9b

Question 1

Biospychosocial interventions for specific phobias

Answer 1

Bio:
Gaba agonists
Breathing retraining
Psycho:
Cognitive behaviour therapy
Systematic desensitisation
Social:
Psychoeducation (challenging unrealistic or anxious thoughts and not encouraging avoidance behaviours)

Question 2

Benzodiazepines

Answer 2

Medicine that depresses central nervous system activity often used as shortterm anti anxiety medication
- agonist increasing inhibitory effect of GABA
- by causing inhibitory response the rapid excitatory communication between neurons in the fear response is reduced relieving anxiety it causes

Question 3

Drug types

Answer 3

Agonist: drug imitating neurotransmitter and working to intimate a neural response (inhibit or exhibit) when it binds to the receptor site of a neuron.
Antagonist: type of drug preventing an action at the receptor site by blocking the effect of a neurotransmitter

Question 4

GABA agonist process

Answer 4

1 benzodiazepines bind to gaba receptor sites on the postsynaptic neuron
2 benzodiazepines increase effectiveness of gaba when it later bind to the same receptor site
3 gaba is able to have its inhibitory effect reducing the likelihood that neuron will fire temporarily reduces neural communication thereby reducing anxiety

• if there is no gaba at a receptor site of a postsynaptic neuron benzodiazepines have very little effect on postsynaptic neuron, if they are present then benzodiazepines will likely increase the impact of gaba

Question 5

Breathing retraining

Answer 5

• method used to teach breathing control techniques to reduce physiological arousal
• can be used in precede of phobic stimulus when one feels anxiety
• when one with specific phobia faces phobic stimuli they often experience shallow and fast breathing as their Sympathetic nervous system becomes dominant
• this can lead to hyperventilation and activation of other sympathetic ns response in turn increasing anxiety

Question 6

Breathing retraining process

Answer 6

1. Therapist or doctor will teach person with specific phobia how to consciously control their breathing
   - slow and deep inhalations followed by slow and deep exhalations
   - counting slowly when breathing in and out
   - breathing slowly in through the nose and focusing on breathing slowly out through the mouth
2. Learner applies the breathing technique when anticipating or in the presence of a phobic stimulus

Question 7

Cognitive behavioural therapy

Answer 7

• adaptive behaviours allow one to cope in environment
• psychotherapy encouraging indivudual to substitute dysfunctional cognitive and behaviour with more adaptive ones
• involves cognitive components (identifying negativethroughts and feeling about the issue and replacing them with more positive) and behavioural components (identify negative behaviour and develop and mainting positive behaviours relating to the issue)
• therefore therapist needs to work with patient to identify cognition and behaviour that may perpetuate and contribute to their specific phobia

Question 8

Examples of cognitive and behaviours in cognitive behavioural therapy

Answer 8

Cognitive :
Memory bias
Catostrophic thinking
Embarrassment
Extreme fear
Behaviour:
Avoidance behaviours (to stim and social activity’s that may expose phobia
Not seeking help

Question 9

Systematic desensitisation

Answer 9

Therapy technique to overcome a phobia where a patient is exposed to in increments to increasingly anxiety inducing stimuli combined with relaxation techniques
- operates under principle of classical conditoning aiming to decondition the association between phobic stimuli and fear by associating phobic stimulus instead with relaxation

Question 10

Systematic desensitisation steps

Answer 10

1. Learning relaxation techniques: teaching individual relaxation techniques they can use to decrease physiological symptoms of anxiety she confronted by the phobic stimulus
2. Development of fear hierarchy: creating list of anxiety inducing experiencing relating to patients phobia listed in order of easiest to hardest to confront
3. Gradual step by step exposure: systematic pairing of items in the hierarchy with relaxation by working upwards through items in the hierarchy one step at a time. In real life or using VR technology
4. Continuation of systematic exposure: to items in fear hierarchy until one can confront most anxiety inducing stimuli without producing fear response

Question 11

Psychoeducation

Answer 11

• social intervention is Psychoeducation for family or supporters so they dont encourage avoidance behaviours and to challenge unrealistic thoughts and feelings
• Psychoeducation for families or supporter of people with phobias involving teaching them about ways to manage and deal with one’s phobia providing education about nature of phobia to increase family and supporters understanding of mental health disorders