Aversion therapy

• How does aversion therapy work?

  Repeatedly presented with unpleasant stimulus at same time of engaging in undesirable behaviour. Uses classical conditioning. UCS paired with NS to produce CS & CR.
• What is covert sensitisation?

  Client imagines negative consequences rather than actually experiencing it in real-life. Employs principles of systematic desensitisation. E.g, alcoholics imagine consequences whilst drinking.
• Explain, 'new developments' :

  Drugs which reward abstinence by making people feel tranquil & well (Badaury 1999). E.g, tryptophan metabolites prevent alcohol being fully converted- chemical causes nausea.
• What is operant conditioning?

  Once association has been made once (pleasant stimulus & unpleasant response) person avoids future contact with stimulus. Negative reinforcement motivates person to continue to avoid these situations. E.g, avoiding pub.
• Bancroft (1992)


  Up to 50% patients either refuse treatment or drop out of aversion therapy programmes. (Difficult to evaluate therapy if only willing patients engage in first place).
• Miller (1978)


  Study of alcoholics-compared effectiveness of 3 treatment types: aversion therapy (shocks), counselling + aversion therapy & counselling alone. 1 year later, recovery was same for all groups-aversion had no benefit.
• Smith et al (1997)


  Alcoholics treated with aversion therapy (shocks or nausea drug) had higher abstinence rates after 1 year than those treated with counselling alone. Smith (1998) success with 300 smokers. 52% treated with shocks maintained abstinence after 1 year.
• How was aversion therapy used in past?

  'Cure' homosexuals in UK & USA until 2006. Men given nausea drugs & placed in dirty surroundings whilst shown photos of men. BBC (2009)- 1962 Billy Clegg-Hill died after aversion therapy. Died from coma & convulsions caused by vomit-inducing drug called Apomorphine.
• Why is aversion therapy not effective?

  High drop-out rate, not long-term, symptom substitution & not suitable for everyone (e.g, electric shocks not used in heart conditions).