Unit 9 - Clinical Psychology Flashcards
If you are looking for therapy what should you do?
-Look at empirically supported treatments
-Be open to change if you don’t see improvement (you need the right therapist and treatment plan for you)
Which therapies are the most effective?
All major forms are equally effective for everyone
BUT there is some evidence that some are better for specific disorders
What therapy is best for anxiety? what about depression and bipolar disorder?
Anxiety: Behavioral
Depression/Bipolar: Cognitive
What does it mean to be empirically supported?
Research says it works on average
*There is some current debate on whether some earlier conclusions used a stats analysis that actually reflects the real-world effect of treatment
How do we know therapy works?
Meta-analysis tells us that the average person getting therapy is better off than 80% of those that don’t
What is a meta-analysis
analysis of several study results
What is a layered approach to well-being?
Who tends to use it?
When we combine multiple treatments in our plan (bc it is rare that 1 intervention will be close to 100% effective at treating all symptoms)
-Often done by those managing moderate-severe disorders
What non-clinical things are associated with better mental heath?
Social support: can help with management of disorders
Physical activity: Negative correlation of mood/anxiety disorders and exercise level [makes sense bc endorphins, but hard for ppl with mental disorders to do]
Natural spaces: Improve sense of well-being
Green Exercise: Boosts mood and self-esteem
How does city densification affect mental health?
Its associated with more social isolation, mental disorders and poorer mental and physical health
May be due to stress of living in a city instead of just nature power tho
What is evidence-based practice. What do the two we looked at focus on?
Practice based on peer-reviewed research
Non-Judgmental acceptance of thoughts and feelings
What is acceptance and comittence therapy?
When you behave constructively despite negative thoughts and feelings
What is mindfulness-based stress reduction?
When you see thoughts and feelings as fleeting by products
-inspired by eastern traditions
What is CBT?
A combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy
it involves setting treatment goals and then having patients do homework assignments
What are the two main approaches to clinical pysch?
Behavioural: Fixing learnt maladaptive behaviours
ex: exposure therapy for phobia response
Cognitive: Fixing thinking errors that cause maladaptive behaviours
ex: fixing the “I must be perfect” mindset
Why don’t 50% of ppl with psych disorders get therapy?
-stigma
-low income
-male and non-white ppl more likely to experience stigma
What does it mean to be subsyndromal?
You suffer but not enough to be diagnosed with anything
What is the overall cost of anxiety and depression?
1 trillion a year
Why might our current western practices and strucutres be effective?
Some ppl may not believe in the cultural goals and principles, customs and assumptions that underly Western practice
-for these ppl, services provided by their community members using their practices may be better
In general, is therapy better for some ppl than others
Nope!
Can therapy help everyone?
5-10% of ppl actually get worse so no
What predicts a therapist’s success?
-Interpersonal skills and how well their treatment fits the clients needs
NOT:
Qualitfication type or years of experience
What are some good principles for therapists to have
-respect/dignity for the worth of all ppl
-vilgilant agaisnt potential biases
-integrity (honesty, truthfullness, accuracy)
What are the two common types of therapies in modern practice?
Psyclogical : Therapy done by a psycologist (protected term)
Biological: Meds. Done by family doctor or a psychiatrist
Is hospitalization for mentally ill people perfect now?
no!
Experiences vary