psychology assinemnt\ less than 6 hours.
Fran777
topic_1__a.docxFirst student discussion:
Sue has a fear of heights.
We need to determine the levels of abnormalities by reviewing the following;
Do they show an unusual or prolonged levels of anxiety when confronting this disorder to identify the level of their distress? Yes
Does their disorder interfere infringe on how they act which make others around them feel uncomfortable and perhaps the fear of harming themselves known as maladaptiveness.? Yes
Per the DSM-IV Category related to disproportionate fear related to a situation. Interestingly, up to 16% of the population has one or more phobias as listed on Table 12.3 Phobia (pg. 532).
She however is not afraid of flying as she feels safe since she is sitting as similar in a vehicle. However if she were asked to go mountain climbing, ride on a ferris wheel or be asked to walk on a wooden bridge with hand bar made up of rope, she would decline.
She described when she was younger, she use to visit her grandmother’s beach house and to get to the beach, she had to use stairs which seemed narrow and insecure, so she would walk slowly while her brother sped past her. She was fine walking up, just not descending down. She loved being in the ocean and playing with her dog, she would convince herself to overcome this fear and take “1 step” at a time until her feet were planted in the soft sand.
Based on the above description, we should consider approaching this through cognitive- behavorial therapy ( hands on, short term therapy, setting a specific goal and applying problem –solving ) so that she can “unlearn” her fear of heights by addressing this height “head on” on a repetitive basis thereby conditioning mind and body to remain calm and relaxed.
Suggestions for goal setting: indoor mountain climbing 1x week
Return to the beach and walk down the same flight of stairs but listen to your favorite music and create a new experience unlike that recalled from her childhood.
Technology can be a great resource by playing video games or watching simulated videos which provide various scenes at high levels.
Also important to join a support group so she realizes that this specific fear happens to a lot of people and by overcoming this, she can help others in the future.
In addition also consider the humanistic therapy. By receiving positive reinforcements that this is only a temporary condition and there is so much to discover once she overcomes this “state” and fear of heights. Another suggestion would be if her physical state reacts negatively with high heart rate and unable to move, she may want to start yoga where they focus on breathing techniques.
Second student discussion:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a kind of anxiety disorder where the person repeats a particular behavior or action referred to as ‘Compulsions’ which are driven by very unreasonable and illogical thoughts, fears or phobias known as ‘Obsessions’. People who suffer from OCD are crippled by constant fear and anxiety. It is a fairly common disorder and statistics suggest that one in every 40 American adults suffers from symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
OCD can be related to anything. Some people can’t stand their hands getting contaminated by germs and hence keep washing them to avoid it. Some others, like we saw in the video noted in lecture like to collect newspapers and dump them in their house or constantly keep checking their refrigerator as they are afraid that they might have locked the neighbor’s cat inside it.
The symptoms for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are:
· Being restless and constantly doing something to reduce anxiety levels.
· Constant thoughts of causing harm to self or others.
· Experiencing sudden bouts of emotions like anxiety, anger or worry.
· Having violent or sexual thoughts or images in mind very often.
· Repeatedly double checking things or uncontrollable urge to collect useless junk.
· Being obsessed with trivial matters like constantly washing hands to keep them clean.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be treated by a Cognitive Behavior Theory called Exposure and Response Prevention. A minor level OCD can also be treated by making certain Behavioral changes and consciously inculcating certain habits and thoughts into daily practice. Let us have a closer look at both the different perspectives of treatments available.
The following steps can be taken to treat OCD from a Behavioral standpoint:
1. Staying physically fit, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. Exercise and sleep are anti-anxiety activities that help reduce stress levels.
2. Socialize more often. Staying connected to one’s friends and family is an effective way. OCD often pushes people towards social isolation and meeting others more often eliminates that risk.
3. Practicing relaxation techniques and concentration boosting activities also help a lot. They help reduce blood pressure levels and induce calmness. Even an activity like taking a walk can help do so.
4. Try not to avoid fears and OCD triggers. Avoiding them might only increase their impact. Instead, resisting them and suppressing the urge to trigger the OCD while still being exposed to them helps in overcoming the problem.
5. Writing down all the negative thoughts and obsessive worries that come in a person’s mind also help a great deal. It makes the obsessive thoughts lose their power and disappear more easily.
Coming to the Cognitive treatment that helps in treating OCD. A Cognitive Therapy known as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is used to treat patients who suffer from OCD. This therapy includes gradually exposing the patient to their feared obsession. For instance, if the patient is obsessed with silence and cannot tolerate any noise whatsoever, they are slowly exposed to noise for gradually increasing periods of time. By this method, the patient successfully overcomes their obsessive thoughts because they think through the set patterns of biased opinion or fear they have formed which leads to compulsive actions. This therapy can only be performed by a licensed medical health practitioner in their clinics. Though the process is a bit time taking and one has to be very relaxed and patient, it is also very rewarding as the results improve the long term quality of life and brings down the compulsions of OCD. The basic premise behind treatment is that compulsion allows obsession to exist by interrupting the habituation process. The process of habituation is what reduces the interest and excitement levels that a person associates with a particular event because of the high frequency of the event. For example, if someone gave you a present every day, you might enjoy it in the beginning but eventually the thrill and happiness associated to it would reduce drastically. In a similar way, if the compulsion was not there anymore, the obsession would become less and less interesting until it eventually disappeared.
