What Are Psychosocial Treatments In Conjunction With Pharmacotherapy?

The prevalence of schizophrenia is thought to be about 1% of the population around the world. The disorder is considered to be one of the top ten causes of long-term disability worldwide. Late adolescence and early adulthood are periods for the onset of schizophrenia. In 40% of men and 23% of women diagnosed with schizophrenia, the condition manifested before the age of 19 (Addington, Cadenhead, Cannon, 2007).These are critical years in a young adult’s social and vocational development.

According to NAMI (), schizophrenia is a long term mental illness that interferes with a person’s ability to think clearly, make decisions, and relate to others, impairing a person from functioning to their full potential when left untreated. For these persons affected, it is many times difficult to distinguish what is real from what is not. “Unfortunately, no single simple course of treatment exists.” Research has linked schizophrenia to a multitude of possible causes” (NAMI).

Since being placed in charge of the Residential Intervention Program, I have noted some issues with the information provided within the staff reports. The program was designed as an alternative to incarceration of low risk offenders, however, we must gauge if the program is effective and what is the current status of the program. Despite the recent report provided by staff which states there was a small reduction in recidivism, utilizing multiple interventions, I see room for improvement and need clarification of the results provided by staff.

Individuals with Schizophrenia typically use medications to treat his or her symptoms. This paper will examine one newspaper article about research conducted by scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health and three peer-reviewed journal articles. This will be done in order to investigate if Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) aids in minimizing symptoms of Schizophrenia more effectively with medication, without medication, and in combination with other therapy styles. These articles propose that CBT should be examined with caution in order to comprehend how it impacts Schizophrenic symptoms. The effectiveness of CBT and reduction of Schizophrenic symptoms could differ in each individual. This is due to numerous factors such as, socioeconomic status, gender, race, environment, family history, and exposure to drugs. It is important to be aware that with every scientific study that is conducted, there may be errors within the study. This may be due to how the data was collected.

I chose to write my research paper over Schizophrenia. It is a psychological disorder that I have always found fascinating. Approximately 20% of North Americans will be affected by a mental illness during the course of their lifetime. (MHA, ‘What You Should Know About Mental Illnesses) More specifically, 1 in 100 Americans will suffer from schizophrenia. That means that 300,000 people in America will, at some point in their life, be affected by a very serious and highly misunderstood mental disorder. (Schizophrenia Society of America) It is a serious disorder that consumes a person 's life and is nearly impossible to control. In this paper, I will talk about the definition of Schizophrenia, the symptoms of Schizophrenia,

Just like in reality, this movie does not identify any causal factors associated with schizophrenia, but its treatment and management are portrayed to work effectively with antipsychotic/ psychotropic medications and Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that makes the affected individual “to understand and appreciate his condition” (A beautiful Mind). Several inaccurate characterizations of schizophrenia in this movie relates to the fact that this condition does not affect males only but also females are affected, and apart from the positive symptoms of schizophrenia that are highlighted, the patient may also exhibit negative symptoms. It is also not advisable to keep or incarcerate the affected individuals in the hospital since the condition can easily be managed at home with adequate contribution of the family members (A beautiful Mind).

An extended psychosocial intervention should be offered to patients with Schizophrenia that will incorporate cognitive-behavioural strategies that can reduce use, help cope cravings and stress, avoiding relapse and a discussion of attitude change towards substance use (Bennett, Bradshaw & Catalano, 2016).

Affect refers to a client’s emotion whereas cognitive content refers to the process of cognition or understanding. This is the primary content that is utilized when working with a client. At times the client may express emotion without much cognition and at other times they may express cognition without emotion (Cormier, 2014). The therapist can summarize what the client is saying and add the emotion to a cognitive statement and wait for feedback to assure that the emotion is understood correctly (Cormier, 2014).

In this paper, I will be interviewing for a psychologist position with a top company. I will be asked about my understanding of the causes and treatment(s) of schizophrenia and I will discuss the following: areas of the brain affected, causal factors, associated symptoms, the neural basis, appropriate drug therapies. I have been given four different case studies of disorders in which I will choose two of them to analyze. I will be discussing my understanding of the problem presented in each of the two case studies from the perspective of a biopsychologist. I will also be including each problem’s relation to the nature-nurture issue and any relevant portions of the Basics to Biopsychology text. I will be applying any

Human service professional is required to help everyone in-need and to be able to advocate their clients (no matter what races, sexuality, mental illness etc.). From the beginning, I would review the psychiatric evaluation to find out the basis problems that my client has. I would look for the recommendation of the psychiatrist. The convergence of these factors would help me construct the right treatment plan for my client. A treatment that me and the psychiatrist would agree on to ensure it is for the best. As well, to ensure it fits to the financial line of the family and that they feel the plan will do justice for the client. The treatment is crucial for the client to improve its mentality and to create progress which is why it should be treated carefully.

The psychological status of the pregnant woman may determine her ability to following instructions and caring for herself while pregnant and later. Risk factors of pregnancy do not end at delivery, often continuing into the perinatal period, when the woman may be especially vulnerable to the onset or relapse of serious psychiatric disorders.

Time magazine called them the military’s secret weapon (Thompson). Many pets eat them every day (Horowitz). They are effective in treating the most common male sexual disorder (Yue). Antidepressants have many uses, but they are primarily used in the treatment of mental health disorders. Their discovery was monumental for the science of psychiatry. Antidepressants are the primary treatment for a myriad of mental health disorders. However, many scientists, clinicians and patients question the effectiveness of antidepressants for this broad scope. Examination of effectiveness, side effects and alternative treatments suggest reduction in the scope of antidepressant use for mental health disorders.

With a combination of antipsychotic medications, it is the most frequently implemented treatment offered to patients (Fenton, 2000). Individual psychotherapy confronts the human components of adaption and targets problems that follows such as: symptoms, relapse, denial, discouragement, treatment agreement, interpersonal relationships, and self-esteem. Since this approach’s attention is understanding the patient’s views, attitudes, ambitions, and experiences; clinicians will continue to implement this method (Fenton, 2000). Another approach for treatment of schizophrenia is family psychoeducation (FPE). This method has been established as one of the most effective psychosocial treatments developed. It integrates a patient’s family, caregivers, and friends into important and constant treatment and rehabilitation (McFarlane, 2016). In further detail, FPE consists of cognitive, behavioral, and helpful therapeutic features while utilizing a counseling structure. Overall, FPE has reduced the percentage of relapse for persons suffering from schizophrenia to 40% (McFarlane,

One out of three Americans appear to have needed mental-health treatment at some point within the past two years, according to a study done by Napa Chapter. Mental-health treatments, otherwise known as ‘therapies’, have become an increasingly common practice among the American people. The cause being the increase in the diagnosing of mental-health disorders. With the number of new, and the increasingly common disorders, a number of therapy treatments have been developed, the most common non-medicated one being Psychotherapy. The most common types of Psychotherapy include: Cognitive Behavioral therapy, Dialectical Behavior therapy, Interpersonal therapy, and, family focused therapy.

How can we establish the efficacy of psychological (non-pharmacological) interventions for psychological disorder? Discuss with reference to difficulties in measuring the effects of psychological treatment.