Psychological Therapies

Question 1

Outline- CBT

Answer 1

Method for treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques.
The aim is to identify the patients irrational thoughts and trying to change them.
5-20 sessions.
‘The mafia are after me’
‘That’s a possibility, but there may be other explanations, how do you know it’s the mafia.’

Question 2

Outline- family therapy

Answer 2

Aimed to improve the communication in the household with the family that has SZ in it.
Family studies aim to reduce stress, and the levels of EE (expressed emotion)
Procedure:
-reduce the stress of caring for a relative with SZ
-improving the families ability to anticipate and solve related problems.
-reduction in guilt and anger in family members
-helping family members still maintain their own lives
-improving beliefs about SZ.

Question 3

Outline- token economies.

Answer 3

A rewards scheme where the patient will receive tokens for performing simple tasks such as showering and dressing themselves.
They will receive a reward when they Aquire enough tokens, such as they can have their favourite meal.
The token is the secondary reinforcement because they only have value when the patient has learned they get rewards for it.

Question 4

Evaluation- evidence for effectiveness

Answer 4

Jauhar (2014)
Reviewed the results for the effectiveness of CBT of SZ sufferers. Found that it had significant but small effects on both negative and positive symptoms.
Other studies have found that family therapy significantly reduces hospital readmissions over the year and improves the families quality of life.

Question 5

Evaluation- ethical issues

Answer 5

Token economies deprives the most severely affected people from small pleasures making their quality of life worse in the short term, where as those who aren’t as severe will get more stuff. (Therefore it must be tailored to each person)
CBT also may be unethical as if challenges someone’s beliefs that are part of their identity.

Question 6

Evaluation- alternative psychological treatments

Answer 6

There are other therapies that can be helpful for people with SZ that are less known e.g. Art therapy, provided an art therapist is available.
-there’s a case to make these others more available for sufferers.