Behavioral treatments for phobias

• Behavioral treatments for phobias:

  Systematic desensitization - Aims to reduce the fear response through classical conditioning

  • New response to the phobia is learnt - if phobic subject can learn to relax in the presence of the phobic stimulus
• 3 stages of systematic desensitization:

  • Anxiety hierarchy - a list of situations related to the phobic stimulus that provoke anxiety
  • Relaxation - therapist teaches the patient to relax as deeply as possible
  • Exposure - The patient is exposed to their phobic stimulus (either real or imagined), while in a relaxed state.
• Flooding:

  
• Behavioral treatments for phobias:

  Flooding - involves exposing phobic patients to their phobic stimulus, but without the gradual buildup in an anxiety hierarchy

  • Flooding stops phobic responses very quickly, but can be distressing/traumatic for the patient
• A strength of flooding is it's cost effective. Studies comparing flooding to cognitive therapies have found that flooding is highly effective and quicker than alternatives. This quick effect is a strength because it means that patients are free of their symptoms as soon as possible which makes treatment cheaper
• A weakness of flooding is its' low effectiveness in treating phobias. Although flooding is highly effective for treating simple phobias it appears to be less so for more complex phobias. E.g., a sufferer of a social phobia doesn't just experience an anxiety response but thinks unpleasant thoughts about the social situation. This is a limitation as this type of phobia may benefit more from cognitive therapies because such therapies tackle the irrational thinking
• A weakness of flooding is the treatment is traumatic for patients. Patients are unwilling to see it through to the end because it is a highly traumatic experience. This is a weakness of flooding because time and money are sometimes wasted preparing patients only to have them refuse to start/complete treatment.