding can be completed in one long session where as SD can take many sessions. Within hours the patient is able to overcome their fear making it more cost effective.

  k-Therefore flooding is more appropriate compared to systematic desensitisation.
• another strength: effectiveness


  An experiment by choy et al found out that flooding was significantly more effective than systematic desensitisation

  k-Therefore it has high effectiveness as a treatment
• weakness: highly traumatic procedure

  This means that it may be useful for evrey patient even if they are informed before the treatment begins. They may quit during the treatment as they find it too overwhelming. This can actually make their symptoms even worse causing anxiety and distress.

  k- This therefore reduces the treatment overall appropriateness and effectiveness of the therapy
• another weakness is that the exposure may be more important than the relaxation

  A study compared systematic desensitisation with supportive psychotherapy where they found no differences in effectiveness

  k- therefore flooding may not be effective or appropriate