Paper: My thoughts on Treatments in the Mental Health World

My thoughts on Treatments in the Mental Health World

Word Count: 1836

    Therapy, the age-old question is therapy good for the person or should you just go ahead and medicate them and assume the problem will solve itself. Personally, I think therapy is a wonderful tool for persons to use to finally face and release the troubles they have kept locked away. This however is contingent on the fact that they find a therapist who believes them and is empathetic instead of brushing them off. I chose the topic about psychotherapy and whether it is or is not effective due to having many family members with mental illnesses of varying sorts, I was interested to hear what the panel in the video would have to say about this topic.

    The first topic from the video I would like to discuss is patients given medication when what they really want is to find someone who will listen to them and not mark them non-compliant just because they will not take their medication. This also fits under patients feeling unassured by their therapist, another topic from the video. I feel that is deplorable for a provider to treat a patient that comes to them seeking help as a nuisance, and after only giving them a token amount of their time they prescribe them medication in hopes they will leave them alone. The question rises if they did not want to help people why did they become a therapist to begin with? In a study from Australia, which personally I feel would have the same results no matter where in the world it was based, they wanted to find out why many patients stopped taking their medications. They discovered it was a variety of reasons. Some patients felt like zombies or felt nothing at all, how is that a life? This was the main reason for one of my family members as they had become distressed at feeling numb all the time, so they stopped their medication because they wanted to try and be normal and feel emotions again. Another reason patients stopped taking their medications was because they wanted to try to discuss their issues and see if it could be solved without medication. They were however dismissed and told they would be marked non-compliant and that would end their treatment as the doctor would not be able to assist the patient further. How utterly ridiculous it is to think that is how some therapists perceive mental health, ‘I will give you medications that might help and you should only come back to see me when you want more.’ Other patients stopped because they wanted to try natural remedies. Knowing of the potentially detrimental side effects of psychiatric drugs, they wanted to try natural remedies to help them instead of damaging their bodies with over-the-counter medication. Whatever a patients’ reasons are for stopping their medication I believe better measures should be taken to learn about the patient and their own unique circumstances. If a patient wants to try medication, then it should be their prerogative and not presented as the only option to continue to receive any kind of help. I am not saying that medication does not help some individuals, it does, but it should not be forced upon patients as the only choice.

    The second topic that I chose from the video is that therapy can be a good drug. A study in the military showed that when they did prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy it had good results for the patients who could continue follow-up care after study. It also showed that most did well in the program but may not have had the best access to care in their area to get the follow-up treatment required. The focus of that program was for patients suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During the courses of their therapies most became better equipped to deal with the traumas they had suffered. This study also provided evidence that those who could continue the therapy outside of the experiment felt more contented than if they were being forced to take medication. There are always a few exceptions to every study and this one showed that this method was unable to help some of the patients and inevitably made them feel worse, but for the most part it was proven to be beneficial. During the time in my early career in the Air force while I was working in the mental health clinic, I saw many cases of patients suffering from PTSD. Initially the military’s solution was more about medicating them than giving them therapy. From my perspective most of them wanted and needed someone to talk to about what happened but were typically not given the chance to do so at that time. Later in my career I saw changes based on new studies that focused more on giving the patients therapy and I noticed the majority that did seek treatment seemed to do better than ones that were just given medication. Another study showed that in schizophrenia patients giving medication was harmful in the long-term as it could cause severe damage to their bodies and often did not improve patients’ bad days. Interestingly, some patients did better long-term with therapy and not taking medication. Another remarkably fascinating study was music therapy in patients with dementia. I though this was an amazing way to help patients, I mean who does not love music, but patients with dementia are bound to have spells of anger. This is understandable as who would not be frustrated constantly forgetting who they are, and their family can exacerbate this by unintentionally trying to get them to try to remember things. Giving medication to these patients often has severe risks due to the typical age of most patients suffering from dementia. Worst of all it cannot cure their disease, why would anyone want to take a medication that will not actually help them, I know I would not want to take it. In the hopes of finding better therapies, they chose to try playing music to their patients, and remarkably it helped in quelling their rage. The old adage seems to hold true, ‘Music soothes the savage beast.’

    The third topic from the video I would like to discuss is patient’s hesitance to get mental treatment because of their culture or the stigma that is mental health. Some patients will not seek treatment as it is something that is frowned upon by their culture. Asians are an excellent example of this as in their culture you do not talk to people about your feelings, you keep that inside because it is nobody’s business. This is a sad fact that happens all over the world. People are afraid to go against the cultural norms and get themselves the help that they may desperately need. This happens frequently in the military as well, as many airmen refused to get treatment at the mental health clinic because they were afraid to lose their clearance, be cross trained into a different career field, and were told by superiors that you do not talk about your feelings and that was not how things were done in the military. They were also afraid of being discharged from the military, as they were convinced, they would not be fit to serve if they were found out, so they hid their illnesses, this is a stigma the military has suffered with for a long time. In more recent years, the military has worked hard to get away from members not seeking help. They are trying to train members to speak to each other about the fact that it is okay to seek help and it is not a bad thing, and that they do not need to hide the way they feel anymore. Females in the military system are more likely to pursue therapy if they need it. However, services were limited initially as many were not trained in how to deal with women who may have been raped overseas while deployed. This was sadly an all too frequent occurrence. Another issue that arose was most therapists available were male, what woman wants to tell a man that she was sexually mistreated. There is a stigma around mental health care that affects many people and prevents them from getting the proper help they need. Sadly, as with many issues patients have to face, they must want to get help they cannot be forced.

    The fourth topic from the video I chose was that picking the right therapist is the way to go for many patients. Unfortunately, it only takes one bad one to convince a patient to give up on getting treated. Regrettably one of my family members, who has a great need of therapy and has had success with it, has experienced a bad one and now refuses to see any male therapists over the fear of being inappropriately talked to and touched. A good therapist, in my opinion, should customize a plan of treatment for each patient, as we are all different and may require different paths of therapy, instead of assuming a one size fits all approach is the way to go. When patients do seek therapy, they want to know the person they are telling these deep dark secrets to is actually listening to them and taking in what they say instead of brushing them off or thinking they are lying. I am not saying everyone is one hundred percent truthful with their therapists, but most are and for many what they are revealing is something exceedingly difficult for them to divulge, so compassion is required. When patients actively seek out a therapist, they want someone who is willing to help them without judgement and give them a chance to vent and discuss their options for their future care, and I believe this should be encouraged.

    The fifth and final item from the video I would like to discuss is how cognitive behavioral therapy can make a difference to those who participate in it. Teaching people better ways to manage themselves through therapy processes is a proven way to help people feel better and make them feel empowered. Whereas before they may have felt out of control and unable to properly express themselves. Although this system is not perfect, and many therapists are not completely trained on how to do certain types of cognitive behavioral therapy, it has proven effective for the ones who are trained in helping their patients.

    All in all, I found the video I watched to be remarkably interesting in their perspectives as they related to my own. I found more often than not my own experiences mirrored both sides of the fence in the debate they were having. This led me to believe that no two people have the same opinion on how to treat a patient with mental health issues. I believe this is how it should be as no two cases should be looked at the same way.

 

References

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Shiltz, Lineweaver, Brimmer, Cairns, Halcomb, Juett, & et al (2018). ‘Music first’: An alternative or adjunct to psychotropic medication for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Source: GeroPsych: The Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry, Vol 31(1). pp. 17-30. Indianapolis, IN Germany: Hogrefe Publishing

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Thomas, McDaniel, Haring, Albright, & Fletcher (2018). Mental health needs of military and veteran women: An assessment conducted by the Service Woman’s Action Network. Source: Traumatology, Vol 24(2). pp. 104-112. Charleston, SC US: Educational Publishing Foundation.