What is Psychotherapy?
History of Psychotherapy
What Can Psychotherapy Treat?
Depression
Psychotherapy helps pinpoint the behaviors and mindsets that trigger depression symptoms. Different forms of psychotherapy can recognize harmful mindsets while also working through positive reinforcement and self-analysis for recovery.
Anxiety
Like depression, psychotherapy can be beneficial in treating the signs and symptoms of anxiety while also working to address the source of the condition.
Substance Use Disorder
One of the fundamental steps in recovering from a substance use disorder is detox. During this time, however, it is important to address triggers for unhealthy behaviors while also teaching positive coping mechanisms as the body recovers. Psychotherapy can be beneficial in providing the tools for people recovering from substance use disorders.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can be caused or made worse by body dysmorphia and other mental conditions. However, psychotherapy can be beneficial in addressing and correcting these conditions.
PTSD
For post-traumatic stress disorder, one of the most important aspects of a healthy life includes developing safe, positive coping skills. Psychotherapy can provide these tools while also working to address the source of trauma to aid in recovery.
The Benefits of Psychotherapy
One of the reasons that psychotherapy is a popular treatment option is because of its many benefits. Psychotherapy can be utilized alone or with other treatments to help recover – or to simply recognize and correct behaviors for improved quality of life.
Identifies Issues
Psychotherapists are certified with the skillset and knowledge to recognize, identity, and treat issues, as well as their sources and associated behaviors.
Understand Emotions
The patient will be able to identify the sources of their emotions and come to understand why they experience emotion the way that they do.
Regain Control
Through understanding the source of issues and the consequential emotional response, the patient has the benefit of regaining control over their condition as well as their treatment. Psychotherapy techniques can be taught and utilized outside of the therapy setting, allowing for improved quality of life.
Learn Coping Techniques
Once issues and associated behaviors and effects are identified, appropriate coping techniques can be used to aid in recovery.
Therapy Formats
PTSD
Group Therapy
Group therapy involves multiple patients simultaneously holding a session with at least a single psychotherapist. This format allows for peer discussion and motivation, and it is often seen in an in-patient or rehabilitation setting.
Group therapy can also take different forms, such as familial or domestic therapy.
Family Therapy
Trauma can present itself in a family, either as an external or internal source affecting the whole. As a result, psychotherapy conducted between a family is beneficial in recognizing harmful issues or behaviors while also striving for reconciliation and recovery.
Marriage or Couples Therapy
Like family therapy, marriage or couples therapy conducted by a psychotherapist can be beneficial in mediating concerns for a healthier relationship.
Types of Psychotherapies
Psychoanalysis/Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychoanalysis is a form of psychotherapy where the focus is to treat mental conditions through an analysis of the conscious and unconscious aspects of the mind, such as memories, dreams, and fears.
Behavioral Therapy
In contrast, behavior therapy focuses on triggers and the sources as well as impacts of different behaviors. It is usually paired with the cognitive therapy aspect for a holistic experience.
Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy is a short-term therapy used to help patients understand the link between thoughts and behaviors. Its focus is correcting behaviors that could harm the body and encouraging safer, healthier behaviors through reasoning and positive reinforcement. It is often paired with behavior therapy for cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Humanistic Therapy
Humanistic therapy highlights the importance of individualism and personal existence in the free world.
Integrative or Holistic Therapy
Integrative therapy is a progression psychotherapy format that combines several or all the tools provided in the formats to target different areas as one and provide holistic recovery.
Statistics on the Effectiveness of Psychotherapies
Other Treatment Methods
Psychotherapy can be beneficial for nearly everyone. However, for some people, other treatment methods are used alongside psychotherapy to progress recovery. Some of these alternative methods include medications as well as rehabilitation.
Medications
While therapy can be a useful tool in identifying triggers and sources for mental health problems, for more severe cases, additional treatment methods are necessary. For common problems that include side effects or noticeable symptoms that impair daily function, medication is used to regulate and control symptoms.
Here are some of the most used medications used alongside psychotherapy to treat common mental health problems:
Depression
- Escitalopram
- Trazodone
- Duloxetine
- Citalopram
- Bupropion
- Clomipramine
Anxiety
- Alprazolam
- Diazepam
- Lorazepam
- Fluoxetine
- Sertraline
- Escitalopram
PTSD
- Sertraline
- Paroxetine
- Fluoxetine
- Venlafaxine
Detox and Rehabilitation
For patients going through detox and rehabilitation, psychotherapy helps them move away from unhealthy behaviors and replace them with safe and healthy coping mechanisms. For people with substance abuse disorders or eating disorders, rehabilitation is an especially important step to recovery.
For those with a substance abuse disorder, rehabilitation usually combines cognitive-behavioral therapy with contingency management, so the individual recognizes negative triggers and redirects their attention to healthy coping mechanisms.
In most in-patient facilities, a combination of individual and group psychotherapy is used.
Resources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6448000/
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0952695117703243
- https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20050557
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19205963/#:~:text=Psychotherapy%20yielded%20large%20mean%20ESs,pathology%2C%20the%20results%20were%20similar
