AO3 - Systematic Desensitisation

• Research to support the effectiveness of SD as a behavioural treatment for phobias was conducted by Gilroy. She followed up 42 people who had SD for spider phobias in three 45 minute sessions using gradual exposure. At both 3 months after treatment and 33 months after treatment, the SD group were much less fearful than a control group who were treated with therapy not including exposure. Therefore suggesting that reassociating a phobia with relaxation through SD is an effective behavioural treatment for phobias.
• It could be argued that SD as a behavioural treatment for phobias may not be appropriate for all patients as it requires motivation and commitment. Patients must attend sessions over a period of time and be exposed to anxiety provoking situations, which may make some patients stop therapy. If they do, then the therapy is ineffective and their anxieties will return. This is unlike drug therapy which requires little motivation and commitment as patients only have to take a tablet to reduce the anxiety they feel, which doesn't require much will power. Therefore limiting the appropriateness of SD.
• One strength of SD as a behavioural treatment is that it can be seen as more appropriate as patients have high control over their therapy. This is because they create their own hierarchy of anxiety with the therapist and are gradually exposed to feared stimuli and only move on once they feel relaxed. This is unlike flooding which can be quite traumatic for a person as they are immediately exposed to their most feared stimuli which can cause high levels of anxiety, leading to patients opting for SD which is reflected in low drop out rates. Therefore suggesting SD is an appropriate treatment.
• One advantage of SD is that even though it can be completed in a real world setting, it can also be completed through virtual reality. Exposure through virtual reality can be used to avoid really dangerous situations such as heights or potentially dangerous animals (sharks). Another reason is that virtual reality is cost and time effective because the psychologist and client do not need to leave the consulting room. Therefore SD can be used to treat a wide scope of phobias making it an accessible treatment to a wide variety of patients.