Psych Final: Chapter 15 Therapy – Flashcards

reduce sympathetic nervous system arousal and thus create calmness, relieve muscle tension and reduce anxiety; Benzodiazepines commonly used; affect GABA receptors

aka neuroleptics/major tranquilizers; commonly used to treat "positive" symptoms of psychosis (hallucinations, delusions, etc) and (to a lesser degree) severe depression; affect primarily dopamine receptors

these are used most often in bipolar illness; lithium and valproate based drugs such as Depakote and Depakene are widely used mood stabilizers and are often helpful in lessening mania/hypomania

used to treat depression as well as many other disorders such as anxiety, social anxiety, OCD, etc; several categories exist

antidepressant; imipramine; primarily block reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine (making more of these neurotransmitters available to the CNS); used less often today due to side effect and overdose concerns

block the enzyme (MAO) that breaks down the catecholamines, allowing for more availability of these neurotransmitters

widely used today; include drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil; slow the reuptake of serotonin after it is released from a neuron making more serotonin available; have fewer side effects but are generally no more effective than the tricyclics and MAOIs

involves a brief electrical current of moderate intensity passing through the brain from two electrodes placed on the outside of the brain

induces widespread neuron firings in the central nervous system and brief changes in the autonomic nervous system, blood-brain barrier, and other areas

multiple administrations of "electroshock" common in earlier decades; today it is usually limited to fewer than a dozen sessions of moderate intensity shock; memory problems are now less common

has often been used in the past as a last resort for severely depressed patients who do not respond to other treatments, but is now used fairly often as an initial treatment

can be quite helpful in severe depression; disadvantages include cost, potential memory disruptions, etc.

the most extreme and least used treatment for psychiatric disorders; involves surgery on brain tissue

in 1949 was awarded a Nobel Prize for developing the lobotomy; this involved cutting nerve fibers between the frontal lobes and other parts of the brain; though successful for some in reducing problematic behaviors, also led to permanent damage for patients

may relieve symptoms without "curing"

there is still much researchers don't know about how medications act, their side effects, and their interactions with other drugs

drugs do not help everyone; some people experience no/minimal benefits

people can develop a tolerance to psychoactive drugs and experience a withdrawal-type syndrome when going off of them

there is the potential for overdose, either intentional or accidental; potential for accidental/intentional death varies by drug type/class

a person's psyche (mind) is analyzed; based on Freud's central belief that abnormal behavior is caused by unconscious conflicts among the three parts of the psyche (id, ego, and superego); designed to bring unconscious conflicts into conscious awareness

in psychoanalysis, reporting whatever comes to mind without monitoring its contents

in psychoanalysis, the patient may displace (or transfer) unconscious feelings about a significant person in his or her life onto the therapist

in psychoanalysis, the person's inability or unwillingness to discuss or reveal certain memories, thoughts, motives, or experiences

therapy that treats problem behaviors and mental processes by focusing on faulty thought processes and beliefs

developed cognitive-behavior therapy to treat psychological problems, especially depression

combines cognitive therapy (changing faulty thinking) with behavior therapy (changing faulty behaviors)

focusing selectively on negative events while ignoring positive events; "why am I the only person alone at this party?"

overgeneralizing and drawing negative conclusions about one's self-worth; "I'm worthless because I failed that exam"

exaggerating the importance of undesirable events or personal short-comings, and seeing them as catastrophic and unchangeable; "she left me, and I'll never find someone like her again"

seeing things in black-or-white categories-everything is either totally good or bad, right or wrong, a success or a failure; "if I don't get straight A's, I'll never get a good job"

developed by Carl Rogers; encourages people to actualize their potential and relate to others in genuine ways; using the term client instead of patient because he believed the label "patient" implied being sick or mentally ill rather than responsible and competent

treating people as clients demonstrates they are the ones in charge of the therapy; also emphasizes the equality of the therapist-client relationship

an accurate understanding of another's experiences

a genuine caring for people based on the innate value of individuals

aka authenticity; being aware of one's own thoughts and feelings and being able to share them honestly with others

this involves reflecting, paraphrasing, and clarifying what the client says and means

here, a number of people meet together to work toward therapeutic goals; economical; usually involves a group of 6 to 10 patients; offers benefits such as: group support, feedback and information, behavior rehearsal

individuals can learn from the experiences of others in the group, and feedback may be more convincing when it comes from several group members rather than only from a therapist

group members can role play certain social situations and develop new skills that might be difficult to develop with only a therapist

not technically therapy groups as they do not involve a professional guiding the group

Alcoholics Anonymous/NA/CA/GA and other "12 step" programs; cancer and other illness support groups; NAMI groups; client-run drop in centers; etc