Chapter 11 had two main focuses, vivo flooding and imaginal flooding. Anxiety-induction therapies can be thought of as fighting anxiety with anxiety. Flooding is the generic name for prolonged/intense exposure. The ideology behind flooding is to present a anxiety-evoking situation to a client long enough so that they can peak and start to decline. So, for example, if a person was afraid of dogs. A therapist would have the dog in the rooms that the client can reach their anxiety level and then normalize after a while. The two factor theory of the development and maintenance of fear involve classical and operant conditioning. Fear develops through classical conditioning. A neutral even that is not feared is seen as threatening. Once fear is developed …show more content…
For example, if a person was struggling with an eating addiction. The therapist can expose them to the smell of their favorite food to help them with their issue by showing them that they don't have to eat the food. This method is primarily used with substance abuse disorders. Imaginal flooding uses the same principles and procedure used with vivo flooding except exposure is done in the client's imagination. Imaginal flooding can be useful with clients who suffers from PTSD because it is impossible to realistically recreate the even for the veteran. It is also applied to stress disorder related to rape and non-sexual assault …show more content…
Flooding, in vivo and imaginal, are effective treatments but one is not better than the other. However, vivo flooding is thought to be more superior. One drawback of flooding is that it produced discomfort. Therefore, this type of therapy should be based on a cost-benefit analysis. Exposure therapy shares the common procedural element of exposure to anxiety-evoking stimuli without actual negative consequences occurring. Exposure therapy has been proved to be effective on the European-American culture. Flooding have also been proved to be effective on African Americans who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder. This chapter was much less interesting than the previous chapter but I learned a lot of useful information. While I was reading I kept thinking about the code of ethics that states that psychologist should not do harm. I can definitely see some harm coming from a person trying to conquer their anxiety, what was even more interesting that the work discomfort was used instead if harm. This made me rethink the definition harm. Personally, I think that flooding was the best intervention. After a while anxiety has to decrease if it permanently exposed to a person for a period of time. For example, if I was afraid of cars and just got the courage to sit in a car, eventually my anxiety would go away because I would then understand that I had a false
...ype of treatment available for post-traumatic stress disorder patients is psychotherapies. There are various types of psychotherapy that psychologist can use such as exposure therapy, psychoeducation or mindfulness training. In exposure therapy, the patient is recreating the traumatic event help get rid of the fear relating to the event. For example, James Francis Ryan could be put through a session where there was simulation of explosives going off or even airplane engine noises. Research by F.R. Schneier et al., 2012, found that antidepressant medication taken alongside exposure therapy was found to be more effective in treating the post-traumatic stress disorder (Sue, Sue, Sue, and Sue, 2014, p.127). Psychoeducation is also used with exposure therapy because it educates the patient with information about their disorder in order to understand it and cope with it.
Ougrin, D. (2011). Efficacy of exposure versus cognitive therapy in anxiety disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 11(200). Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/11/200
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form a therapy that is short term, problem focused, cost effective, and can be provided to a broad range of disorders and is based on evidence based practices, in fact it is has the most substantial evidence based of all psychosocial therapies (Craske, 2017, p.3). Evidence based practice are strategies that have been proven to be effective through research and science. One goal of CBT is to decrease symptoms and improve the quality of life by replacing maladaptive behaviors, emotions and cognitive responses with adaptive responses (Craske, 2017, p.24). The behavioral intervention goal is to decrease maladaptive behavior and increase adaptive behavior. The goal of cognitive intervention is to modify maladaptive cognitions, self-statements or beliefs. CBT grew out of behavioral therapy and the social learning theory (Dobson, 2012, p.9). It wasn’t until the 1950s that CBT started to swarm the psychology field. Due to nonscientific psychoanalytic approaches, there was a need for a better form of intervention which ensued to behavioral therapy (Craske, 2017, p.9). Behavioral therapy included two types of principles classical and instrumental. Classical conditioning is based on response behavior and instrumental conditioning is more voluntary behavior (Craske, 2017, p.10). Although there was improvement in treatment, clinicians were still dissatisfied
...s: the nature and treatment of anxiety and panic (2. ed.). New York, NY [u.a.: Guilford Press.
One of the most famous example of fear conditioning is the Little Albert experiment conducted by Watson and Rayner in 1920. In this experiment, an infant, Albert, was presented with a white rat, and as expected, Albert initially displayed no signs of fear and began touching and playing with the rat. Soon, the experimenters began pairing the presentation of the rat with a loud noise (US) produced by banging a hammer on a steel bar. The noise caused Albert to startle and cry (UR). After several pairing, Albert learned to fear the rat (CS) and would crawl away or cry (CR) when the rat was subsequently presented (Watson and Rayner, 1920)
Alice Park’s article in TIME Magazine, entitled “The Two Faces of Anxiety”, outlines the key positive and negative effects anxiety can have on both the individual and humanity as a whole. Because of the steady increase in diagnoses of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and similar mental illnesses, evaluating the origins of anxiety as well as its effects are crucial steps for developing both medical treatments and alternative methods of coping with the disorder. While many of the 40 million American adults suffering from anxiety believe that eliminating the feeling altogether is ideal, they fail to consider what psychologists have mounds of empirical evidence in support of: anxiety is not inherently adverse, and can, in many cases, be advantageous. Anxiety is generally understood to be a biological process in which specific symptoms, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, manifest as a response to stressful scenarios. In these potentially-fatal situations, the fight-or-flight response is an evolutionary reaction developed to prevent species from engaging in behavior that could result in extreme negative consequences, while also preparing them for possible conflict. Overall, this response is a constructive adaptation, but an issue arises when individuals face stressful, albeit non-fatal, situations. The body still experiences the same symptoms despite the absence of any “real” danger, and the person suffering from the anxiety feels as though he or she has little control over the behaviors brought on by the condition. Triggered by both genetic and environmental factors, there appears to be a wide variation in the severity of anxiety as well as what treatment methods are effective for each individual. However, many psychologists ...
In the general population, less than five percent of people experience panic disorders, and only six percent develop agoraphobia during their lives, (MacNeil 2001). A diagnosis of panic disorder is given when panic attacks turn into a common occurrence, for no apparent reason and the person begins to change their behaviour because of the constant fear of having a panic attack. Someone suffering from agoraphobia has a fear of being somewhere where help will not be provided in case of an emergency; one third to one half of people diagnosed with panic disorders develops agoraphobia, (Hoeksema & Rector, 2011, p. 204). Research has examined two well-known ways a panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) can be treated: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (alone and combined with two other medications) and Experimental Cognitive Therapy (ECT). Examining the research allows for a comparison of each treatment, along with a discussion of implications, resulting in determining which treatment is the most effective for someone who suffers from a panic disorder with agoraphobia.
(271) Before we can answer the question we fist need to understand what GABA means. It means gamma-aminobutyric acid which is a common neurotransmitter in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry messages from one to another. GABA has inhibitory messages that are received in the receptor which cause the neuron to stop firing. In other words if during a normal fear or anxiety reaction, key neurons start firing more rapidly, triggering the firing of more neurons creating a state of excitability throughout the body: perspiration, breathing heavily, and muscle tension increase. If the excitability keeps persisting it starts a continuous feedback system where the brain and body reduce the level of excitability by emitting GABA through some neurons which bind GABA receptors on certain neurons which stop firing which cease the feeling of fear and anxiety. So, some of the some limitations of this explanation would be having a malfunction in the feedback system which can cause fear and anxiety to go unchecked this has been proven by reducing GABA in animals which proved a rise in anxiety.
Feeling anxious is common for everybody, especially when faced with an important life event, but it is when someone has that anxious feeling for long periods of time for unwarranted reasons, that it can be determined that they have an anxiety disorder (Rector, Bourdeau and Kitchen 2). Anxiety will never appear on it’s own, it is usually paired with depression, this is why Patricia Farrell refers to anxiety and depression as the “ugly twins” (Farrell 71). In 2008, it was determined that anxiety was the “most common mental health problem in women, and are second only to substance use disorders in men”( Rector, Bourdeau and Kitchen 2). There is a growing need to better understand anxiety, so the illness is no longer marginilized and sufferers are able to receive treatment as soon as possible. The four most common forms are posttramautic stress disorders(PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder(GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social phobia. These disorders, while classified because of the high level of anxiety (Emilien xv), vary in specific physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms, this is why treatments slightly differ. Although it has determined that treatment improves one’s quality of living (Hofmann, Wu and Boettcher 13), because of the lack of knowledge and cultural stigma that surrounds anxiety disorder, sufferers will not receive treatment.
...ontrolled exposure to feared situations and stimuli. Relapse prevention methods focus on consolidating and generalizing treatment gains over time.
As the world leaps into the future, it seems that mental illness is becoming more of a problem among many people. One of the most common types of illness's among the current population is anxiety disorders. It is evident that there is a rise of anxiety disorder among the Western World. There are three main factors that contribute to this, they include our education system, technology and media, and the treatment and decreasing criticism anxiety patients receive.
...ilosophies, and related treatments were studied. The treatment for anxiety disorders is built on a solid scientific foundation, beached in research by specialists from various fields. The research has examined these biological, communal, and psychological factors that contribute to anxiety disorders. This comprehensive research base has directed us to the development of numerous, empirically-based treatments that have demonstrated to be highly operational. As a result, thousands of spirited individuals have reclaimed their health, reinstated their functioning, and now revel in richly rewarding and substantial lives. The future remains hopeful for those who tussle with anxiety. We are self-reliant that advancements in the handling of anxiety disorders will continue to bring hope and assistance to the people, and families, affected by these disorders.(www.bhcmhmr.org)
A number of different theories have been proposed to explain how these factors contribute to the development of this disorder. The first theory is experiential: people can learn their fear after an initial unpleasant experience such as a humiliating situation, physical or sexual abuse, or just attending a violent act. Similar experiences that follow add to the anxiety. According to another theory, which refers to cognition or thinking, people believe or predict that the outcome of a particular situation will be degrading or harmful to them. This can happen, for example, if parents are overly protective and constantly alert to potential problems. The third theory focuses on biological basics. Research suggests that the amygdala, a structure deep inside the brain, serves as a communication center that signals the presence of threats, and triggers a response in the form of fear or
... range from discomfort to depression. Therapy and medication can improve the symptoms of anxiety disorders, although many people do not seek treatment due to fear or misdiagnosis. With proper treatment, profound beneficial effects can be achieved in the psychosocial aspects of an individual’s life.
· Systematic Desensitization- by approaching the situation associated with a great deal of anxiety in steps, the patient can gradually decrease the anxiety related to it. This process usually contained three steps- relaxation techniques (which includes breathing exercises, mental imagery and biofeedback), Creating a Hierarchy (The therapist creates a series of situations in which the feared event occurs more and more intensely) and finally desensitization (where the patient can finally handle the m...