specific phobia

specific phobia

an anxiety disorder characterised by a marked distress and persistent or irrational fear or anxiety about a specific object, situation or activity

anticipatory anxiety

worry or apprehension about the possibility of being exposed to a phobic stimulus in the future

specific environmental triggers

developing a specific phobia after a direct negative experience with an object or situation

catastrophic thinking

involves overestimating, exaggerating or magnifying an object, activity or situation and predicting the worst possible outcome

stigma

a sign of social dissaproval or social deficiency, often involving shame or disgrace

self stigma

occurs when an individual accepts negative views and notions of others, internalises them, and applies them to themselves

social stigma

refers to the negative attitudes and beliefs in the wider community that lead people to fear, exclude, or unfairly discriminate against people with a mental health problem or disorder

cognitive bias

a systematic error of thinking that affects decisions and judgements, usually leading to inaccurate or unreasonable conclusions

• flawed thinking in a biased way

• tends to occur randomly

memory bias

refers to distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on the recollection of previous experiences

• consistency bias

• change bias

consistency bias

when memories of past experiences are distorted through reconstruction to fit in with what is presently known or expected

change bias

when we exaggerate the difference between what we knew or felt then and what we currently know and feel

can lead to phobic fears growing

breathing retraining (bio)

an anxiety management technique that involves teaching correct breathing habits to people with a specific phobia

implications of breathing retraining

advantage - can be used in public situations without drawing much attention

disadvantage - needs to be practiced, especially when not anxious, in order to be effective

benzodiazapines (bio)

a group of drugs (agents) that work on the CNS, acting selectively on GABA receptors in the brain to increase GABA’s inhibitory effects

GABA agonist

implications of benzodiazapines

advantage - highly effective for short time use

disadvantage - alleviate symptoms of anxiety but not the underlying cause, can become addictive

systematic desensitisation (psych)

behaviour therapy that aims to replace an anxiety response with a relaxation response upon encountering a fear stimulus

structuring systematic desensitisation

1. teaching the individual a relaxation technique that they can use to decrease the physiological symptoms of anxiety

2. breaking down the anxiety inducing stimulus from least to most anxiety inducing (fear hierachy)

3. the systematic, graduated pairing of items in the hierachy with the relaxation technique, working upwards

no progress can be made unless the previous step no longer produces an anxiety response

cognitive behavioural therapy (psych)

a type of psychotherapy that combines cognitive and behavioural therapies in order to treat phobias

a structured program that aims to change individuals thoughts and behaviours that perpetuate the phobia

psychoeducation (social)

the provision and explanation of info to individuals about their phobia to assist their understanding of its characteristics and treatment

• challenge unrealistic/ anxious thoughts

• not encourage avoidance behaviours

GABA dysfunction

inability of the brain to produce sufficient levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter

GABA = specific phobia

1. GABA is inhibitory and lowers the likelihood of neurons to fire

2. acts like a calming agent to excititory neurontransmitters than contribute to anxiety

3. if GABA dysfunction, then imbalance of GABA and glutamate, making it harder to calm down

bio protective factors

adequate sleep, adequate hydration and nutrition

psych protective factors

cognitive restructuring - replace negative and irrational thoughts with reasonable thinking

behaviour activation - identifying and scheduling activities that promote enjoyment and reduce stress

social protective factors

support from family and friends and community

• typically to help cope with a stressor or mental health issue

cultural continuity

passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, traditions, and values from gen to gen

intergenerational maintainence and transmission of cultural knowledges and practices

self-determination

the rights of all peoples to pursue freely their economic, social and cultural development without outside interference