Intro To Psych - Ch 13 Psychotherapy

Front 1

What are the benefits of therapy?

Issues with therapy.

Back 1

notes

Front 2

Types of therapists

Back 2

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Front 3

Types of therapy

Back 3

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Front 4

What is pychodynamic therapy?

Back 4

Based on Freudian and Neo-Freudian personality theories in which therapist helps patient explore the unconscious dynamics of personality...often patient is lying on couch facing away from therapist.

Therapist tries to learn and understand the underlying unconscious problems that are causing symptoms (i.e., interpretation). Therapist may use: free association, dream analysis, insight, interpretation.

Problems:
Patient may experience resistance (use of defense mechanisms) and transference (unconscious redirection of feelings in an important personal relationship toward the therapist). Also, psychodynamic therapy tends to be several times per week over a period of years so it is a very long and expensive process.

Front 5

What is humanistic therapy?

Back 5

Based on the theories of Carl Rogers and other humanistic psychologists. Based on the premise that people develop psychological problems when they are burdened by limits and expectations placed on them by themselves as well as others. The treatment emphasizes the person's capacity for self-realization and fulfillment.

Carl Rogers developed person-centered therapy which is an approach to treatment in which the client is helped to two and develop as the therapist provides a comfortable and nonjudgmental atmosphere. Rogers believed that a "therapeutic alliance" was essential for therapy to be productive. Genuine, treated with unconditional positive regard, empathy.

Front 6

What is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?

Back 6

While psychodynamic and humanistic therapies are good for people with generalized anxiety or mood disorders, for people with other disorders such as phobias, sexual problems and OCD, CBT can help with more specific issues. In these cases it is often not necessary to revisit childhood or consider of capacity for self-realization - because people simply want to deal with what is happening at present.

CBT is a structured approach to treatment that attempts to reduce psychological disorders through systematic procedures based on cognitive and behavioral principles.

Negative thoughts lead to negative feelings which contributes to negative behaviors. (Depression and panic disorder fit into this cycle).

CBT can help with eating issues, substance abuse, adhd as well as mood and anxiety issues. It treats the symptoms without addressing the underlying issues that are cause.

Typically 10-20 sessions with the therapist and patient working together to reach goals. Patient often assigned tasks.

Behavioral aspect of CBT
based on principles of learning, usually operant conditioning using reward and punishment.

Exposure therapy
based on classical conditioning, the principle of extinction, people confront their fear with the goal of decreasing their negative emotional response to it.

Systematic Desensitization (counterconditioning)
often used for phobias, it combines imaging or experiencing the feared object/situation along with relaxation techniques.

Aversion Therapy
uses positive punishment to reduce the frequency of an undesired behavior. An unpleasant stimulus is paired with a socially unacceptable behavior (such as bedwetting) and the association helps to reduce the behavior. Alcoholism is treated with a drug that makes them sick when they consume alcohol.

Cognitive Aspects of CBT
Beck and Albert Ellis provided the basis for principles of cognitive therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) and he focused on flaws in the person's thinking. Developed short-term therapy for depression that would modify unproductive negative thinking.

Front 7

Combination (eclectic) approach to therapy

Back 7

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Front 8

Reducing Disorders Biologically:
Drug therapies

Back 8

Neurotransmitter imbalance plays a role in disorders. Medications can influence the production and reuptake of neurotransmitters in the CNS. The use of drugs is increasing and is now the most common approach to treating most psychological disorders.

Although do not "cure" disorders they are therapeutic especially when combined with psychotherapy. Often best drug protocols are trial and error for the individual patient.

Major class of drugs -

Psychostimulants (ie, Ritalin used for adhd)

Antidepressants (MAOI's for depression and anxiety)
(SSRI's ie, Prozac and Paxil for depression and anxiety which work by blocking serotonin reuptake)

Antianxiety (Tranquilizers such as Valium and Xanax for anxiety and panic disorders which work by increasing GABA)

Although studies show that drug therapies can provide temporary relief they don't treat the underlying problem. Once they stop taking the drug the symptoms come back full force. Another downside to drug therapy is that many drugs have many negative side effects. (For this reason, doctors try to rx the lowest dose for the shortest amount of time.)

Front 9

Direct Brain Intervention Therapies

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Back 9

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): for very severe disorders only. A medical procedure designed to alleviate psychological disorder in which electric currents are passed through the brain. Usually for severe depression, ECT is very effective as it reduces suicidal thoughts. But effects are not long-lasting. May cause sort-term memory loss or cognitive impairment.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): a newer approach to treating chronic depression, this is a gentler method of brain stimulation. It uses a magnetic coil to electrically stimulate the brain. It can be done without sedation and does not cause seizures, memory loss, etc. Also used from treatment of Parkinsons and schizophrenia.