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Chapter 15 Summary (Treatment of Psychological Disorders)
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Chapter 15Treatment of psychological disorders
How are psychological disorder treated?
Sigmund Freud → popularized the idea that psychological treatments can help alleviate mental
health symptoms.
At this time, there are no instant cures for psychological disorders. Disorders need to be managed
over time through treatment that helps alleviate symptoms so people can function in their daily lives
until treatment is no longer necessary.
15.1 various methods have been used to treat psychopathology
Psychotherapy: the generic name given to formal psychological treatment.
Biological therapies: treatments of psychological disorders based on medical approaches to disease
(what is wrong with the body) and to illness (what a person feels as a result)
Psychologist use two basic categories of techniques to treat psychological disorders: psychological
and biological.
The particular techniques used may be depend on the practitioner’s training. But all forms of
psychotherapy involve interactions between practitioner and client. These interactions are aimed at
helping the person understand the symptoms and problems and providing solutions for them. One
limitation of any from of psychotherapy is that some psychological disorders are characterized by
apathy or indifference, and individuals may not be interested in being treated.
Biological therapies are based on the notion that psychological disorder (often referred to as mental
disorders in medical settings) result from abnormalities in neural and bodily processes.
Psychopharmacology is the use of medications that affect the brain or body functions to treat
psychological disorder. These forms of treatment can be particularly effective for some disorders, at
least on a short term basis. One limitation of biological therapies, however, is that long-term success
may require the person to continue treatment, sometimes indefinitely.
- Relation of theory to treatment
Psychologists have proposed a number of theories to account for psychopathology. Each theory
includes treatment strategies that are based on the theory’s assumptions about the causes of
psychological disorders.
Regardless of the treatment provider’s theoretical perspective, psychotherapy is generally aimed at
changing patterns of thought, emotion, or behavior.
Many therapists follow an electric approach, using various techniques that seem appropriate for a
given client.
,15.2 Psychodynamic therapy seeks to reduce unconscious conflicts
One of the first people to develop psychological treatments for psychological disorders was Sigmund
Freud. Freud believed that such disorders were causes by prior experiences, particularly early
traumatic experiences. Along with Josef Breuer, he pioneered the method of psychoanalysis.
Treatment involved uncovering unconscious feelings and drives that Freud believed gave rise to
maladaptive thoughts and behaviors.
The general goal of psychoanalysis is to increase clients’ awareness of their own unconscious
psychological processes and how these processes affect their daily functioning. By gaining insights of
this kind, the clients are freed from these unconscious influences. According to psychoanalysis, the
clients’ symptoms diminish as a result of reducing unconscious conflicts.
Psychodynamic therapy: a form of therapy bases on Freudian theory; it aims to help clients examine
their needs, defenses, and motives as a way of understanding distress.
Contemporary approaches to psychodynamic therapy focus on interpersonal relations and emotional
conflicts.
Some features of contemporary psychodynamic therapy include exploring the client’s avoidance of
distressing thoughts.
Although there is some supportive evidence, it is unclear whether psychodynamic approaches offer
any specific advantages over other forms of psychotherapy.
Question
What is the role of insight in psychodynamic therapy?
Insight provides awareness of unconscious conflicts so they can be resolved.
, 15.3 Behavioral and cognitive treatments aim to change behavior, emotion, or thought directly
Many of the most successful therapies involve trying to change people’s behavior, emotion, or
thought directly. These therapies are behavioral, cognitive, or a combination of the two. Behavioral
and cognitive therapies treat the behavior, emotion, and thought as the problem.
- Behavior therapy
Behavior therapy: treatment based on the premise that behavior is learned and therefore can be
unlearned through the use of classical and operant conditioning.
It is a method of helping people learn desire behaviors and unlearn unwanted behaviors. Desire
behaviors are rewarded. Unwanted behaviors are ignored or punished.
A therapist can use social skills training to elicit desired behavior. The first step is often modeling, in
which the therapist acts out an appropriate behavior. In modeling, the client is encouraged to imitate
the displayed behavior, rehearse it in therapy and later apply the learned behavior to real-world
situations.
Many behavioral therapies for psychological disorders include an exposure component.
Exposure: a behavioral therapy technique that involves repeated exposure to an anxiety-producing
stimulus of situation.
The principle behind exposure is based on classical conditioning. By confronting feared stimuli in the
absence of negative consequences, the person learns new, nonthreatening associations. Exposure
therapy is the most effective treatment for any psychological disorder that involves anxiety or fear
(including OCD).
An intensive from of exposure therapy, called prolonged exposure, is effective for posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTDS).
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