| Psychosocial treatments, an important form of mental | | | | Interpersonal Therapy |
| health intervention includes certain forms of | | | | Interpersonal therapy focuses on the relationships a |
| psychotherapy (often called talk therapy) and social | | | | resident has with others. The goal of interpersonal |
| skills training. They are helpful in providing support, | | | | therapy is, of course, to improve interpersonal skills. |
| education, and guidance to emotionally troubled | | | | The therapist actively teaches residents to evaluate |
| residents and their families. Studies tell us that | | | | their interactions with others and to become aware of |
| psychosocial treatments can help residents keep their | | | | self-isolation and difficulties getting along with, relating to |
| moods more stable, stay out of the hospital, and | | | | or understanding others. He or she also offers advice |
| generally function better. | | | | and helps residents make decisions about the best |
| A licensed psychologist, social worker, or counselor | | | | way to deal with others. |
| typically provides these therapies. The therapist and a | | | | Interpersonal therapy is a relatively new psychosocial |
| psychiatrist may work together as the psychiatrist | | | | mental health treatment used most frequently to help |
| prescribes medications and the therapist treats the | | | | residents with bipolar disorder, attention-deficit |
| resident and monitors his/her progress. | | | | hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, eating |
| The number, frequency, and type of psychotherapy | | | | disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder. |
| sessions a resident has should be based on his or her | | | | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy |
| individual needs. As with medication, it is important to | | | | Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps residents |
| follow the treatment plan for psychosocial treatments | | | | learn to change inappropriate or negative thought |
| to gain the greatest benefit. | | | | patterns and behaviors associated with their illness. |
| Individual Psychotherapy | | | | The goal is to recognize negative thoughts or |
| Individual psychotherapy involves regularly scheduled | | | | mind-sets (mental processes such as perceiving, |
| sessions between the patient and a mental health | | | | remembering, reasoning, decision making, and problem |
| professional such as a psychologist, psychiatric social | | | | solving) and replace them with positive thoughts, which |
| worker, or psychiatric nurse. The goal of this treatment | | | | will lead to more appropriate and beneficial behavior. |
| is to help residents understand why they are acting | | | | For instance, cognitive behavioral therapy tries to |
| and thinking in ways that are troubling or dangerous to | | | | replace thoughts that lead to low self-esteem (I can't |
| themselves or others so they have more control over | | | | do anything right) with positive expectations (I can do |
| their behaviors and can correct them. | | | | this correctly). Combined with effective medication, |
| Talk-therapy sessions may focus on a residents | | | | CBT can successfully treat residents with |
| current or past problems, experiences, thoughts, | | | | schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, depression, |
| feelings, or relationships. By sharing experiences with a | | | | eating disorders, generalized anxiety disorder and panic |
| trained, knowledgeable, and understanding person--by | | | | disorder. |
| talking about his/her world with someone outside | | | | Exposure Therapy |
| it--people with emotional disorders may gradually | | | | A type of behavioral therapy known as exposure |
| understand more about themselves and their problems. | | | | therapy or exposure and response prevention is very |
| Individual psychotherapy is used successfully to treat | | | | useful for treating obsessive compulsive disorder |
| emotional, behavioral, and social problems in residents | | | | (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). |
| with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit | | | | During exposure therapy, a resident is deliberately |
| hyperactivity disorder, depression, eating disorders, and | | | | exposed to whatever triggers the obsessive thoughts |
| anxiety disorders among many others. | | | | or reaction to a previous traumatic experience under |
| Psycho-education | | | | controlled conditions. S/he is then taught techniques to |
| Psycho-education involves teaching residents about | | | | avoid performing the compulsive rituals or to work |
| their illness, how to treat it, and how to recognize signs | | | | through the trauma. |
| of relapse so that they can ask for necessary | | | | Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) |
| treatment before their symptoms worsen. Family | | | | Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was developed to |
| psycho-education includes teaching coping strategies | | | | treat chronically suicidal individuals, but it has evolved |
| and problem-solving skills to families of residents with | | | | into a treatment for multi-disordered residents with |
| psychiatric dysfunctions to help them deal more | | | | borderline personality disorder (BPD) as one of their |
| effectively with their troubled family member. Family | | | | diagnoses. DBT has also been adapted for behavioral |
| psycho-education reduces distress, confusion, and | | | | disorders involving emotion dysfunction (such as |
| anxieties within the family, which may help the resident, | | | | substance dependence in individuals with BPD and |
| recover faster. | | | | binge eating) and for treating people with severe |
| Psycho-education in combination with medication has | | | | depression and suicidal thoughts. |
| been used successfully to treat people with | | | | DBT combines the basic strategies of behavior |
| schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit | | | | therapy with a philosophy that focuses on the idea |
| hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression as well | | | | that opposites may really not be opposite when looked |
| as to help their loved ones. | | | | at differently. |
| What are examples of specific psychotherapies? | | | | As a comprehensive mental health treatment, |
| Mental health therapists offer several different types | | | | DBT:improves destructive behaviors,improves |
| of psychotherapy. In general no one type of therapy is | | | | motivation to change (by modifying inhibitions and |
| necessarily better than another type. | | | | providing positive reinforcement,ensures that new |
| When deciding which therapy (or therapies) will likely | | | | capabilities generalize to the natural |
| be the most successful treatment option for an | | | | environmentprovides a treatment environment that |
| individual resident, a psychotherapist considers the | | | | emphasizes what patients and therapist are best at |
| nature of the problem to be treated and the | | | | when working togetherenhances the therapists |
| consumer's personality, cultural and family background, | | | | motivation and ability to treat patients effectively. |
| and personal experiences. Note that a psychiatrist or | | | | In standard DBT, different types of mental health and |
| psychotherapist (or both) may offer each of the | | | | psychosocial therapies--including individual |
| following therapies to an individual, family, couple, or | | | | psychotherapy, group skills training, and even phone |
| group. | | | | consultations--are used. |