Name: Debra
Age: 26-year-old
Family History: Debra is a 26-year-old married woman. She is an elder sister to two of her younger brothers. Both of Debra’s parents loved and cared for all children although Debra’s mother was rather an anxious and somewhat depressed person and also suffers from specific phobias, like the fear of spiders and snakes. Debra’s father is not one to show affection very often as he demands for good performance, in both academic and social areas, and a lack of performance usually meant some form of direct punishment as well as emotional distance from him.
Personal History: Since her childhood years, Debra has always been afraid of snakes and insects. During high school, she became
The last study conducted in the United States found that the chance of someone having major depression in their lifetime is about one in six. Research has shown that depression is influenced by both biological and environmental factors. Studies show that first degree relatives of people with depression have a higher incidence of the illness, whether they are raised with this relative or not, supporting the influence of biological factors. Situational factors, if nothing else, can exacerbate a depressive disorder in significant ways. Examples of these factors would include lack of a support system, stress, illness in self or loved one, legal difficulties, financial struggles, and job problems. These factors can be cyclical in that they can worsen the symptoms and act as symptoms themselves.
Treatment interventions:
For specific phobias the therapist could use one of the most successful treatments is behaviour therapy. In behaviour therapy, one meets with a trained therapist and confronts the feared object or situation in a carefully planned, gradual way and learns to control the physical reactions of fear. The behaviourists involved in classical conditioning techniques believe that the response of phobic fear is a reflex acquired to non-dangerous stimuli. The normal fear to a dangerous stimulus, such as a poisonous snake, has unfortunately been generalized over to non-poisonous ones as well. If the person were to be exposed to the non-dangerous