Ch 16: Treatment of Psychological Disorders

psychotherapy

an interaction between a socially sanctioned clinician and someone suffering from a psychological problem, with the goal of providing support or relief from the problem

eclectic psychotherapy

a form of psychotherapy that involves drawing on techniques from different forms of therapy, depending on the client and the problem

psychodynamic psychotherapies

explore childhood events and encourage individuals to use the understanding gained from the exploration to develop insight into their psychological problems

interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)

a form of psychotherapy that focuses on helping clients improve current relationships

person-centered therapy (or client-centered therapy)

assumes that all individuals have a tendency toward growth and that this growth can be facilitated by acceptance by and genuine reactions from the therapist

Gestalt therapy

has the goal of helping the patient become aware of their thoughts, behaviors, experiences, and feelings and to “own” or take responsibility for them

Behavior therapy

disordered behavior is learned and that symptom relief is achieved through changing overt, maladaptive behaviors into more constructive behaviors

token economy

involves giving clients “tokens” for desired behaviors that they can later trade for rewards

exposure therapy

an approach to treatment of the client that involves confronting an emotion-arousing stimulus directly and repeatedly, ultimately leading to a decrease in the emotional response

cognitive therapy

focuses on helping a client identify and correct any distorted thinking about self, others, or the world

cognitive restructuring

teaches clients to question the automatic beliefs, assumptions, and predictions that often lead to negative emotions and to replace negative thinking with more realistic and positive beliefs

mindfulness meditation

teaches an individual to be fully present in each moment; to be aware of their thoughts, feelings, and sensations; and to detect symptoms before they become a problems

cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

a blend of cognitive and behavioral therapeutic strategies, problem-focused and action-oriented

group therapy

a type of therapy in which multiple participants (who often do not know one anther at the outset) work on their individual problems in a group atmosphere

antipsychotic drugs

treat schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders

psychopharmacology

the study of drug effects on psychological states and symptoms

Antianxiety medications

drugs that help reduce a person’s experience of fear or anxiety

Antidepressants

a class of drugs that help lift people’s moods

mood stabilizers

medications used to suppress swings between mania and depression

Phototherapy

a therapy that involves repeated exposure to bright light, used to help treat seasonal patterns of depression

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

a treatment that involves inducing a brief seizure by delivering an electric shock to the brain

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

a treatment that involves placing a powerful pulsed magnet over a person’s scalp to alter neuronal activity in the brain

psychosurgery

the surgical destruction of specific brain areas

placebo

an inert substance or procedure that has been applied with the expectation that it will produce a healing response

natural improvement

tendency of symptoms to return to their mean or average level, when you conclude treatment made you better when you would have gotten better anyway

reconstructive memory

think you’re improving because of treatment when in fact you’re misremembering how bad the symptoms were before treatment

• Natural improvement

• Placebo Effects

• Reconstructive memory

Treatment Illusions

Treatment outcome studies

evaluate whether a particular treatment works to decrease a person’s symptoms

Iatrogenic illness

a disorder or symptom that occurs as a result of a medical or psychotherapeutic treatment itself

• reducing suffering and impairment

• repairing relationships

• preventing lost productivity

• curing illness

Why treat psychological disorders

• identify and question unreasonable assumptions

• replace them with more realistic and positive beliefs

Cognitive restructuring teaches clients to…

• problem focused

• action oriented

• Transparent

• structured but flexible

advantages of CBT

schizophrenia, blocks dopamine

Antipsychotics intended to treat, neurotransmitter actions

1st generation, atypical, Xanomeline

Antipsychotics

Depression, Enhances serotonin, also DA, NE

Antidepressants intended to treat and neurotransmitter actions

MAO inhibitors, Tricyclics, SSRIs

Antidepressants major types

Bipolar disorder, unclear

Mood stabilizers intended to treat and neurotransmitter actions

Lithium, Deparkote, Lamicatal

Mood stabilizers Brand names

Anxiety, enhance effects of GABA

Anxiety intended to treat and neurotransmitter actions

Valium, Xanax, Activan, Lyrica, Neurontin

Anxiolytics brand names

• important for symptom control

• time and cost effective

• can be prescribed by some MDs and all PhDs

Pros of pharmacotherapy

• “blunt instruments” that are not effective for everyone

• Side effects

• Significant potential for misuse, abuse, and overdose

• Don’t address social and behavior issues + relapses may occur

Cons of pharmacotherapy

Psychoanalysis: Dream interpretation

road to unconscious in the form of a symbolic event

Psychoanalysis: Free association

blurt out stream of consciousness finding patterns in speech

Psychoanalysis: Analysis of resistance

use their resistance to ask about discomfort, help patients understand and overcome blocks to own progress

Psychoanalysis: Transference

unconscious redirection of feelings, desires, and expectations from a person’s past onto a new person most often in a therapeutic setting