Chp 16 Notes Antianxiety drugs are commonly known as tranquilizers Th ese drugs reduce anxiety by making the individual calmer and less excitable Benzodiazepines are the antianxiety drugs that generally off er the greatest relief for anxiety symptoms though these drugs are potentially addictive Antidepressant drugs regulate mood Tricyclics so called because of their three ringed molecular structure are believed to work by increasing the level of certain neurotransmitters especially norepinephrine and serotonin MAO inhibitors are thought to work because they block the enzyme monoamine oxidase Th is enzyme breaks down the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain Hazell 2009 Pitychoutis others 2010 Scientists believe that the blocking action of MAO inhibitors allows these neurotransmitters to stick around in the brain s synapses and help regulate mood SSRIs target serotonin and work mainly by interfering only with the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain electroconvulsive therapy ECT commonly called shock therapy is to set off a seizure in the brain much like what happens spontaneously in some forms of epilepsy W A Brown 2007 Th e notion that causing someone to have a seizure might help cure a psychological disorder may seem strange but this idea has been around for quite some time ancient Greeks used to use it Antipsychotic drugs are powerful drugs that diminish agitated behavior reduce tension decrease hallucinations improve social behavior and produce better sleep patterns in individuals who have a severe psychological disorder especially schizophrenia Neuroleptics are the most extensively used class of antipsychotic drugs Garver 2006 Numerous well controlled investigations reveal that when used in suffi cient doses neuroleptics reduce a variety of schizophrenic symptoms Nasrallah others 2009 Th e most widely accepted explanation for the eff ectiveness of neuroleptics is their ability to block dopamine s action in the brain Psychosurgery is a biological intervention that involves the removal or destruction of brain tissue to improve the individual s adjustment Th e eff ects of psychosurgery cannot be reversed Prefrontal Lobotomy In the 1930s Portuguese physician Antonio Egas Moniz developed a surgical procedure to treat psychological disorders In this operation an instrument is inserted into the brain and rotated severing fi bers that connect the frontal lobe which is important in higher thought processes and the thalamus which plays a key role in emotion Moniz theorized that by severing the connections between these structures the surgeon could alleviate the symptoms of severe mental disorders Although their ability to prescribe drugs is limited psychologists and other mental health professionals may provide psychotherapy a nonmedical process that helps individuals with psychological disorders recognize and overcome their problems Psychotherapy may be given alone or in conjunction with biological therapy administered by psychiatrists and other medical doctors Psychoanalysis is Freud s therapeutic technique for analyzing an individual s unconscious thoughts Freud believed that a person s current problems could be traced to childhood experiences many of which involved unconscious sexual confl icts Only through extensive questioning probing and analyzing was Freud able to put together the pieces of the client s personality and help the individual become aware of how these early experiences were aff ecting present behavior Free association involves encouraging individuals to say aloud whatever comes to mind no matter how trivial or embarrassing Interpretation plays an important role in psychoanalysis Th e analyst does not take the patient s statements and behavior at face value To understand what is causing the person s conflicts the therapist constantly searches for symbolic hidden meanings in what the individual says and does Transference is the psychoanalytic term for the person s relating to the analyst in ways that reproduce or relive important relationships in the individual s life A person might interact with an analyst as if the analyst were a parent or lover for example According to Freud transference is a necessary part of the psychoanalytic relationship as it models the way that individuals relate to important people in their lives Resistance is the psychoanalytic term for the client s unconscious defense strategies that prevent the analyst from understanding the person s problems Resistance occurs because it is painful for the client to bring confl icts into conscious awareness By resisting analysis the individual does not have to face the threatening truths that underlie his or her problems Dream analysis is a psychoanalytic technique for interpreting a person s dreams Psychoanalysts believe that dreams contain information about unconscious thoughts wishes and confl icts Freud 1911 From this perspective dreams give us an outlet to express our unconscious wishes a mental theater in which our deepest and most secret desires can be played out Client centered therapy also called Rogerian therapy or nondirective therapy is a form of humanistic therapy developed by Carl Rogers in which the therapist provides a warm supportive atmosphere to improve the client s self concept and to encourage the client to gain insight into problems Rogers 1961 1980 Compared with psychodynamic therapies which emphasize analysis and interpretation by the therapist clientcentered therapy places far more emphasis on the client s self refl ection C E Hill 2000 In client centered therapy the goal of therapy is to help the client identify and understand his or her own genuine feelings refl ective speech a technique in which the therapist mirrors the client s own feelings back to the client For example as a woman is describing her grief over the traumatic loss of her husband in a drunk driving accident the therapist noting her voice and facial expression might suggest You sound angry to help her identify her feelings unconditional positive regard which involves creating a warm and caring environment and never disapproving of the client as a person Rogers believed this unconditional positive regard provides a context for personal growth and selfacceptance just as soil water and sunshine provide a context for the acorn to become an oak Th rough empathy the therapist strives to put himself or herself in the client s shoes to feel the emotions the client is feeling Behavior therapies