15 - Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Question 1

Psychotherapy

Answer 1

• the generic name given to formal psychological treatment
• always involves interactions between practitioner and client - aimed at helping the client understand their symptoms and thinking of possible solutions for them

Question 2

Biological therapies

Answer 2

• treatments of psychological disorders based on medical approaches to disease (what is wrong with the body) and to illness (what a person feels as a result)
• based on the assumption that psychological disorders result from abnormalities in neural and bodily processes

Question 3

Psychopharmacology

Answer 3

• use of medications that affect the brain or body functions to treat psychological disorders
• may not be as effective long-term as non biological treatments (ex. therapy)

Question 4

Psychodynamic therapy

Answer 4

• based on Freudian theory
• aims to help clients examine their needs, defenses, and motives as a way of understanding why they are distressed
• “talking therapy”

Question 5

What are some common features of psychodynamic therapy?

(5)

Answer 5

• exploring avoidance of distressing thoughts
• looking for recurring themes and patterns in thoughts and feelings
• discussing early traumatic experiences
• focusing on interpersonal relations and childhood attachments
• exploring fantasies, dreams, and daydreams

Question 6

Behaviour therapy

Answer 6

• treatment based on the premise that behaviour is learned and therefore can be unlearned through the use of classical and operant conditioning

Question 7

behavioural therapy

Exposure

Answer 7

• a technique that involves repeated exposure to an anxiety-producing stimulus or situation
• by confronting feared stimuli without negative consequences, the person will learn new non-threatening associations

Question 8

Cognitive therapy

Answer 8

• treatment based on the idea that distorted thoughts produce maladaptive behaviours and emotions; treatment strategies attempt to modify these thought patterns

Question 9

Cognitive restructuring

Answer 9

• a therapy that strives to help clients recognize maladaptive thought patterns and replace them with ways of viewing the world that are more in tune with reality

Question 10

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Answer 10

• a therapy that involves techniques from cognitive therapy and behaviour therapy to correct faulty thinking and change maladaptive behaviours
• most widely used version of psychotherapy
• most effective

Question 11

Client-centered therapy

Answer 11

• an empathetic approach to therapy
• encourages people to fulfill their individual potentials for personal growth through greater self-understanding

Question 12

Q: What is reflective listening?

Answer 12

• a part of humanistic approaches to treatment
• therapist listens and then repeats the client’s concerns to help the person clarify their feelings

Question 13

Psychotropic medications

Answer 13

• drugs that affect mental processes
• act by changing brain neurochemistry
• alter synaptic transmission to increase or decrease the action of particular neurotransmitters

Question 14

What are the 3 categories of psychotropic medications that they typically fall under?

Answer 14

• antianxiety
• antidepressants
• antipsychotics

Question 15

Q: What is the primary neurotransmitter affected by antianxiety drugs?

Answer 15

• increase the activity of GABA which is the primary neurotransmitter that inhibits brain activity

Question 16

antianxiety drugs

Benzodiazepines (ex. Xanax and Ativan)

Answer 16

• increase activity of GABA
• reduce anxiety and promote relaxation
• can also induce drowsiness
• highly addictive

Question 17

How do selective serotonin inhibitors SSRIs work as antidepressants?

Answer 17

• block the reuptake of serotonin into the presynaptic neuron
• allows serotonin to remain in synapse

Question 18

Antipsychotics

Answer 18

• a class of psychotropic medications used for the treatment of schizophrenia and other disorders that involve psychosis

Question 19

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Answer 19

• a procedure that involves administering a strong electrical current to the brain to produce a seizure
• effective for some cases of severe depression

Question 20

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Answer 20

• specific brain regions are targeted with an intense electromagnetic pulse
• stimulates or inhibits neural function in targeted region
• mainly used to treat severe depression

Question 21

Deep Brain Stimulation

Answer 21

• electrodes are implanted deep into the brain
• currently used to treat: parkinson’s, major depression, essential tremor, epilepsy, OCD

Question 22

Placebo Effect

Answer 22

• an improvement in physical or mental health following treatment with a placebo (a drug or treatment that has no active component for the disorder being treated)

Question 23

Q: Why is CBT typically favoured over anxiolytics for the treatment of anxiety disorders?

Answer 23

The results of CBT are as effective as medication treatments for anxiety and the benefits are longer lasting, while the side effects of anxiolytics, such as addiction and greater likelihood of relapse, are avoided

Question 24

Q: How do exposure and response prevention reduce obsessions and compulsions?

Answer 24

Exposure ot the feared stimulus in a nonthreatening context, followed by response prevention, extinguishes the conditioned links between the stimulus and anxiety response and the compulsive behaviour aimed at reducing the anxiety

force them to do what makes them uncomfy ex. touch a doorknob then not wash their hands

Question 25

What are the 3 goals of addiction treatment?

Answer 25

1. stop using drugs
2. stay drug free
3. be productive in life

Question 26

Q: How does medication-assisted treatment help prevent relapse in people with opiod use disorder?

Answer 26

Medication can help reduce drug cravings

Question 27

Q: Which medications are most typically prescribed for bipolar disorder, and which symptoms are they best at controlling?

Answer 27

• mood stabilizers, especially lithium and atypical antipsychotics
• control manic symptoms better than depression

Question 28

What are the most common traditional antipsychotics prescribed for schizophrenia and what do they do?

Answer 28

• Chlorpromazine and haloperidol
• tranquilizers
• good for the positive symptoms but not for negative
• reduces anxiety without inducing sleep

Question 29

Why is the atypical antipsychotic Clozapine better than the traditional antipsychotics?

Answer 29

• works on both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia
• works on patients who don’t respond to clorpromazine

Question 30

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

Answer 30

• a form of therapy used to treat borderline personality disorder that combines elements of the behavioural and cognitive treatments with a mindfulness approach based on Eastern meditative practices

Question 31

Q: What is the general prognosis for those with antisocial personality disorder?

Answer 31

• few therapies work for them
• most people with APD show a reduction in antisocial behaviour after about age 40

Question 32

How do ADHD meds work

Answer 32

• Ritalin affects multiple neurotransmitters such as dopamine
• stimulate activity in the frontal lobe regions that support both cognition and behavioural control
• methylphenidate - central nervous system stimulant
• cognitive enhancers

Question 33

Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA)

Answer 33

• an intensive treatment for autism based on operant conditioning
• behaviours that are reinforced should increase in frequency, and behaviours that are not reinforced should diminish

Question 34

What is lithium used for

Answer 34

• mood stabilizer
• bipolar disorder

Question 35

What are Prozac and SSRIs used for

Answer 35

• first line of treatment for depression
• alleviating feelings of worthlessness
• can also help with OCD

Question 36

Interpersonal therapy

Answer 36

• focuses on relationships the client attempts to avoid
• uses cognitive techniques to help clients understand their relationships
• patients encouraged to explore their relationship experiences and express their emotions

Question 37

What is clomipramine used for

Answer 37

• treating OCD
• serotonin reuptake inhibitor that works on other neurotransmitters as well (unlike SSRIs which only work on serotonin)