Well i was just thinking, and.
Oh this may be stupid but..maybe it would be a good idea to have specific threads for types of therapy?
Similar to the BPD thread or the dissociative distress thread, but for types of therapy.
Because people often post in Mental Health Discussion and Support about starting a new therapy or problems they are experiencing in relation to it, and i thought it would make it a bit easier.
Apologies if this has been suggested before.
I think that sounds like a good idea.
I think a sticky explaining how each therapy works would be good so that people didn't have to post and ask what to expect from their first session of..DBT for example. One sticky explaining them all, locked rather than a discussion thread.
Yes i have seen threads for disassociative distress disorder and BPD etc, but i think people mean the different types of therapy you can recieve. I have recently been referred by the doctor to get some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and to be honest didn't really understand what it was. I'm sure there are many other kinds of therapy that people don't really understand.
I think a Sticky thread would be best though so that the information is there if people want to read it, but it's not repeated in the forums over and over again. That way people can also be pointed there if people start asking for information or help.
EDIT: Further to this would it also be useful to add some more information about common medications for different disorders? Alot of people, myself included, have been put on alot of different medications and not really understood what they do. This could include things like common side effects, what they aim to do, what they are prescribed for etc ? It would make people feel far more at ease about being put on these hefty pills!
Last edited by Chaos : 14-03-2009 at 01:08 PM.
Reason: ideas!
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Yeah, i meant threads similar to the BPD thread and dissociative distress thread in the way that people could post about any difficulties they were having with the therapy or just talk about it in general, whether it worked etc.
I think that stickies would be a good idea too though :]
For example, a DBT thread, a CBT thread, possibly a psychotherapy thread etc.
I was just thinking about how i often have questions to do with DBT and i think they would be easier to post in a thread that was specifically for that purpose.
a sticky saying something like this..... (be warned its long)
Drug Therapy
A number of psychoactive drugs are highly effective and widely used by psychiatrists and other medical doctors. These drugs are often categorized according to the disorder for which they are primarily prescribed.
For example, antidepressants are used to treat depression.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine, sertraline and citalopram , are the newest and most widely used class of antidepressants.
Other classes of antidepressants include the serotonin- norepinephrine
reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as venlafaxine or duloxetine, and the norepinephrine / dopamine drugs, such as bupropion .
Antipsychotic drugs, such as chlorpromazine , haloperidol , and thiothixene , are helpful in treating psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Newer antipsychotic drugs (commonly called atypicals), such as risperidone , olanzapine , quetiapine , ziprasidone
, and aripiprazole, are now commonly used as first-line therapy.
For patients who do not respond to traditional and atypical antipsychotics, clozapine is increasingly used.
SSRIs and antianxiety drugs, such as clonazepam , lorazepam , and diazepam , as well as antidepressants, are used to treat anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder and phobias. Mood stabilizers, such as lithium , carbamazepine , and valproate , have been used to treat manic-depressive illness (bipolar disorder).
Electroconvulsive Therapy
With electroconvulsive therapy, electrodes are attached to the head, and while the person is sedated, a series of electrical shocks are delivered to the brain to induce a brief seizure. This therapy has consistently been shown to be the most effective treatment for severe depression. Many people treated with electroconvulsive therapy experience temporary memory loss. However, contrary to its portrayal in the media, electroconvulsive therapy is safe and rarely causes any other complications. The modern use of anesthetics and muscle relaxants has greatly reduced any risk. Other forms of brain stimulation, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and vagal nerve stimulation, are under study and may be beneficial for people with severe depression that does not respond to drugs or psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy
In recent years, significant advances have been made in the field of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, sometimes referred to as “talk therapy,” works on the assumption that the cure for a person's suffering lies within that person and that this cure can be facilitated through a trusting, supportive relationship with a psychotherapist. By creating an empathetic and accepting atmosphere, the therapist often is able to help the person identify the source of the problems and consider alternatives for dealing with them. The emotional awareness and insight that the person gains through psychotherapy often results in a change in attitude and behavior that allows the person to live a fuller and more satisfying life.
Psychotherapy is appropriate in a wide range of conditions. Even people who do not have a mental health disorder may find psychotherapy helpful in coping with such problems as employment difficulties, bereavement, or chronic illness in the family. Group psychotherapy, couples' therapy, and family therapy are also widely used.
Most mental health practitioners practice one of six types of psychotherapy: supportive psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, behavior therapy, or interpersonal therapy.
Supportive psychotherapy, which is most commonly used, relies on the empathetic and supportive relationship between the person and the therapist. It encourages expression of feelings, and the therapist provides help with problem solving. Problem-focused psychotherapy, a form of supportive therapy, may be conducted successfully by primary care doctors.
Psychoanalysis is the oldest form of psychotherapy and was developed by Sigmund Freud in the first part of the 20th century. The person typically lies on a couch in the therapist's office 4 or 5 times a week and attempts to say whatever comes to mind, a practice called free association. Much of the focus is on understanding how past patterns of relationships repeat themselves in the present. The relationship between the person and the therapist is a key part of this focus. An understanding of how the past affects the present helps the person
develop new and more adaptive ways of functioning in relationships and in work settings.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy, like psychoanalysis, emphasizes the identification of unconscious patterns in current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. However, the person is usually sitting instead of lying on a couch and attends only 1 to 3 sessions per week. In addition, less emphasis is placed on the relationship between the person and therapist.
Cognitive therapy helps people identify distortions in thinking and understand how these distortions lead to problems in their lives. The premise is that how people feel and behave is determined by how they interpret experiences. Through the identification of core beliefs and assumptions, people learn to think in different ways about their experiences, reducing symptoms and resulting in improvement in behavior and feelings.
Behavior therapy is related to cognitive therapy. Sometimes a combination of the two, known as cognitive-behavior therapy, is used. The theoretical basis of behavior therapy is learning theory, which holds that abnormal behaviors are due to faulty learning. Behavior therapy involves a number of interventions that are designed to help the person unlearn maladaptive behaviors while learning adaptive behaviors. Exposure therapy, often used to treat phobias, is one example of a behavior therapy
Interpersonal therapy was initially conceived as a brief psychologic treatment for depression and is designed to improve the quality of a depressed person's relationships. It focuses on unresolved grief, conflicts that arise when people fill roles that differ from their expectations (such as when a woman enters a relationship expecting to be a stay-at-home mother and finds that she must also be the major provider for the family), social role transitions (such as going from being an active worker to being retired), and difficulty communicating with others. The therapist teaches the person to improve aspects of interpersonal relationships, such as overcoming social isolation and responding in a less habitual way to others.
Last edited by squirrelspit : 14-03-2009 at 08:00 PM.
Antidepressants
These are one of the most commonly prescribed groups of drugs for mental illness. They not only reduce depression in people who are experience long-term or major depressive episodes, they also help prevent future episodes.
These medications are most often used to treat people who have been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder (manic-depression). But they may also be prescribed to people who suffer from other mental illnesses, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder, as these illnesses may be accompanied by depression.
Below are the brand names of some commonly prescribed antidepressants:
Anafranil
Celexa
Desyrel
Effexor
Elavil
Luvox
Nardil
Norpramine
Pamelor
Parnate
Paxil
Prozac
Reboxetine
Remeron
Serzone
Surmontil
Tofranil
Vivactil
Wellbutrin
Zoloft
Anti-Anxiety Agents (also known as tranquilizers):
These medications reduce anxiety, worry, nervousness and panic, including physical symptoms of anxiety such as dizziness, rapid breathing, nausea, and sweating.
Unfortunately, these medications are physically addictive, which is why they are prescribed only for people diagnosed with extreme cases of anxiety. They are most often prescribed to people diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and various personality disorders.
Below are the brand names of some commonly prescribed anti-anxiety agents:
Ativan
Xanax
Klonopin (may also be used to reduce manic episodes)
Valium
Librium
Tranxene
Antipsychotics (also known as major tranquilizers):
These medications reduce psychotic symptoms (such as hearing voices or delusional thinking) and reduce agitation. Some kinds may also act like mood stabilizers (see description of mood stabilizers below). They are most often prescribed for people suffering from schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder and depression.
Below are the brand names of some commonly prescribed antipsychotics:
Clozaril
Haldol
Mellaril
Moban
Navane
Orap
Prolixin
Risperdal
Seroquel
Stelazine
Thorazine
Trilafon
Zyprexa
Mood Stabilizers
These medications help stabilize emotions in people who suffer from extreme highs (such as 'manic' episodes) and lows (such as clinical depression). They are most often prescribed to people who suffer from bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and various personality disorders. Below are the brand names of some commonly prescribed mood stabilizers:
Carbatrol
Cibalith (lithium)
Depakote/Depakene
Eskalith/Eskalith-CR (lithium)
Lithobid (lithium)
Lithonate (lithium)
Lithotabs (lithium)
Tegretol
Psychostimulants (often prescribed for ADHD)
These medications help people pay attention and control extreme impulsive behavior (such as uncontrollable talking or fidgeting). Although they are 'stimulants', this group of drugs helps people with mental illnesses gain control by increasing activity in the part of the brain that exercises control. They are most often prescribed to people who have been diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy (the inability to stay awake.)
Below are the brand names of some commonly prescribed psychostimulants:
Adderall
Catapres (this drug is a hypertensive primarily used for people with high blood pressure, but sometimes it can be used to treat the symptoms of ADHD)
I dont think you can have threads for each type of pills and therapies, it would clog up the bored, maybe have one for therapy and one for medication. But at the same time i dont think its a good idea.
The other thing is with putting down mediaction you are missing alot out, my moodstabilizer isnt in the list and you have missed out a few disorders that need some of the medication. You cant do a list without including all of them, even then i dont think there is much information there except the names of pills, i dont see how that is ment to help. If you get given something then it gets expmained to you at the time what it is and how it will help.
The other problem is you will get people going "oh this therapy doesnt work" and negative comments may put other people off doing that type of thereay.
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