Treatment of Psych Disorders Flashcards
Different treatment approaches
-Psychanalytic
-Humanistic
-Existential
-Behavioral
-Cognitive Theories
-Biological Approaches
Therapy
-Clients are guided be reflective & introspective find their own answers
-Reduce stress & improve ability to function in daily life
Psychotherapy
-Seeks to improve relationships, social skills, and overall wellbeing promote personal growth
-Not just talking– therapist uses clinical techniques, exercises, and assignments
Treatment
A variety of strategies to help people manage psychological disorders
Psychopharmacology
-Administer psychotropic medications
-May not be sufficient way to treat disorder
Why many fail to seek treatment
-People may not realize that they have a mental disorder can be effectively treated.
-People’s beliefs may keep them from getting help
-Structural barriers prevent people from physically getting to treatment
Psychologist
-Usually holds a doctorate (PhD or PsyD)
-Extensive training in:
-Therapy
-Assessment of Psychological Disorders
-Research
-Must be licensed by their state to practice.
-Sometimes will have a specialty
Psychiatrist
-Medical doctor who has completed a Medical Degree (MD)
-Specialized training in assessing and treating mental disorders
-Can prescribe medications
-Some also practice psychotherapy (talk therapy)
-General practice doctors can also prescribe medications for mental disorders but typically don’t receive much training in the diagnosis & treatment of mental disorders and do not practice psychotherapy.
Social Worker
-Typically have a masters degree in social work
-Training in working with people in dire life situations such as:
-Poverty
-Homelessness
-Family Conflict
-Disabilities
-Special training to help people in these situations who have mental disorders
Therapist/Counselor
-Therapist is a broad term that describes master’s-level mental health professionals
-Counselors, marriage and family therapists, alcohol and drug abuse counselors
-Trained in assessment and treatment of psychological disorders and practice in a variety of settings
History of Mental Health Treatment
-History of Mental Health Treatment is complicated and controversial.
-In the middle ages, mentally ill patients became outcasts and were often left to their own devices in society.
-Harsh perceptions of mentally ill:
-Viewed mentally ill as witches or proof of demonic possession.
-Women were condemned as witches more frequently than men:
-Hysteria & epilepsy were the two illnesses that were most frequently confused with witchcraft or demonic possession, especially if they were accompanied by tremors, convulsions or loss of consciousness.
-Treatment for ”demonic possessions” almost appeared as torture
Asylums
-Isolation became the preferred treatment for mental illness beginning in the medieval times
-Mental Asylums became widespread by 17th century
-”warehouses” for mentally ill
-“The purpose of the earliest mental institutions was neither treatment nor cure, but rather the enforced segregation of inmates from society,”
-Conditions were often harsh, cruel, and inhumane.
-Overcrowding, poor sanitation, harsh treatments of patients
Prefrontal Lobotomy
-Was used to treat severe cases of psychosis
-1st in 1936
-Severs the connection between prefrontal lobe and rest of brain.
-Very invasive, often involved creating holes in one’s skull.
-Very dangerous and controversial procedure, and had very mixed results…..
-Now obsolete procedure
Trephination
-Involved removing a small part of the skill.
-Began around 7,000 years ago and was perceived to released demons though to be causing illness.
-Most people died from this procedure.
One of the earliest forms of “psychosurgery”.
Insulin Shock Therapy
-Injecting high levels of insulin into patients to cause convulsions and a coma.
-After several hours, they would be revived form coma, and thought cured of their madness.
Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy
-A generalized seizure is electrically induced to manage mental disorders
-Wasn’t without side effects including amnesia (memory loss), increased suicidal tendencies, etc.
-Very controversial treatment but still used more as a last resort treatment if nothing else is working.
Move to Evidence-Based Treatment
-Shift to a scientific approach and need for evidence of treatment success
-Modern standards for treatment
-Medication, licensure, and training programs
Efficacy
Therapy works under strictly controlled conditions
Effectiveness
Therapy works in the “real world”
Psychotherapy
-An interaction between a socially sanctioned clinician & someone suffering from a psychological problem, with the goal of providing support or relief from the problem.
-Eclecticism: Draws techniques from many different forms of therapy, depending on the client and the problem
-Psychotherapy focuses on:
-Changing internal experiences
-Adjusting of expression of internal experiences via behavior
Individual therapy
-Collaborative relationship between the individual and their therapist
-Formation of a rapport- individual’s comfort and willingness to engage with his or her therapist
