Treatment of phobias

• Ethics - not force ppts for treatment

  SD / flooding / therapy = consent
• Systematic desensitisation - each patient learns to associate more appropriately = decrease unwanted response

  • based on reciprocal inhibition - can’t feel two opposite feelings at same time
• SD - undergo functional analysis - nature of anxiety and possible triggers

  • create a anxiety hierarchy - higher up the list the worst the fear
• Relaxation techniques

  • progressive muscle relaxation - tensing then relaxing your muscles
  • deep breathing - in through nose out through mouth
  • meditation - person learns to focus
  • each applied to level on fear hierarchy
• Exposure - overtime patient exposed to increased levels of phobia they learn to calm themselves
• Evaluation systematic desensitisation

  • good form of treatment - most patients receiving SD increase in therapy - McGrath et al 75% of SD individuals respond to therapy
  • has limitations - don't fully treat all phobias - only specific situations or objects - only appropriate to a minority of patients
• Flooding - overwhelming individuals senses with items causing phobia - exposed repeatedly in a intense way - showing the stimuli is harmless - causes extinction
• Evaluating flooding

  • very fast form of treatment - at time effective in single session cost of therapy to be lower - potential symptom Free lives of their phobia
  • not effective for social phobias - cognitive aspects - rather unpleasant thoughts and feelings - can only treat some phobias
• SD -

  fear hierarchy

  control for patient

  slower

  relaxation techniques

  operates on reciprocal inhibition
• FLOODING -

  principles of extinction

  patients direct with worst fear

  less ethical = increased levels of distress

  may not work for groups - children
• Flooding - extinction - repeatedly exposed in an intensive way to their phobia with no option to escape as phobic stimulus is continually presented.