HOW TO MANAGE STRESS? BENZOS/SIT/BIOFEEDBACK Flashcards
(21 cards)
Name 3 ways to manage stress?
- Medication (benzodiazepine, beta-blockers).
- Stress Inoculation Therapy (Meichenaum)
- Biofeedback
- Relaxation and imagery
Define benzodiazepines?
A class of sedatative drugs, which slow down the activity of the brain and nervous system.
How does Benzodiazepine work?
They work by enhancing the effects of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain, which slows down the activity of the brain and nervous system leading to a calming and sedative effect.
What is GABA?
the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter.
primary role is to reduce neuronal excitability throughout the central nervous system
gamma-aminobutyric acid
Benzodiazepines signficicantly reduce stess- suppotying evidence?
Kahn et al (1986)- carried out research where one group of patients where given the drug and the other a placebo. 250 patients followed for 8 weeks.
What did Kahn et al (1986) find?
- Kahn et al (1986)- the patients recieving the drug, showed signficant reductions in stress levels compared to the control.
Name 1 weakness and 1 strength of using benzodiazepines as a treatment for stress?
Strength- works quickly on the nervous system (produces a calming effect within 30 mins)-activating the parasympathetic nervous- reduces relief, tension, racing thoughts. Effective for immediate relief (panic attacks, intense stress episodes).
Weakness- pallative/ short-term fix does not adress psychosocial factors which may be causing stress-
What is stress inoculation therapy?
- A form of CBT designed specifically to manage stress- by gradually ‘inoculating individuals to increasing levels of stress in order to develop coping skills/ resistance to stress. There are 3 phrases: conceptualisation, skill acquistion, rehearsal & application.
What is conceptualisation? (stage 1)
- Conceptualisation stage- therapist and client work together- to gain a better understanding or ‘concept’ of the patients stress- it involves identifying stress sources/ experiences, maldaptive though patterns, current stress managment techniques.
Cognitive phase of the treatment.
Therapist suggests reframing thoughts + accepting (some aspects of stress can be changed/ some can’t)
What is skill acquisition? (stage 2)
- The therapist teaches the patient a range of cognitive + behavioral coping mechanisms which are tailored to their needs.
Examples include- progressive muscle relaxation, visualisation, cognitive restructuring, coping self-statements) - These skills are first used in therapy and then real-world.
coping self-statements- ‘I can be anxious, angry, sad and still deal with this’
What is application and follow-through? (stage 3)
- Clients transfer skills in real-world increasingly stressful situations.
- They may be first asked to visualise stressful scenarious first and then eventually apply in real-situations (inoculating to stress)
Name 1 strength and 1 weakness of Stress Inoculation Therapy?
- strength (personalised treatment):- provides life-long stress management coping mechanism, that can be utilised in various different context or scenarios making it a versatile and adaptive therapy, that promotes long-term stress reduction and management.
- weaknesses (lacks universal applicability): due to individual differences ( motivation, personality or biological predisposition)- may not be suited for individuals, who would find the visualisation of stress scenarios distressing and alarming or individuals who suffer from avolition as they may struggle with initiating such goal-directed or purposeful activities (requires active participation, cognitive effort)
What is biofeedback?
- Stress managment tool that teaches patients how to control physiological functions (heart rate, muscle tension), by providing real-time feedback about those bodily functions. Goal= using biological info to control functions, minimising stress.
How does biofeedback work?
- Electrical sensors- communicate info about physiological processes (heartbeat) through beeping sounds, visual monitors.
- The patient is then instructed to make changes (slowing breathing to lower HR and reduce stress).
- If patients are able to make their body respond in a healthier way, the biofeedback system reinforces this by offering positive feedback (pleasant sound).
Which researchers conducted a study into biofeedback, forehead muscle tension and stress?
Budzynski et al (1969)
Budzynski et al (1969) aim?
- To investiagte whether using biofeedback tools (analogue monitor) to measure and reduce forehead muscle tension would then effectively reduce stress.
Budzynski et al (1969)- methods
- Analogue monitor- to measure forehead muscle tension (as it is a difficult muscle to relax- if it could work here- it could work for differnet muscles)
- Lab experiment
- Independent measures design as the ppts were randomly allocated to either Group A, B or C.
Budzynski et al (1969)- sample
15 ppts (included in the results) 18 participants who replied to an advertisement in a local paper in Colorado.
Summarise the procedure- Budzkynski et al (1969)?
- Ppts told to record headaches.
- Group A and B were given 16 training sessions for 8 weeks (20 mins)
- Feedback group (group a)- monitor would provide a low tone when they successfully relaxed muscle (pos reinforcement).
- Irrelavant feedback (group b)- monitor emitted a constant low tone regardless of whether they relaxed forehead. Told the sound would aid relaxation.
- No feedback group (group c)- no tone, no sound. Ppts simply told to relax.
Budzynski et al (1969)- results/ conclusions?
- Noticeable differences in muscle relaxation- showing feedback type affeted ability to relax.
- The biofeedback group reduced tension by 50%, the best result (kept improving)
- The no-feedback group reduced tension by 24%
- The irrelevant-feedback group increased tension by 28%
Budzynski et al (1969)- strengths/ weaknesses
Strengths- random assigment to different conditions (clear comparisons/ reduced ppts variabes)
Weakness- ecological validity- ppts knew they were being monitored- lab experiment- artifical setting could add unnatural stress.
