How to Treat Mental Health Conditions Essay

Classical conditioning effects everyday life especially in relation to phobias and addiction which will be discussed in this essay. Classical conditioning was founded by Ivan Pavlov. He believed that if a behaviour can be learned, it can also be unlearned too. This essay will highlight the importance of conditioning principles in explaining and treating problem behaviours. Classical conditioning has revolutionised behavioural therapies, such as flooding and systematic desensitisation to treat phobias, and aversion therapies to treat addictive behaviour.

The biological explanation for the acquisition of phobic disorders establishes that phobias are caused by genetics, innate influences and the principles of biochemistry. This theory recognizes that an oversensitive fear response may be inherited, causing abnormal levels of anxiety. This is illustrated in the basis of inheritance, particularly the adrenergic theory that convicts that those who have an acquisition to phobic disorders consequently show high levels of arousal in the automatic nervous system, which leads to increased amounts of adrenaline, thus causing high levels of anxiety.

They are popularly referred to as being part of a continuum, the ability to successfully perform in productive activities and relationships, as opposed to the inability to do such things (Mental Illness Overview). Ever since the first edition of the DSM was published in 1952, scientists have studied how a person’s mind relates to their brain and whether the disorders they listed were organic or purely in the mind (Arben). Science has made extraordinary leaps in this aspect, as they have come to discover not only the biological change that causes mental illnesses, but they are also able to pin down even specific chromosomes linked to them. One in particular that has been heavily studied is depression, which is known to be related to a lack of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Some of the more recently developed medications, known as SSRIs, block the receptors that recycle serotonin from taking in too much and allowing enough to carry proper signals throughout the brain (Johnson). While some people insist on the opinion that drugs such as these are overprescribed (Medications for Mental Illness Are Overprescribed), professionals use tested algorithms when determining whether a patient is in need of medication, and if so what medication to use (Restricting Medications for Mental Illness Harms Patients). These methods have been fine-tuned over the past few decades and are used treat a patient to their own personal needs, and to aid

The classical conditioning model was one of the first theories used to describe phobias. Many years ago, scientists observed that one could willingly elicit a fear response in an animal or human through systematic teaching. For example, if every time a rat is presented with a low buzzing noise, it is electrically shocked, eventually, when it hears the noise alone (with no shock), it will exhibit symptoms of fear. (3) Scientists

Fear, an intensive form of anxiety, can be crippling in nature to some people. It is important that we overcome our fears to be able to grow and mature. There are three main ways in which we can manage or resolve fear: behavioral therapy, systematic desensitization, and exposure desensitization. Behavioral therapy was introduced by John B. Watson, a behavioral psychologist, and involved an individual alternating engagements in coping and relaxation techniques to help desensitize that person to the stressors (Seaward, 2015). Systematic desensitization involves the anxious person learning to de-stress from the fear in small, piecemeal increments through which they always feel in control. Exposure desensitization, on the other hand, occurs when the individual is introduced to the real stressor is brief and save encounters with the stressor. Through combinations of the three different ways to

There are countless scenarios in which a young child could develop a classically conditioned fear of bugs. The most well-known example of instilling an emotional response in a child via classical conditioning is the Little Albert experiment. This experiment was Conducted by John B. Watson and his graduate student Rosalie Rayner, and the results were published in the February 1920 issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology. The study used a subject named Albert who was around 9 months old. They exposed him to various unconditioned stimuli such as a monkey, masks, a white rat, etc. They observed his reactions, then the next time Albert saw the rat, they added a loud noise that caused the child to cry. After numerous times of the rat being shown with

Prejudice by classical conditioning is based on personal experiences or something that you have learned from/been taught. This creates a response either in a negative/positive way and heavily influences on whether you are for/against the topic or item.

A competent therapist will not simply treat a client’s phobia with exposure therapy. Rather, the therapist begins by conducting a functional assessment to develop a treatment plan. Information should be obtained about the factors pertaining to the excessive fears or anxiety. The therapist should determine what situations or stimuli serve as triggers for the anxiety or fear. The way the client responds to the fear should be noted. Further, the therapist should consider the links that exist between triggers and responses. Generally the links are faulty cognitions that must be addressed with the client. This important first step may take between one and six hours and require several sessions. The therapist can then proceed to create a list of the client’s primary problems. To keep the list manageable, it should contain no more than ten problems. The main problems should be listed first. The therapist can decide if any of the problems on the list would be suitable for exposure therapy. The next step before using exposure therapy is to have the client obtain a medical evaluation. Some medical conditions such as thyroid dysfunction, amphetamine use, or drug withdrawal can mimic or increase anxiety. Exposure therapy may be contraindicated for some medical conditions. Using flashing lights during exposure therapy could bring on an epileptic seizure

Classical conditioning is a form of basic learning the body automatically responds to a stimulus. One stimulus takes on the properties of another. The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) is credited for discovering the basic principles of classical conditioning whilst he was studying digestion in dogs. He developed a technique for collecting dog’s salivary secretions. Pavlov (cited in Eysneck M.W 2009) noticed that the dogs would often start salivating before they were given any food or saw the feeding bucket or even when they heard the footstep of the laboratory assistant coming to feed them. Quite by accident Pavlov had discovered that the environmental control of behaviour can be changed as a result

One way to help treat specific phobia is through cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a therapy used to help target behaviors and help examine the thoughts and cognitions (Berkman, Blickman, Heine, Malekzadeh, Teunissen, Bussmann, Kwakkel, Meeteren, Groot, TREFAMS-ACE, 2013). This treatment can help a person with specific phobia because this therapy can be used as an active intervention to help the individual face their fears of

I am scared of dogs, cats, rats, hamsters, pretty much any animal that moves. Now I was not born with this phobia, I learned it through classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is when one thing leads to another. So for instance, you probably heard of the joke of dripping water (unconditioned stimuli) makes you want to pee (unconditioned response). Well your brain made a connection that whenever it hears dripping water (conditioned stimuli); your bladder muscle is relaxed (conditioned response). So every time you have to pee, hearing dripping water makes your bladder want to release the tension automatically. Now unlike other type of learning, classical conditioning is automatic and it generalizes to many things meaning it is hard to

Systematic desensitization also known as graduated exposure therapy is a type of behavior therapy used to help successfully overcome phobias and other anxiety disorders.

Are you scared of heights, snakes, or being in the water? How did you learn to be scared of these things? For most people, the answer to this question is classical conditioning. A stimulus causes a reaction that can be negative or positive. In the case of fears, the reaction has a negative impact.

One evidence-based behavior program that would be best for Jackie’s are is Vivo desensitization. Before we can use vivo we need to teach relaxation like systematic desensitization does. With systematic “the person with a phobia practices relaxation while imagining scenes of the fear-producing stimulus” (Miltenberger, 2012, p.479).

In the past, treatment for phobias such as aviophobia were centered around various forms of systematic desensitization primarily practiced with