Psychotherapy Versus Pharmacotherapy: Is One Better than the other?
One of the most startling things to me at the beginning of the Neurobiology and behavior course was learning about the existence of "reductionism." That is, those who do not believe there is a human soul or necessarily even a mind. Instead, as I understood it, reductionism says we are all a product of our neurons and the firings that take place in the brain and nervous system. Those scientists, from what we discussed, might claim that disorders that take place in human behavior (such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or even depression) are all functions of neurotransmitters and the firings of neurons in the brain. In order to cure ailments such as these, certain psychiatrists or doctors might rely heavily and solely on medication. This type of treatment is known as the pharmacotherapy approach, in which medication is the primary tool used for curing patients. However, this idea did not ring true as necessarily the best or only approach to human disorders, especially to a psyche major such as myself. I decided to then delve into the Internet to see people's views as well as actual statistics on which treatment, psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy, was indeed better. What I found was that a combination of the two seems to be the best bet in treating patients, and I will show evidence to support this as I talk about each topic individually, and then discuss their merits when used together. Also, in the scope of a paper such as this, I will look at both sides of the two treatments specifically for depression, since that is the best way to discuss specific statistics and for recovery. (3)
WHAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Just for a brief overview, psychotherapy is seen as a method of treating symptoms of distress in patients to help them return to a normal level of functioning. It is used as a medical tool to help a person overcome difficulties. Typical therapy is the kind most of us are familiar with, 50 minute sessions that are once a week with a therapist. The main focuses is for a patient to better understand their circumstances, the best ways to deal with them, and who they are as a person. Usually, if patients have a behavior specific problem, the APA homepage says sessions last an average of 16 visits. (APA homepage reference). Technically, the therapist has an interview with an individual to find out who they are as a person, their background, and then works from there to help heal and discuss the problems that have been affecting their daily functioning.
Understanding psychological disorders are very important in human development, the first step is to define what is meant by a disorder. How do psychologists determine that there something is psychologically wrong with a person? What behaviours are abnormal? A psychological disorder, also known as a mental disorder, is a pattern of behavioural or psychological symptoms that impact multiple life areas and/or create distress for the person experiencing these symptoms. A clear sign of abnormal behaviour or mental state is when an individual's behaviour is destructive to themselves or their social group, such as family, friends. Above all psychological disorders create a maladaptive pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that lead to detriments in relationships and other life areas. There are several ethical issues in treating psychological disorders. There two ways of treating psychological disorders through; psychotherapy this form of treatment involves social interactions between a trained professional (therapist) and client. This is delivered on a one-to-one, face-to-face meeting. Another way of treating psychological disorder is through pharmacological treatments. This is the use of proactive drugs to treat certain disorders. This essay will aim to highlight the pros and cons of using pharmacological and psychological treatments.
As a student in the school system, there are many mental conditions that could affect how they perform on a daily basis. One of the most prevalent is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This is defined as “a disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity (Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine). There is much research that is currently being done on this subject as it does impact many students in the K-12 system. As of 2011, it was estimated that around 11% of students had been diagnosed with ADHD. While seems like a small amount of students, it equates to about 6.4 million (Data & Statistics). A huge amount of children in school are having trouble focusing in
This paper will contain research done about foster care, including a brief history and progressing along to the system today. This research interested me because it is a professional career option after graduation. I found both positives and negatives about the foster care system that children and foster parents go through on a daily basis. As the paper progresses I will be explaining these positives and negatives in more detail. Throughout the paper I will be referencing different scholarly sources that explain foster care in different ways. Overall, this paper will show different aspects that the general public may never know about foster care.
van Bruinessen, Martin. "Kurdistan." Oxford Companion to the Politics of the World, 2nd edition. Joel Krieger, ed. Oxford University Press, 2001.
Through my extensive research on depression I have learned a lot of new things. I have learned about the many forms of depression and treatment for depression. I have also learned a little about what is believed to go on chemically in the brain of a clinically depressed person. I was also able to partially determine what sort of role genetics, chemicals and personal influences in the brain. Though I was unable to determine exactly how environmental and personal stress can cause a chemical imbalance in a person, I was even able to speculate about this issue and determine some theories of my own on why and how this may happen.
“About two-thirds of children admitted to public care have experienced abuse and neglect, and many have potentially been exposed to domestic violence, parental mental illness and substance abuse” (Dregan and Gulliford). These children are being placed into foster care so that they can get away from home abuse, not so they can move closer towards it. The foster children’s varied outcomes of what their adult lives are is because of the different experiences they grew up with in their foster homes. The one-third of those other foster children usually has a better outcome in adult life than the other two-thirds, which is a big problem considering the high percentage of children being abused in their foster homes. Although, the foster care system has most definitely allowed children to experience the positive home atmosphere that they need there is still an existed kind of abusive system in the foster care program that is unofficial but seems to be very popular. Foster care focuses on helping children in need of a temporary stable environment; however, foster care can have negative impacts to the children and the people around them concerning the foster child going through the transition, the parents of the foster child, a new sibling relationship, and problems that arrive later influencing the foster child long-term.
It is unfortunate that in our society some children grow up without the opportunity of having a loving family to raise them. More unimaginable is children growing up with parents or family members that are abusive. Children raised in abusive environments that are reported to social services and removed from their home are placed into foster care. Foster care is defined supervised care for delinquent or neglected children usually in an institution or substitute home set up by the government. Some advocates claim that the government child care system is adequate, but others like David Van Biema of Time Magazine state that, “foster care is intended to protect children from neglect and abuse at the hands of parents and other family members, yet all too often it becomes an equally cruel form of neglect and abuse by the state (Biema).” There is substantial research that looks deeper into the foster care system. It reveals that abuse in foster care is a big enough problem that it needs to be addressed, but what changes can or should be made?
Throughout America there are hundreds of thousands of children in foster care. These children in foster care have disproportionately high rates of physical, developmental, and mental health problems (Issues). Most of these troubles are caused by the lack of attachment to the foster parents. With the shortage of time at a new house, these children do not bond with the foster parents. Some foster parents are willing to keep the children as long as necessary, but others are selfish and are in the program just for the money. This here is an example of why many children’s health is often neglected while in foster care (Issues). Children who enter foster care due to child abuse and neglect are entering an environment that is not the right type of support.
This is the problem that needs addressing, people without a country. There Kurds territory, would be country, consists of the mountainous regions of central and northern Zargos, the eastern one-third of the Taurus and Pontus, and the northern half of the Amanus ranges (see F1).4 The Kurdish are an ancient people who about 4,000 thousand years ago started to trickle into Kurdistan in limited numbers to settle there.3 By the classical era in 300 b.c. the Kurds were already experiencing massive population movements that resulted in settlement and domination of many surrounding regions.5
There are far too many children in the foster care who need a stable home, along with the loving support from couples who are willing to adopt them, so that they have a more concrete environment to grow up in. Statistics from Child Welfare Information Gateway show that there were close to 400,000 children who entered the foster care system in the United States as of November 2012 (1). Out of the 400,000 children, an astounding 51% were successfully re-united with their families while only 21% were adopted (6). Thus, leaving an estimated 130,000 helpless children who ...
Nemeroff, Charles B., et. el. (2003) Differential Responses to Psychotherapy versus pharmacotherapy in Patients with Chronic Forms of Major Depression. National Academy of Sciences, v100, i24, pg.142(4)
In doing this it helps the client recognize patterns in how they avoid destress and how and why they developed their defense mechanisms. Psychodynamic therapists encourage their clients to speak freely of their thoughts, emotions, desires, and fears in order to let out the vulnerable feelings that have been pushed out of the conscious mind and out of their awareness. Psychodynamic therapy sessions are open ended and based on a process of free association. (Gad,
The foster care program has become such a huge thing worldwide. It can help to provide children homes and families which they would not be able to find otherwise. Foster care programs also offer temporary food, domestic care for children from birth to age eighteen. While programs laws and rules are different from state to state, typically foster care is used by children 's welfare services when a child is identified as having been orphaned, abandoned, abused, or neglected. At the same time though it has a negative impact. The foster care system hurts the structure of the family unit which has existed for centuries. Foster Care has become better and better as time goes on. Before, there would be people who scam the system and it was hard to
result of World War One. The people of Kurdistan went from being part of the Ottoman empire to being divided into four countries and three distinct ethnicities namely Arabs, Persians, and Turks. The new nations of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria were formed at the expense of the identity of the Kurds whom were natives to their ancestral land. Throughout history, the Kurds have been constantly oppressed within their “countries” by gassings in Halabja, and Turkey’s constant massacres; as recent as 2011, and the current complex war in Syria. The United States of America must establish a better communications policy with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG),
PJAK leaders and fighters regard imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan as their supreme leader and share his philosophy. The party operates military bases and training camps in the Qandil region bordered with Iran, Iraq, and Turkey and has around 3,000 armed fighters. Half of the PJAK’s forces are female, and the movement has a strong commitment to women rights in Kurdistan and around the world. The group took up arms just after its establishment and has challenged the Iranian regime ever since. “In 2011, heavy clashes broke out between PJAK and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.” This ended with a ceasefire in September 2011,[16] still in effect, as of the writing of this