Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Focus on different therapies used in treating psychological disorders from various perspectives.

Psychologist: Professional with appropriate academic degree and registration.
Variation in degree requirements based on country/state:
- Some countries accept a Master’s degree.
- Others require a Doctorate (PhD).
Registered psychologists are governed by professional bodies (e.g., American Psychological Association in the U.S.).

Clinical Psychologists: Focus on diagnosed disorders (e.g., depression, schizophrenia).
Counseling Psychologists: Work with clients who experience psychological distress but don’t meet diagnostic criteria or focus on interpersonal relationships.

Psychiatrists: Medical doctors with a focus on severe psychological disorders. They can prescribe medications.
Clinical Social Workers: Hold appropriate degrees in social work and address psychological distress in clients.
Psychiatric Nurses: Nurses with specific accreditation focusing on psychiatric disorders.
Counselors: Provide support without necessarily requiring formal registration or specific academic credentials. Important to evaluate their background.

Freud's Model: Emphasizes internal conflict among the three components of personality:
- Id: Pleasure-seeking, immediate gratification.
- Superego: Moral component that suppresses the id.
- Ego: The self that mediates between id and superego.
Core Principle: Emotional distress is rooted in unconscious conflicts. Treatment involves gaining insight into these conflicts through talk therapy, known as:
- Free Association: Patients speak freely without filtering thoughts; therapist analyzes themes.
- Dream Analysis: Uncovers unconscious material through symbols in dreams.
- Resistance: Patient’s blocking of therapy can indicate unconscious issues needing exploration.
- Transference: Patient projects feelings about significant others onto the therapist, providing insight into their struggles.

Focus on Self-Concept: A mismatch between self-perception and reality leads to psychological distress (incongruency).
Carl Rogers' Person-Centered Therapy:
- Emphasizes unconditional positive regard and empathy.
- Non-directive; patients guide the flow of therapy.

Focus on learned maladaptive behaviors; unlearning and relearning behaviors through classical and operant conditioning.
- Classical Conditioning: e.g., fear responses learned through pairing experiences.
- Operant Conditioning: Behaviors maintained by rewards or punishments.
Treatment Techniques:
- Exposure Therapy: Gradual exposure to feared stimuli; includes:
- Flooding: Direct immersion in anxiety-provoking situations.
- Systematic Desensitization: Gradual exposure while using relaxation techniques.
- Aversion Therapy: Pairs undesirable behavior with an unpleasant stimulus to condition aversion.
- Behavior Modification: Uses principles of operant conditioning; includes token economies.

Focus on changing irrational and maladaptive thought patterns.
- Key Figures: Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis.
- Cognitive Distortions: Beliefs leading to emotional and behavioral problems.
- Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT): Ellis’s technique outlining the ABC model (Antecedents, Beliefs, Consequences) to challenge and change maladaptive thoughts.