User:Aebner01/Aversion therapy

Alcohol addiction[edit]
An approach to the treatment of alcohol dependence that has been wrongly characterized as aversion therapy involves the use of disulfiram, a drug which is sometimes used as a second-line treatment under appropriate medical supervision. When a person drinks even a small amount of alcohol, disulfiram causes sensitivity involving highly unpleasant reactions, which can be clinically severe. Rather than as an actual aversion therapy, the nastiness of the disulfiram-alcohol reaction is deployed as a drinking deterrent for people receiving other forms of therapy who actively wish to be kept in a state of enforced sobriety (disulfiram is not administered to active drinkers).

Another approach in creating aversions to alcohol consumption is the implementation of succinylcholine chloride-induced paralysis and respiratory arrest following exposure to alcohol. However, this method has not been found to be effective in emetic therapy or covert sensitation. Additionally, many patients reported a sense of fear and anxiety pertaining to dying as a result of the treatment, therefore this tactic is not recommended for therapeutic use.

Cocaine dependency[edit]
Emetic (to induce vomiting) therapy and faradic (administered shock) aversion therapy have been used to induce aversion for cocaine dependency. When used in a multimodal program, chemical aversion therapy displayed high patient acceptability among cocaine users as well as promising outcomes such as aversions to the sight, taste, and smell of the drug.

Cigarette addiction[edit]
It is unknown whether aversion therapy, in the form of rapid smoking (to provide an unpleasant stimulus), can help tobacco smokers overcome the urge to smoke. Although i n recent years, a new tactic in aversion therapy has been introduced specifically to individuals who struggle with nicotine addiction. A device, which is worn on the wrist of the user, holds a self administered electrical stimulus within it aimed at deterring the use of nicotine.

In compulsive habits[edit]
Aversion therapy has been used in the context of subconscious or compulsive habits, such as chronic nailbiting, hair-pulling (trichotillomania), compulsive eating, or skin-picking (commonly associated with forms of obsessive compulsive disorder as well as trichotillomania).

In treating sexually deviant behavior, aversion therapy is implemented in the form of shame. The goal in this kind of therapy is to target the individuals who feel disgusted by their compulsive behaviors. The disgust aspect is what would implement shame, thus hopefully limiting their need and want to act on their compulsive behaviors. This is done by ensuring that the individual is aware they are being observed and judged during the act.

In popular culture[edit]

 * In Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange and the film adaptation directed by Stanley Kubrick, the main character Alex is subjected to a fictional form of aversion therapy, called the "Ludovico technique", with the aim of stopping his violent behavior.
 * Aversion therapy plays a major role in the King of the Hill episode Keeping up with the Joneses, where one of the characters is forced to smoke an entire carton of cigarettes to discourage them from smoking, only for this tactic to backfire and worsen addiction.
 * In The Simpsons episode There's no Disgrace Like Home, Dr. Monroe administers aversion therapy to the family to deter bad behavior.

The controversy
Aversion therapy has been scrutinized in recent decades due to the controversy surrounding the techniques implemented in this kind of psychological treatment. These techniques such as electrical shocks and taste aversion, directly aim at creating an unpleasant stimuli to deter unwanted compulsive behavior. Some mental health professionals deem this tactic to be unethical since it is implementing punishment as a therapeutic tool. Aversion therapy has the risk of creating other psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, pain, fear and in severe cases even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).