Treatments for phobias

• Systematic desensitisation


  - developed by Wolpe

  - uses classical conditioning to treat phobias

  - gradually exposes the client to the phobic stimulus
• Steps of systematic desensitisation


  1. Construct the anxiety hierarchy

  2. Learn relaxation

  3. Exposure
• 2 types of exposure in SD


  In vivo - patients directly face the situation

  In vitro - patients imagine each of the situations
• Which type of exposure in SD is most effective?


  In vivo
• Flooding


  Exposing clients to the stimulus without a gradual build up

  - works by preventing avoidance
• Reciprocal inhibition


  It is impossible to be relaxed and anxious at the same time so one prevents the other from
• Extinction


  The conditioned stimulus no longer produces the conditioned response
• Evaluation of the behavioural approach to treating phobias

  - Gilroy et al found SD to be effective (patients with arachnophobia)

  - Capafons et al found that social phobias don't respond well to SD

  - flooding is quick and effective

  - SD can take a long time

  - flooding exposes patient to high levels of anxiety in just one session so may be too distressing
• Constructing the anxiety hierarchy

  Patient and therapist develop a list of situations from least to most threatening
• learning relaxation

  may involve breathing exercises, meditation or drugs such as Valium
• exposure

  the patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus whilst in a relaxed state