treating phobias

Question 1

what are the 2 main treatments of phobias?

Answer 1

-systematic desensitisation
-flooding

Question 2

what is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 2

-wolpe 1958
-uses the principles of classical conditioning to reverse phobias
-anxiety and relaxation are seen as incapable of existing simultaneously (Reciprocal inhibition)
-step by step through a desensitisation hierarchy
-starts with imagining scenarios (covert desensitisation), moves to actual contact (in vivo desensitisation)

Question 3

research on systematic desensitisation

Answer 3

-jones 1924 - used SD to eradicate ‘little peters’ fear of white rabbits, every time anxiety subsided the animal was moved closer, peter rewarded with food each time, eventually developed affection
-brosnan and thorpe 2006 - technophobia, 16 p’s, 8 computer anxious, 8 not, 10 week SD programme, coping strategies significantly improved, not known if it had long term effects

Question 4

what is flooding?

Answer 4

-(aka implosion)
-patients go straight to the top of the desensitisation hierarchy
-p’s can’t make their usual avoidance responses, and anxiety peaks so high that it cannot be maintained, so eventually subsides

Question 5

research on flooding

Answer 5

-wolpe 1960 - girls fear of cars, forced into one and driven around until hysteria eradicated
-barlow 2002 - flooding is equally as effective as SD, but SD is preferred as it is typically more tolerated

Question 6

evaluate the treatments of phobias

Answer 6

-SD requires vivid imagination to imagine feared objects/situations
-gradually confronting phobias in imagination doesn’t guarantee it will work irl
-behavioural treatments work for simple phobias, but not so much for social phobias/agoraphobia, suggesting they can’t be explained behaviourally
-ethical considerations, as they can both be psychologically harmful, though long-term benefits may outweigh short-term distress
-flooding isn’t suitable for patients with ill health, could risk heart attacks etc

Question 7

what are the other 2 treatments for phobias?

Answer 7

-drug therapy
-cognitive behavioural therapy

Question 8

how does drug therapy treat phobias?

Answer 8

-anti depressants (for example) increase serotonin levels
-slaap et al 1996 - treated 30 social phobics with SSRI’s, finding 72% had a reduced heart-rate and blood pressure
-can have side effects
-more cost-effective than behavioural therapies that require trained professionals

Question 9

how does CBT treat phobias?

Answer 9

-helps patients identify irrational thoughts and modify them
-most frequent treatment for phobias
-behavioural therapies only target observable symptoms, cbt targets thinking
-CBGT (group therapy) pairs people with others that share their phobia, for support