Treatments from other approaches Flashcards
Care in the Community (Social Approach)
It is care and support provided to a mental health service user or a vulnerable person living in a community. Came about as saw long-term stays in psychiatric hospitals could lead to institutionalisation and make it hard for them to live independently as become used to having everything done for them. So this treatment aims to rehabilitate patients ans allow them to live and function normally as possible in society. Provides 24 hour support, can provide sheltered accommodation. Community mental health teams employed by NHS. Include; social workers, psychiatrists and nurses etc.
C in the C Strengths
When properly funded it is better than a hospital.
Leff et al. Found schizophrenics in long term sheltered accommodation had far less severe symptoms than those still in hospital.
Patients prefer it to hospitals.
C in the C weaknesses
Lack of communication between members of team. Conflicting advice.
Lack of funding. Causes problems.
Where you live can have impact on quality of care. Under privileged areas lower quality.
Not enough hospital beds and not enough places for community care.
Systematic desensitization (learning theory)
Assumption that behaviors are learned from environment by classical and operant conditioning and social learning. Plans to change the abnormal behavior rather than dealing with cause. Substitutes a socially acceptable response in its place.
Based on idea of incompatible responses so cannot be scared and relaxed at same time.
Questions client to discover causes of anxiety.
Hierarchy of fear.
Relaxation techniques learned.
Gradual exposure to the stimulus.
SD Strengths
Effective for simple phobias.
More ethical than other therapies such as aversion therapy or flooding. Patient given more control.
McGrath et al.
Found 75% of patients with phobias showed improvement.
SD Weaknesses
Complex phobias don’t respond well; high relapse rate.
Only focuses on observable symptoms rather than underlying issues.
Dream Analysis (Psychodynamic Approach)
Mental disorders come from the unconscious. Come from repressed thoughts or emotions. In order to treat the disorder, the unconscious mind must be entered through dream analysis. When we sleep our egos defenses are more relaxed, which allows more unconscious thoughts to enter consciousness (dreams). Still threatening so its disguised and symbols represent real content.
The dreams are called manifest content
Meanings is latent content.
Analysts role is to uncover the true meaning of dreams. Free association.
DA Strengths
Can be used to gain insight and improve relationships, however only seems to work with females, no real effect on the quality of relationships with men.
DA Weaknesses
Dream analysis is subjective
The client may miss out parts of the dream because they forgot or they edited it
Espostio et al
analyzed the dreams of people studying from combat related post traumatic stress disorder. They found that half the participants dreams included features of combat. This disputes the theory that we symbolize material that would distress us in our dreams.
Heaton et al
found clients who had therapists analysing dreams got more insight and depth into issues 88% preferred therapists interpreting their dreams instead of themselves.
