treating phobias

• How is Flooding traumatic for patients?

  • Highly traumatic
  • Patients unwilling to see it through to the end.
  • time and money can be wasted preparing patients only to have them refuse to start or complete treatment
• Why might flooding be less effective for some other types of phobias?

  • Less effective for more complex phobias (social phobias)
  • social phobias have cognitive aspects (thinking unpleasant thoughts about the situation)
  • These types of phobias may benefit more from cognitive therapies as such therapy tackle irrational thinking
• 2 limitations of Flooding

  • Less effective for some types of phobias
  • treatment is traumatic to patients
• How is flooding cost affective?

  • As effective as other treatments
  • Studies comparing flooding to cognitive therapies (Ougrin 201) have found that flooding is highly effective and quicker
  • means that patients are free of their symptoms as soon as possible making the treatment cheaper
• 1 Strength of flooding

  It is cost effective
• How does flooding have ethical safeguards?

  unpleasant experience so it's important that the patients give their fully formed consent to the traumatic procedure
• How does flooding work?

  Stops the phobic response very quickly

  • without the option of avoidance behaviour, the patient learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless
  • called extinction in classical conditioning terms
  • in some cases the patient may achieve relaxation in the presence of the phobic stimulus because they are tired of their own fear response
• What is flooding?

  Exposing phobic patients to there phobic stimulus but without a gradual build.

  • Involves immediate exposure to a very frightening situation
• How is SD suitable for many patients?

  • anxiety disorders are usually accompanied with learning disabilities: such patients may not be able to make the full cognitive commitment associated with cognitive behavioural therapy/ have the ability to communicate their own thoughts.
  • SD would a suitable alternative for them
• How is SD acceptable to patients?

  • Patients prefer it as it does not cause the same degree of trauma as flooding.
  • SD includes some elements (learning relaxation procedures) which are pleasant reflected in the low refusal rates and low attrition rates
• How is there research supporting the effectiveness of Systematic Desensitisation?

  • Gilroy et al (2003) followed 42 patients who had been treated for acrophobia who did three session of SD
  • the control group was treated by relaxation without exposure
  • 3 year after the SD group was less fearful
  • Showing that SD is helpful in reducing anxiety and the effects are long lasting
• 3 strengths of systematic desensitisation

  • research supporting the effectiveness
  • it's acceptable to patients
  • suitable for many patients
• Describe Exposure in SD?

  Patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus while in a relaxed state

  • takes place across several sessions
• Describe Relaxation in SD?

  Therapist teaches patient to relax as deeply as possible (breathing, meditation, Valium)
• Describe The anxiety hierarchy:

  A list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety are arranged into order (least to most frightening)
• What are the three processes involved in SD?

  1. anxiety hierarchy

  2. relaxation

  3. exposure
• What is reciprocal inhibition?


  It’s impossible to be afraid and relaxed and the same time

  • one emotion prevents the other
• What is counter-conditioning (in terms of systematic desensitisation)?

  Learning through a different response:

  - a new response to the phobic stimulus is learned ( paired with relaxation instead of anxiety )
• Name 2 ways to treat phobia :

  • Systematic desensitisation
  • Flooding
• What is systematic desensitisation?

  A behaviour therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through the principle of classical conditioning

  • if the sufferer can learn to relax in the presence of the phobic stimulus