Treatments

• according to the cognitive approach, the way we think about events is important. our response to events we experience can be rational or irrational. its the irrational response that can lead to feelings of depression. Ellis developed the ABC model to explain the process
• Ellis' ABC model

  • A: activating agent
  • B: beliefs about 'A'
  • C: consequences of 'B'
• CBTp is the idea that people often have disorganised beliefs, this will influence their feelings and behaviours. this aim is to help patients identify their irrational thoughts and try to change them. this may be a discussion with the patient to decide if these thoughts are true. it doesn't get rid of the symptoms but it can help them cope with them
• patients can be helped to make sense of how their delusions and hallucinations impact on their feelings and behaviour. understanding there these feelings come from can be hugely helpful for some patients
• if a patient hears voices and believes these voices are demons then they'll naturally be afraid. offering psychological explanations for the existence of hallucinations and delusions can help reduce this anxiety. delusions can also be challenged so that a patient can come to learn that their beliefs aren't based on reality
• Zimmerman et al (2005) performed a meta analysis of 14 studies of CBT published between 1990 and 2004 involving 1,484 patients and found CBT significantly reduced positive symptoms and that the treatment was especially beneficial to those suffering a short term acute schizophrenic episode. this implied that CBT is more appropriate when treating certain aspects of the disorder
• it could be argued that CBT isn't suitable for all patients. patients who are too disorientated, agitated or paranoid to form trusting relationships with practitioners. it may be more suitable for those refusing drug treatments, through such patients are often so highly disturbed it is difficult to effectively undertake CBT
• the aim of family therapy is to improve communication and interaction between family members
• due to psychological cause like double bind and schizophrenic mother, some therapies see the family as the root cause.
• most therapies today aim to reduce stressful family environments that might contribute to a patient's risk of relapse and to reduce levels of expressed emotion
• Pharoah (2010) argues that family therapy is achieved by reducing levels of stress and expressed emotion with the help of medication reduces the chance of re-lapse
• Pharoah et al (2010) reviewed 53 studies published between 2002 and 2010 to investigate the effectiveness of family intervention. he compared the outcomes of those with family therapy to those with 'standard' care. he found that mental state, compliance with medication and social functioning results were mixed but there was a reduction in the risk of relapse and a reduction in hospital admission during drug treatment in the 2 years after
• the emphasis on openness can be an issue with family members being reluctant to share sensitive information since it may cause or reopen family tensions. some family members may also be reluctant to talk about, or even admit, their problems, lowering the effectiveness of the treatment