Lesson 16: Therapy and Treatment


Attention



Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Evaluate personal experiences with the Mental Health service delivery system.

Teaching

History of Treatment of Mental Illness

A lot of us have felt the blues and have felt down. Sometimes it is associated with real loss or disappointment. But even then we feel that we should be able to shake it...but it persists.

We might have a case of dysthymia. Because dysthymia can develop into Major Depression we need to be able to deal with it when it comes up.

Some of the reasons we may become dysthymic include:

  • negative thoughts about the self
  • overgeneralization (absolutes like "never" and "always" which disempower us)
  • Selective attention (only focusing on the negatives)
  • Specific Psychosocial Situations
    • Academic pressure
    • Financial stress
    • Role stress (ex: your role as a parent conflicting with your role as a student)
    • Family pressures

Here are some strategies that really do help...they might seem a bit hokey but they have a good history of working!

  • Socializing (practicing social skills, hanging out with friends, family, etc.)
  • Exercise (promotes healthy biology)
  • Identifying negative thoughts and creating a plan to replace them with more positive thoughts
  • Positive thinking
  • Time Management
  • Personal behavior plans

Sometimes it may be important to seek help with the "blues" if they seem to be out of your control. Asking for help does not mean that you have a mental illness, it means that you need help coming up with strategies to deal with the feelings that you are having.

Therapy and Treatment

When someone's "abnormal" behavior begins to interfere with their functioning or happiness, it is time to seek treatment. There are numerous approaches to the treatment of mental problems and mental illness.

History of Mental Health Treatment

Psychopharmacology

One of the most prominent methods of treating mental disorders is to take medications. Medications have advantages over many other types of treatment in that they are:

  • Portable
  • More affordable
  • Efficient
  • Effective
  • Less stigmatizing...you can take them in private and no one need know

While many general practitioners will prescribe psychotropic medications to their patients, it is best to seek a specialist, a Psychiatrist, who is a medical doctor that specializes in Psychology.

While medications might get a bad rap, it is important to remember that medications, more than any other approach, has been successful in reducing symptoms and helping people reintegrate into society.

Therapy

In general we might perceive therapy as a 1:1 relationship with a therapist where we meet regularly and discuss problems and solutions. While this is largely true, therapy comes in many forms.

Click HERE to visit a site that lists some of the hundred's of forms of therapy.

Finding Help: How to find help through Psychotherapy

Rehabilitation Services

For persons with "chronic, persistent, and pervasive" symptoms of mental illness...psychopharmacology and therapy are usually accompanied by Rehabilitation Services.

Rehab Services are designed to assist the person in developing the skills to live a "normal" life even though they may still be experiencing symptoms. Essentially, the method focuses on helping people live successfully with their mental illness.

Much of these services focus on addressing "barriers" that individuals experience that keep them from being more successful in the environment of their choice. Sometimes these barriers are INSIDE of the person (symptoms, attitudes, self-expectations, lack of skills, etc.) At other times the barriers exist OUTSIDE the person (societal stigma against mental illness, poverty, homelessness, etc.)

KVCC has a Mental Health program that provides the training necessary for students to attain their MHRT/C (Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician / Community) certificate. Jobs that are available in the field for MHRT/Cs include Direct Support, Case Management, and other Mental Health Rehabilitation services.

Click HERE to download our program flyer!


Assessment

Lesson 16 Discussion

Mental Illness can be very confusing and hard to understand. Because we know so little about how the mind works, we don't really understand mental illness. We often might think that someone is faking symptoms to attain benefits.

My experience is that Mental Illness is very real and is, indeed, very painful.

Share your thoughts on the topic of mental illness, substance abuse, and the various modes of treatment.

Lesson 16 Quiz

  1. Share any person experiences you may have had interacting with services in the Mental Health system. How effective was it?