Treating phobias

• Flooding

  Person with the phobia is immersed in the phobic experience in one long session. Continues until the patient's anxiety has disappeared.
• Systematic desensitisation

  Patient is taught relaxation techniques such as focusing on breathing.

  Desensitisation hierarchy is created - where the individual is gradually introduced to the feared situation one step at a time, move onto the next stage once anxiety has gone. Goes from least to most feared stimuli.

  Counterconditioning - taught a new association to counter the original one, taught through classical conditioning to associate the phobic stimulus with a new response of relaxation.
• Evaluation of SD

  + Effectiveness - 75% respond to it, in vivo techniques are more effective. Must use range of different exposure techniques.

  -Not appropriate for all phobias - doesn't treat phobias with an evolutionary survival component such as fear of the dark.
• Evaluation of flooding

  +Effectiveness - both SD and flooding are effective, flooding is better. It is also relatively quick compared to CBT.

  -Individual differences - can be highly traumatic, patients may quit during the treatment which reduces effectiveness.
• General evaluation of behavioural therapies

  +Fast, cheap and require less effort. CBT requires willingness for people to think deeply about their mental problems which isn't true in behavioural therapies.