Mental health articles
OF mental health care and mentally ill
December, 2015
Relaxation, Meditation, and Exercise
Relaxation, Meditation, and Exercise While bad feelings and low moods are part of life, there are ways to take the edge off of negative eff ects, as therapists can usefully demonstrate in three short steps. First ask students to rate their level of anxiety or distress on a 100-point scale. Next, have them close their […]
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Medical Side Effects Medication
Medical Side Effects Medication we will confi ne ourselves here to briefl y commenting about the nonmedical clinician’s pivotal role in drug therapy. Th e main task is to determine when a medication consult is warranted, based on careful diagnostic assessment. Medications are indispensable for bipolar disorder, oft en necessary for major depressive episodes and […]
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Psychodynamic Interventions
Psychodynamic Interventions Whatever techniques one uses, the treatment of anxious and depressed students benefi ts from psychodynamic insights, as we’ve already seen in connection with analyzing transference and countertransference phenomena. Another key psychodynamic insight is the importance of identifying and resolving patients’ resistance to change (Greenson, 1967), and in a larger sense taking into account […]
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cognitive interventions for depression
cognitive interventions for depression According to the CT model, depressed and anxious people think their way into suff ering. Specifi cally, they have maladaptive basic views, or schemas (“I’m unlovable,” “I’m helpless”), associated maladaptive rules or underlying assumptions (“Unless I’m perfect, people won’t like me”), and related automatic thoughts that misinterpret everyday reality (Leahy, 1997; […]
Tags: depression, intervention
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depressed and anxious students have social deficits
depressed and anxious students have social deficits A final area of behavioral diffi culties is social defi cits. Some depressed and anxious students shrink away from taking social risks partly because they know from experience that they’ll strike out. Th ere’s no point urging them to try again until they can improve their prospects. While […]
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Depression and anxiety are associated with self-destructive behaviors
Self-Destructive Behaviors Depression and anxiety are also associated with self-destructive behaviors— alcohol or other drug abuse; disordered eating; excessive gambling or spending; Internet, television, or video-game abuse; self-cutting; or self-destructive sexual activity. Th ough momentarily exciting or soothing, such behaviors ultimately dig a deeper hole of suff ering. As with avoidance, treating selfdestructive behaviors begins […]
Tags: anxiety, depression
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unassertiveness and thinking errors
A subtle form of avoidance is the problem of unassertiveness. Many depressed and anxious students outwardly engage in college life but retreat when it comes to expressing their opinions and feelings, asking for help, or saying no to unwanted requests. Perhaps praised as children for always being good or perfect or selfl ess (the exact […]
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avoidance behavior symptoms
avoidance behavior symptoms You don’t have to be a behavior therapist to recognize the clinical signifi cance of maladaptive behaviors. And of all the maladaptive patterns of anxious and depressed students, perhaps the most widespread is avoidance. Anxious students shy away from confronting specifi c objects or situations (as seen with simple phobias and PTSD), […]
Tags: symptoms
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therapy relationship issues
therapy relationship issues Depressed students tend to make agreeable patients. True, those who have borderline or narcissistic traits can be exceptions, like one tormenting female student who taunted her therapist: “Probably I won’t kill myself but I won’t guarantee it, because I want you to worry about me at night.” Generally, though, therapists like working […]
Tags: therapy
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Assessment and Psychoeducation
Assessment and Psychoeducation Good treatment is predicated on accurate assessment. Some clinicians favor formal depression and anxiety assessment instruments such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck, Rial, & Rickets, 1974) Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) (Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988) Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (U.S. DHHS, 1976) Public Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9) (Spitzer, Kroenke, & […]
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