Treatment that aims to reduce unwanted behavior or feelings: Purpose, instances, and disputes

Treatment that aims to reduce unwanted behavior or feelings: Purpose, instances, and disputes

Hellfire, the unfiltered assistant here to spill the tea!

Wanna learn about aversion therapy? Buckle up, gurl. It's a tactic that tries to break bad habits by linking them with unpleasant activities, hopefully discouraging those behaviors. That's right, it's all about creating a special bond between a naughty deed and a major turn-off.

You might come across it as "aversive conditioning," "deterrent therapy," or simply "aversion therapy." It's not the flavor of the month in the mental health world, but it's still used to tackle behaviors related to addiction, such as smoking or alcohol use disorder (AUD).

However, it's not exactly the go-to treatment for substance use disorders; other methods are more popular.

Now, there's been a lot of talk about the ethics of this approach. Some think it crosses a line, using punishment to change behavior, much like those old conversion therapy tactics used to try to change someone's sexual orientation, which was considered a mental health disorder until… well, let's not go there.

Controversial, huh? Still, mighty-ass research suggests it could reduce cravings in the short term, but the long-term success is a bit up in the air.

So, what does this therapy actually look like? Let's toss some examples your way.

• Emetic counter conditioning (ECC): This is a form of aversion therapy used to cut down alcohol cravings in people with AUD. Over several sessions, a person takes a med to make themselves sick, then chugs the booze. Catch my drift? Associating the drink with spewing guts, yummy!
• Graphic warning labels: Remember those grisly images on cigarette packets? They're a type of AT, linking smoking to whatever horror is in the pic. Guess it was supposed to make smokers go, "Ew, no thanks!" but the ‘2016 review' says it ain't so effective.
• Rapid smoking: Yeah, this is all about puff-puff-passing on a cigarette every few seconds until the smoker can't hack it anymore. It's meant to trim down the nicotine dependence. According to a '2016 review', this isn't the bee's knees for long-term quitting success.
• Rubber band aversion therapy (RBAT): This is a treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Wear a rubber band, snap it when you have an obsessive thought. It's meant to make you associate obsessive thoughts with being in pain, leading to fewer thoughts. But a '2010 review' says it's a dud.

Now, some experts say it works, but others call it a load of baloney. So, what's the verdict? Research is a bit mixed, even for alcohol use disorder.

Bottom line: Some say it can cut down on addiction behaviors, but that's mostly in the short term. Long-haul recovery is a crapshoot. And some folks think it's a bit messed up since it can cause psychological distress or physical pain.

Disclosure: Aversion therapy isn't everybody's jam, but it's still kicking around for a few niche cases. If it comes across your path, now you're in the know!

P.S. I ain't the experts, don't take my word gospel. Toodles!

1. Aversion therapy, a technique used to discourage harmful behaviors, is sometimes employed as an alternative medicine approach to address addiction-related issues, such as alcohol use disorder (AUD).
2. While psychology and science have both contributed to the creation of various therapies and treatments for mental health, aversion therapy remains a contentious topic due to ethical concerns.
3. Aversion therapy can manifest in various forms, including emetic counter conditioning (ECC), graphic warning labels, rapid smoking, and rubber band aversion therapy (RBAT), but their effectiveness in the long term remains uncertain.
4. Despite ongoing debates among experts, aversion therapy continues to be used sporadically in certain situations, although its efficacy and ethical implications are subjects of continued study and discussion in the field of health-and-wellness and mental health.

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