Help for Psychological Disorders
Psychoanalysis, Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, and Biomedical Treatment
May 7, 2009
Getting help for psychological disorders can be as simple as talking to a counselor once, or as complicated as taking medications for several years - and changing the types and dosage amounts frequently.
Here’s a brief summary of three types of help for mental health issues: Psychoanalysis, Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, and Biomedical Treatments.
How do you know if you need help for a psychological disorder? If you have a mental health issue that affects your everyday functioning or the safety of others, then you should seek treatment.
The therapy treatment you seek depends on the cause and severity of the mental health issue. The following summary represents three major types of help for psychological disorders.
Psychoanalysis for Psychological Disorders
Freud was the “father of psychoanalysis” – but not all therapists are Freudians. The basic theory of psychoanalysis is that finding insight into inner conflicts will help treat mental health issues. Sometimes called “talk therapy” or “insight therapy”, psychoanalysis seeks to help clients understand who they are and why they feel the way they do.
The more people understand themselves, the better able they’ll be to change the issues that are disrupting their lives. Psychoanalysis includes uncovering unconscious processes of the mind, understanding how families affect individuals, and analyzing dreams to uncover true motivations and desires.
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Psychological Disorders
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most popular, effective treatment for psychological disorders (though its effectiveness is different for different people).
This treatment for mental health issues combines cognitive therapy (identifying dysfunctional thinking, behaviors, and emotions) with behavior therapy (changing the environment and behaviors without involving internal mental states).
The focus of cognitive-behavioral therapy is for clients to identify problematic thought patterns and change their behaviors to cope better.
Biomedical Treatments for Psychological Disorders
Specific prescription medications can alleviate symptoms of some psychological disorders. These biomedical treatments alter neurochemicals and processes in the brain, which directly affects thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. If the mental health issue is caused by biological processes or chemicals in the brain, then the best treatment could be to change them directly.
Antidepressants, for instance, are often helpful in helping people with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. Sometimes, medications are prescribed in conjunction with cognitive-behavior therapy or psychoanalysis. Other times – such as with schizophrenia – the medication alone is enough to alleviate symptoms.
Finding the right type of help for psychological disorders depends your genetics, personality, and lifestyle. The same treatments won’t work for different people, even if they have the same mental health issues and symptoms. It’s important to try different therapies until you find one that works!
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Source:
- The American Psychological Association.
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