Evaluation Of Therapies Flashcards
Evaluate a strength of the effectiveness of mindfulness (supporting evidence).
Supporting evidence to back up the effectiveness. Williams et al found that MBCT is effective at reducing the reoccurance of depression as antidepressants. This means that people are more likely to use it as it has no side effects and cannot start an addiction compared to drugs. So it is more useful as it is accessible and can treat mental health disorders.
Evaluate a weakness of the effectiveness of mindfulness (lack of research).
Lack of research surrounding treating extreme/severe mental health disorders with mindfulness. A university professor says that many studies are done on people who aren’t extremely ill and they’re often small. So it may not be useful in all situations as it may not work for certain patients.
Evaluate a strength of the effectiveness of mindfulness (targets thinking).
Strength is that mindfulness helps the client to change the process of how they think and not just the content. It is therefore effective as it creates a new way of thinking which so increases the amount of positive thinking. As you address the process of thinking it can help prevent a relapse.
Evaluate a strength of the ethics of mindfulness (more ethical than others).
Strength is that it is more ethical than other therapies. Compared to psychosurgery or antidepressants, there are no side effects that can harm the patient and compared to CBT, it does not put blame on the patient. This means it is a more desirable option as it causes the least amount of harm.
Evaluate a weakness of the ethics of mindfulness (untrained practitioners).
Weakness is that many courses are run by untrained practitioners. They often only have 1 week of training before running sessions so they may not know everything about treating MH disorders. Mindfulness needs to be taught by people who knows about disorders and so can properly improve the mental health of patients. This means that people may feel misunderstood and there disorder remain untreated.
Evaluate a strength of the ethics of mindfulness (cost).
1000s of mindfulness courses are run across the country for around £25 an hour. Here anyone can be taught the basics of mindfulness and meditation, usually in a group. There are also websites and online courses that are free. This means people who are reluctant in going to the therapist or disclosing there feelings can go and get help. Makes it more accessible for those who would not usually get treatment.
Evaluate a strength of the effectiveness of SD (supporting evidence).
Lang and Lazovik used SD on students with a snake phobia. Ps worked through the anxiety hierarchy over 11 sessions. Ps fear rating reduced by the end of the session compared to the start. It was found that the effects of the treatment were still evident 6 months later. Shows that the treatment is effective in the short and long term in reducing fear response.
Evaluate a weakness of the effectiveness of SD (inherited fear).
It’s not suitable for inherited fears. Research states that SD is less effective at treating phobias to stimuli that may have been dangerous in the past. Therefore the phobia is adaptive, and would be beneficial to increase our chance of survival. Eg, fear of the dark - deadly to our ancestors. Phobia is not learnt and so cannot be unlearnt. Means it’s less effective and cannot treat all phobias.
Evaluate a strength of the effectiveness of SD (Rothbaum et al).
Supporting research, Rothbaum et al used VR to help those with a fear of flying. After treatment, 93% agreed to take a test flight and anxiety levels were lower than those in the control group. This shows that SD was effective as the improvement was maintained over time and treated the phobia.
Evaluate a strength of the ethics of SD (drugs with children).
A strength is the children may find it difficult to stick to drug regimes. There are no side effects, so less likely to become addicted.
Evaluate a strength of the ethics of SD (compared to flooding).
Flooding is rapid exposure to the phobic stimulus which leads to high anxiety levels and is not client led. SD is client led which helps the client keep anxiety at a manageable level. It also involves gradual exposure so the amount of anxiety felt is equal to what they would feel in real life.
Evaluate a weakness of the ethics of SD (children’s consent).
A child’s behaviour is being manipulated, and they may not understand why. Putting the child under stress. Can they give valid consent?
Evaluate a weakness of the effectiveness of psychosurgery (comparison to drugs).
Drug therapy may be more effective as it’s:
Less dangerous.
Milder side effects.
Patient has more control.
Can be used in combination with other therapies.
Evaluate a weakness of the effectiveness of psychosurgery (last resort).
Limited in use and only used as a last resort in extreme cases. Treats OCD, depression and severe anxiety. Rarely used for phobias, not used for SZ.
Evaluate a strength of the effectiveness of psychosurgery (modern psychosurgery).
Modern psychosurgery has been proven to be more effective. Cosgrove and Rauch found that bilateral cingulotomy was effective in 56% of OCD patients and 65% of major affective disorder patients.
Evaluate a weakness of the ethics of psychosurgery (valid consent).
Patients with severe MHDs may not be able to give valid consent. They may be in a compromised state. SZ patients lose touch with reality.
Evaluate a weakness of the ethics of psychosurgery (side effects).
Comes with side effects like memory loss, death (6%), vegetative state, fine motor skills affected and speech issues. It’s permanent so these cannot be reversed.
Evaluate a strength of the ethics of psychosurgery (treats disorders).
It can treat disorders, improve the quality of the patients day to day life (modern psychosurgery). 56%, 65%.
Evaluate a strength of the effectiveness of dream analysis (Matt and Navarro).
Found to be effective in treating MHDs like depression, anxiety. Matt and Navarro reviewed 63 meta-analyses on the effect of psychotherapy and found that 75% of clients receiving dream analysis showed improvements. Benefits of dream analysis on uncovering the root cause of the disorders.
Evaluate a weakness of the effectiveness of dream analysis (scientific evidence).
There’s limited scientific evidence to support the effectiveness. Hobson and McCarley argue that dreams are nothing but commands sent from the brain and are a form of thinking whilst sleeping. This questions Freud’s suggestion that dreams fulfil unconscious wishes and desires.
Evaluate a weakness of the effectiveness of dream analysis (invalid).
Dreams are based on the subject report of the dreamer. This may not be valid as the dreamer may not accurately recall the content of their dream. If the recall isn’t accurate, the interpretation and application to the persons behaviour will lack accuracy.
Evaluate a weakness of the ethics of dream analysis (power imbalance).
Unethical due to a power imbalance between therapist and client. Therapist takes the expert role, offering the patient insight into their unconscious so the client is reliant on the therapist in making progress. This may create a power imbalance and can lead to over dependence on the therapist especially someone with depression.
Evaluate a weakness of the ethics of dream analysis (false memories).
It can lead to false memory syndrome. The therapist may uncover trauma/memories that never happened. They may do the by accident or to prolong the therapy for financial gain. This is unethical as the client may become more anxious if they can’t remember a false memory and end up worse than if they had never started the therapy in the first place.
Evaluate a strength of the ethics of dream analysis (effective).
Can help treat certain disorders, improving the QOL of patients. 75% improved.
Evaluate a strength of the effectiveness of CBT (Cahill et al).
At the end of the sessions (12-20 sessions), 71% of patients who had completed their therapy experienced significant reduction in their symptoms. Only 13% of patients who didn’t complete it showed improvement. Shows that CBT is effective but you must complete it.
Evaluate a weakness of the effectiveness of CBT (competence).
Success of CBT depends on the competence of therapist. The ability to appropriately structure sessions to plan/review assignments and have the ability to make good relations between them and the client. Kuyken and Tsivikos found that 15% of effectiveness of CBT may be due to competences.
Evaluate a weakness of the effectiveness of CBT (Simon et al).
CBT may be more suitable for some than others. Simon et al says that CBT is less useful for those who have high levels of irrational beliefs, are resistant to change and those whose stress reflects realistic stress that cannot be resolved.
Evaluate a weakness of the ethics of CBT (waiting times).
With the NHS, 75% were seen within 6 weeks, and 95% were seen within 18 weeks. Issue as their illness may become more serious, leading to future health problems.
Evaluate a strength of the ethics of CBT (collaborative).
The patient has an input in the therapy, meaning it feels like they have control over their MH. This makes them feel empowered.
Evaluate a weakness of the ethics of CBT (patient blame).
It assumes the client is responsible for their disorder. Whilst this empowers the client to change the way they think, there are disadvantages. Situational factors may be overlooked which contribute to the disorder. Blaming the client may be unhelpful as they may have to change other parts of their life.
