Chapter 13: Treatment of Psychological Disorders Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc....

Chapter 13: Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.


Treatment

Psychotherapy– Treatment in which a trained

professional – a therapist – uses psychological techniques to help someone overcome psychological difficulties and disorders

Biomedical therapy– Relies on drugs and other

medical procedures to improve psychological functioning


Psychodynamic Approaches to Therapy

Based on the premise that the primary sources of abnormal behavior are unresolved conflicts and the possibility that unacceptable unconscious impulses may enter consciousness

Psychoanalysis

– Frequent sessions that lasts for many years

• Free association

• Dream interpretation

• Resistance

• Transference


Behavioral Approaches to Therapy

Building on the basic processes of learning (classical and operant conditioning) poses that abnormal and normal behavior are learned


Classical Conditioning Approaches to Treatment

Aversive conditioning– Create unpleasant reactions

to stimuli that an individual previously enjoyed

Systematic desensitization– Gradual exposure to an

anxiety-producing stimulus is paired with relaxation in order to extinguish the response of anxiety


Operant Conditioning Techniques to Treatment

Token system– Person rewarded for desired behavior with a

token that is later exchanged for something they want

Contingency contracting– Written agreement that outlines behavioral

goals and positive consequences if achieved Observational learning

– Learning by watching others’ behavior


Cognitive Approaches to Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral approach– Assumption that anxiety,

depression, and negative emotions develop from maladaptive thought processes


Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy

Attempts to restructure a person’s belief system into a more realistic, rational, and logical set of views


Cognitive Therapy

Psychotherapy developed by Beck to change people’s illogical thoughts about themselves and the world

Less confrontational and challenging than RET


Humanistic Approach to Therapy

Based on the assumption that people control their own behavior, can make choices about the kinds of life they want to lead, and are responsible for solving their own difficulties


Humanistic Approaches to Therapy

Client-centered therapy– Goal is to enable people to reach their potential

for self-actualization

– Unconditional positive regard Gestalt therapy

– Holds the ultimate goal for the client to experience life in a more unified and complete way


Therapeutic Modalities

Group therapy– Several unrelated people

meet with a therapist to discuss some aspect of their psychological functioning

Family therapy– Involves two or more

members of the same family, one (or more) of whose problems led to treatment


Evaluating Psychotherapy

For most people, psychotherapy is effective Doesn’t work for everyone Certain specific types of treatments are somewhat,

although not invariably, better for specific types of problems

No single form of therapy works best Spontaneous remission

– Recovery without treatment Eclecticism


Biomedical Therapy: Biological Approaches to Treatment

Therapy that focuses on brain chemistry and other neurological factors

Drug therapy– Control of psychological

disorders through drugs


Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Procedure in which an electric current of 70 to 150 volts is briefly administered to a patient’s head, causing a loss of consciousness and often seizures


Psychosurgery

Brain surgery in which the object is to reduce symptoms of mental disorder – used only rarely today

Prefrontal lobotomy– Surgically destroying or

removing parts of a patient’s frontal lobes that were thought to control emotionality

Cingulotomy– Used with rare cases of

OCD


Community Psychology: Focus on Prevention

Geared toward preventing or minimizing the incidence of psychological disorders

Deinstitutionalization– Movement of former mental

patients out of institutions and into the community

Chapter 13: Treatment of Psychological Disorders Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc....

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