Psychotherapies and Medications for Treating Mental Disorders

This article discusses the different types of psychotherapies and medications used to treat mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. It covers cognitive therapy, psychodynamic therapy, humanistic therapy, and behavioral therapy, as well as antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants, and antipsychotic medication. The article also mentions the specific mental disorders that each therapy and medication is most effective for.

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Week 5 Discussion
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Week 5 Discussion
There are several psychotherapies that are applied to treat mental related disorders. Each
psychotherapy, however, is, effective to a certain type of mental disorder. Psychotherapy
approach acts as the roadmap for the psychologist. It acts as the guidelines process of
understanding patients and their problems and developing an efficient solution (Burns,
Hoagwood, & Mrazek, 2009). The main types of psychotherapies used to treat people suffering
mental disorders include cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, and psychodynamic therapies
and humanistic therapies. Each therapy is most effective to a particular mental disorder.
Cognitive therapy, also referred to as psychotherapy is founded on the impression that the
way people think about things affects how they feel emotionally. Cognitive therapy focuses on
behaviors, communication and thinking rather than past experiences and is concerned with
solving problems (Kohlenberg, Kanter, Bolling, Parker& Tsai, 2002). Cognitive therapy is
mainly applied to treat people suffering from depression, anxiety, eating disorders and anger.
People suffering from depression have thoughts that are extremely negative. Thus, therapy is
effective in defusing those thoughts. It establishes a mental toolkit that is used to change negative
thoughts. Cognitive therapy helps shorten depression course and helps reduces symptoms such as
poor self-esteem and fatigue that accompany depression.
Psychodynamic and psychoanalysis psychotherapy is s a helpful process that helps the
patient recognize and resolve their problems by growing awareness of their inner world and their
influence over relationship on both present and both. It aims to help people understand and
change the complex underlying and often involuntarily based relationship and emotional
problems thus reducing symptoms and relieving distress (Wallerstein, 2003). It is useful in

WEEK 5 DISCUSSION 3
treating people with emotional and behavioral difficulties mostly the obsessive-compulsive
disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobic anxieties, and eating disorders.
Humanistic psychotherapy is considered as a positive approach to psychotherapy that
centers on a person's individual nature, instead of grouping people having similar characteristics
(Lambert & Bergin, 2004). It looks to a person as a whole, from the therapists and also the
viewpoints of individuals observing their own behaviors. It focuses on treating people with
personality disorders, depression, schizophrenia, and panic disorder. This is because people
suffering from personality disorder have low esteem and often has the trouble of reaching their
full potential, lack the wholeness feeling and is searching for the personal meaning and they are
not comfortable with themselves.
Behavioral therapy seeks to recognize and assist change possibly unhealthy or self-
destructive behaviors. It emphasizes that all behaviors are learned and thus corrupt behaviors can
be unlearnt. Thus, emphasizes on treating current mental problems and how to change them. It is
used to treat depression, anxiety, and panic disorders.
In treating mental disorders there are various types of drugs that are applied. They
include antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants, and antipsychotic medication.
Antidepressants are frequently used to treat depression and long-term anxiety. Stimulants
increase attention, energy and alertness, blood pleasure, respiration, and heart rate. Stimulants
are used to treat adults, adolescents and children suffering from ADHD. The antipsychotics are
used to treat psychosis. It is used to treat mental disorders such as bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia, and psychotic depression. Furthermore, there are mood stabilizers, are primarily
used to treat mood swings or bipolar disorder.

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References
Burns, B. J., Hoagwood, K., & Mrazek, P. J. (2009). Effective treatment for mental disorders in
children and adolescents. Clinical child and family psychology review, 2(4), 199-254.
Kohlenberg, R. J., Kanter, J. W., Bolling, M. Y., Parker, C. R., & Tsai, M. (2002). Enhancing
cognitive therapy for depression with functional analytic psychotherapy: Treatment
guidelines and empirical findings. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9(3), 213-229.
Lambert, M. J., & Bergin, A. E. (2004). The effectiveness of psychotherapy. Handbook of
psychotherapy and behavior change, 4, 143-189.
Wallerstein, R. S. (2003). Forty-two lives in treatment: A study of psychoanalysis and
psychotherapy. In Forty-Two Lives in Treatment: A Study of Psychoanalysis and
Psychotherapy (pp. 1-768). New York: The Analytic Press.