[16.1] Treating Psychological Disorders

Question 1

Barriers to Psychological Treatment

Answer 1

• eople believe their problems aren’t mental illnesses, essentially downplaying their symptoms
• thers do not believe that therapy will help them
• stigma; fear of being judged for having a mental illness and fear of being treated differently
• gender roles; going to a therapist, and asking for help contradicts the role of being a “strong” man
• will refuse to believe they have mental illnesses in the first place
• logistical barriers: expense and availability; therapy can be very expensive, generally costing $100 an hour Indirect costs such as time also plays an effect
• only psychiatrists are covered by government health insurance, counselors and psychologists are not
• involuntary treatment forces; controversy for essentially stripping people of their basic rights, but has also benefited people for treating illnesses they would otherwise have ignored

Question 2

Mental Health Providers

Answer 2

• clinical psychologists: have received Ph.D. level of training, and are able to formally diagnose and treat mental health issues ranging from the everyday and mild to the chronic and severe
• counselling psychologists: are mental health professionals who typically work with people needing help with more common problems such as stress, coping, and mild forms of anxiety and depression, rather than severe mental disorders
• either psychologists may work in treatment or research
• psychiatrists: medical doctors who specialize in mental health and who are allowed to diagnose and treat mental disorders through prescribing medications
• important to note that many psychiatrists also work within an integrative biopsychosocial perspective, and perform psychological counselling and therapy, or work closely with other professionals who provide such services
• clinical psychologists cannot prescribe medicine

Question 3

Inpatient Treatment and Deinstitutionalization

Answer 3

• the mentally ill were previously removed from society or locked in an asylum with no help or treament
• they were often mistreated
• in 1792, Philippe Pinel was the first to be granted permission to remove the chains from the inmates of French hospitals
• in the mid-1800s in North America, Dorothea Dix campaigned to improve the conditions of institutionalized patients and was highly instrumental in shifting society’s attitudes
• in the 1960s, deinstitutionalization occurred, whereby mental health patients were released back into their communities, generally after having their symptoms alleviated through medication
• the goal in the past seemed to be to remove the mentally ill from society
• now, inpatient treatment is geared more toward protecting the individual patient from harm, and providing as quick a return to society as possible.
• places for longer treatments still exist; low-level residential treatment centres: housing facilities in which residents receive psychological therapy and life skills training, with the explicit goal of helping residents become re-integrated into society as well as they can
  
  • medium- to high-level centres have the same emphasis as low-level centres, but also place restrictions on individuals’ freedoms

Question 4

Outpatient Treatment and Prevention

Answer 4

• community psychology: an area of psychology that focuses on identifying how individuals’ mental health is influenced by the neighborhood, economics and community resources, social groups, and other community-based variables
• community psychologists work to prevent the development of disorders
• e.g. to prevent depression, community psychologists may conduct research into the environmental and neighbourhood factors that contribute to stress, anxiety, and depression, and then work with community groups to resolve these problems

Question 5

Evaluating Treatment

Answer 5

• empirically supported treatments (also called evidence-based therapies): treatments that have been tested and evaluated
• can be very difficcult to evaluate how effective a treatment do to many outside factors
• therapists who are more socially skilled, who show warmth, concern, and empathy, tend to be more effective
• clients who are more open to the process, more willing to trust the therapist, and more willing to recognize and work on their issues are more likely to benefi t from therapy

Question 6

Bibliotherapy

Answer 6

• bibliotherapy: the use of self-help books and other reading materials as a form of therapy