ACT - Psychological treatment

Question 1

What does ACT stand for?

Answer 1

Assertive community therapy

Question 2

What is ACT?

Answer 2

A multi-disciplinary team approach to intensive care management in which the team members share a caseload, have a high frequency of patient contact (typically once a week), low patient to staff ratios, and provide an outreach to patients in the community.

Question 3

What is ACT helpful for?

Answer 3

Negative symptoms

Question 4

Why is ACT used?

Answer 4

It is used to reduce the number of re-hospitalisations and keep patients out in the community.

Question 5

How is ACT used by?

Answer 5

Clinicians and psychiatrists and other health care professionals

Question 6

Characteristics of ACT

Answer 6

• Multi-disciplinary teams with low client to staff ratios
• 24 hour coverage
• A focus on who needs it the most within society
  Treatment in real life settings

Question 7

Examples of how ACT helps people

Answer 7

• Help with finding a client a job and helping them maintain it
• Helping with the clients social life
• Keeping track and helping them with medication
• Helping the client to the shopping
• Normal day to day tasks.

Question 8

Strength

Answer 8

Holistic care - around the clock care for those who need it most. This allows for the client to receive help and treatment wherever and whenever they are which means that the client is having a better standard of living than being in hospital.

Question 9

Strength

Answer 9

SZ patients suffer with. Because they have someone working there with them, helping them, this becomes less stressful for them alleviating their symptoms.

Question 10

Weakness

Answer 10

Form of social control? - Gomory suggests ACT is paternalistic and coercive - I that the client does not have the choice whether or not to undergo ACT treatment. He found that 11% of clients feel forced into the treatment - many re-hospitalisations occur anyways due to substance abuse, more symptoms, more arrests etc. So the patient it left worse off.

Question 11

Weakness

Answer 11

The patient still needs to take drugs in order to alleviate the original symptoms. Although ACT helps with every day to day life, the patient still needs to take medication for the positive symptoms as these do not go away. This means that the patient is still having side effects from the treatment and therefore there are still ethical concerns.