Psychological Treatments

external barriers

financial or systemic aspects that get in the way of someone receiving treatment

internal barriers

an individuals own restrictive beliefs

what are the 2 categories of internal barriers?

ego dystonic and ego syntonic

ego dystonic

when a person has a negative relationship with their disorder

ego syntonic

when a person has a positive relationship with their disorder

CONS of ego syntonic?

this acts as a coping mechanism that can trap the individual into not receiving treatment

stages of change: precontemplation

the inability/unwillingness to acknowledge the existence of a problem

stages of change: contemplation

the individual acknowledges the existence of the problem, but is unsure/unwilling to change it

stages of change: preparation

the individual acknowledges and prepares for change

stages of change: action

taking active steps to change the behaviour

stages of change: maintenance

continuing the healthy habits that were formed in the “action” stage

stressors

things that can trigger the re-emergence of unhealthy behaviours

relapse

when stressors cause individuals fall all the way back to the first stage (precontemplation)

what are the 2 types of trails used to design treatment?

efficacy and effectiveness

efficacy trials

looks at the affects of treatment in a controlled environment

efficacy trails: research question

does the treatment work under ideal settings?

efficacy trails: study population

the sample is highly selected, specific and homogeneous

effectiveness trails

looking at other factors that impact the treatments effects, must past efficacy to get here

effectiveness trails: research question

does the treatment work in real-world clinical settings

effectiveness trails: study population

the sample is highly inclusive and heterogeneous

biomedical/pharmacological approach to treatment

treating patients by adjusting their neurochemistry

what do antipsychotics do?

they target dopamine, and decrease it through blocking the receptors on the post synaptic neuron

what do benzodiazepines do?

they target GABA, and increase it through binding to a site that increases the chloride ions

what do SSRI's do?

they target serotonin, and increase it by blocking the recycling (reuptake) process that returns serotonin from the synapse back into the sending neuron

cons of biomedical approach

medication alone is likely insufficient

cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

focuses on breaking the cycle of affirming worry thoughts

trigger

a situation, person, or thing that is neutral, but an individual sees it as a threat

worry thoughts

overthinking caused by the presence of a trigger

anxiety

caused by the presence of worry thoughts, leads to ineffective coping mechanisms that ultimately affirm the worry thoughts

supernatural approach

treatment that is based on non-empirical concepts (ex. religion, mythology, astronomy)

exorcisms

religious rituals that seek to expunge individuals of supernatural possession and curses

psychological approach

treatment that considers psychological, social, and cultural factors

institutionalization

in the 18th century, 'insane asylums' became popular to treat the mentally ill

biomedical approach

treatment that considers physiological explanations of abnormal behaviour

hysteria

conditions where psychical symptoms (paralysis, blindness) occurred as a result from non-physical causes (stress, anxiety)

Hippocrates’ humoural theory of disorders

an ancient biomedical theory said disease was an imbalance of the four bodily fluids/humours

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

the brief passage of high-dosage electrical current through the scalp, that stimulates a short seizure, loss of consciousness, and full-body convulsions

side effects of ECT

memory loss, fractured bones, etc..

psychosurgery

treating psychological disorders through brain surgery

frontal/’ice pick’ lobotomy

when a surgeon inserts a long metal rod into the frontal lobe via the eye socket

psychoanalysis

Freud’s therapeutic approach where a therapist tries to uncover/address distress-causing unconscious conflicts

conscious

the thoughts and feelings you have access to at any time

preconscious

the contents of which can be actively brought to mind as needed

unconscious

the contents where inaccessible thoughts, repressed traumatic memories, and selfish urges reside

free association

when a patient is encouraged to let their mind wander, reporting the content to the therapist without self-censorship

analysis of resistance

an approach where a psychoanalyst looks at the topics that patients want to avoid in order to gain insight into their unconscious

transference

the process by which a patient's early childhood thoughts, feelings, and drives are "transferred" onto the relationship with their analyst

systematic desensitization

a behavioural therapy based on classical conditioning, to target phobia disorders

pharmacotherapy

a modern biomedical approach to psychological treatment that uses medication

what was the first empirically tested medication?

chlorpromazine, an anti-psychotic

side effects of frontal lobotomy

childish behaviour, death, seizures