U4 AOS2 Dot Point 11

Question 1

biological interventions for phobias

Answer 1

benzodiazepines
relaxation techniques

Question 2

what do benzodiazepines do

Answer 2

increase GABAs inhibitory effects
make post-synaptic neurone resistant to excitation
anti-anxiety and sleep-inducing properties
slow down CNS activity

Question 3

agonist vs antagonist

Answer 3

agonist:
stimulate neurotransmitter activity

antagonist:
inhibit neurotransmitter activity

Question 4

advantages of benzodiazepine

Answer 4

help cope with an occasional, unavoidable encounter with a phobic stimulus
few side effects
highly effective

Question 5

disadvantage of benzodiazepine

Answer 5

highly addictive
can reduce alertness
treat symptoms not the cause
don’t teach non-drug dependent coping skills

Question 6

relaxation techniques to deal with phobias

Answer 6

breathing retraining
exercise

Question 7

what is breathing retraining

Answer 7

teaches correct breathing habits to promote relaxation
lowers arousal to make people feel like they have more control over their fear and anxiety
slow regular breaths in through the nose out through the mouth
needs to be practiced to become habitual
inhibits fight-flight-freeze response

Question 8

exercise in relation to phobias

Answer 8

both anaerobic and aerobic helps
releases endorphins

Question 9

psychological interventions for phobias

Answer 9

CBT
systematic desensitisation

Question 10

what is safety behaviour

Answer 10

not direct avoidance
only willing to come in contact if certain precautions are in place

Question 11

steps of CBT in phobias

Answer 11

1. identify unhelpful ways of thinking
2. make changes to replace these cognitive biases with new ways of thinking
3. gather accurate info about the phobic stimulus and identify misconceptions
4. replace the thoughts with more objective, rational and useful thoughts

behaviour therapy includes relaxation techniques, breathing retraining and exercise

Question 12

steps of systematic desensitisation

Answer 12

1. learn relaxation technique
2. phobic stimulus is broken down into a sequence arranged from least to most anxiety-producing, called fear hierarchy
3. systematic, graduated pairing of each level with relaxation
   can’t move on until relaxation is achieved

Question 13

social interventions for phobias

Answer 13

psychoeducation

Question 14

what is psychoeducation

Answer 14

explanation of information about a mental disorder and its treatment

helps individuals understand the disorder to enhance therapy, coping strategies and assist them to live more productive lives

can be broadened to involve families and can be implemented in a number of formats and settings

challenges unrealistic or anxious thoughts and doesn’t encourage avoidance behaviours