Outline and evaluate the treatments of phobia.

Phobia refers to a mental health condition where the irrational fear and anxiety is performed. Psychologists have develop a variety approaches of treatment of this anxiety disorder including Systematic Desensitisation (SD) and Flooding. Both treatments aim to remove the fear reaction to phobic stimulus. For instance, SD tries to gradually replace the anxiety response via replacing it with relaxation techniques. This is based on counter-conditioning principle which refers to changing the association between stimulus and response as the patient cannot feel scared and relaxed at the same time. This is done by constructing fear hierarchy and working all the way up of it by in vivo contact with the stimulus (direct) or indirectly (imagination). Firstly, this method consider the ethical side of treating the phobia as the patient is in control when to move up in hierarchy. This means that the patient may be less stress about the treatment as it thought the relaxation techniques in advance with psychological support on side whereas in flooding the patient may go through traumatic moments due to rapid exposure to phobic triggers. This suggest that SD is more emotionally considerate approach in treating phobias than flooding.