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Post by Ravi Gudipalli on Jul 30, 2015 10:06:52 GMT -4
I agree with Dr. Richard A. Friedman that nowadays we are more into treating patients with Psychotropic drugs than Psychotherapy due to limited availability that most Americans have to mental health practitioners and various other factors. It is clearly cheaper and faster to give a pill than deliver psychotherapy. But there is need to recognize the importance of Psychotherapy in dealing patients such as with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders for example. Dr. John C. Markowitz did research and stated that Psychotherapy is as efficient as treating with medicines of PTSD. Also the brain is very complex and we need to find more about it in order to understand and treat the Mental illnesses very efficiently. I hope we will invent more efficient therapies to treat mental illnesses like TDCS and TMS in the future to relieve the patient suffering.
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Post by Jay Vithalani on Jul 30, 2015 11:44:53 GMT -4
This article was a very interesting read and it highlighted the importance of a multifaceted approach to the the treatment of psychiatric illnesses instead of sole reliance on biologic therapy. As alluded to in the article, psychotropic medications do not fit the ‘one size fits all’ bill and several illnesses don’t even respond to this type of treatment. I agree with Dr. Freidman in that psychotherapy holds a lot of potential in this field but is severely underfunded in research. Psychiatric illnesses are more complex than just chemical imbalances in the brain and so patients should be approached with a tailored treatment plan that not only addresses their current symptoms but also targets the underlying cause. This cannot be done with biologic therapy alone. I think that psychotherapy should be used as the primary means of treatment but wherever required, can be supplemented with medications. The psychotherapy trials for PTSD and their success is an excellent example of this.
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Post by Brittany Egeh on Jul 30, 2015 13:33:11 GMT -4
The article “Psychiatry’s Identity Crisis” discusses the benefits of psychotherapy treatments for patients suffering from mental illness. The author focuses on the idea of how there are many drugs that target specific receptors in the brain that have the ability to treat disorders such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis. However there are other mental illnesses, which are due primarily to individual’s environmental circumstances such as having to deal with trauma, sexual abuse, the stress of poverty, or deprivation, which makes commonly used psychotropic drug ineffective. Research for advancements in psychotherapy could deem beneficial for many individuals that suffer from mental illness due to environmental factors. As a medical professional, I believe that the use of therapies other than medications should be the first line for treatment before prescribing a psychotropic drug.
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Post by Nadir Raffi on Jul 30, 2015 14:57:21 GMT -4
Psychotherapy should be researched further and a part of the overall treatment plan. MDD, OCD, bipolar, and narcissistic problems should be treated with psychotherapy. Helping a patient talk their problems out and just having a session with the patients speaking about their issues should be the hallmark of treatment. After their treatment they should get medications to help them maintain their treatment plan. Medication and psychotherapy should be the main way to go for treatment. Psychotherapy, applied behavior analysis, and medication are the templates for the treatment of certain disorders in the psychological factors.
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Post by Ishminder Singh on Jul 30, 2015 16:48:57 GMT -4
This article discussed a very interesting topic and something every medical professional should read. Most psychiatrists often debate whether giving therapy or pills are a better idea. Some illnesses require medications, but many, like the article mentioned-borderline personality disorder or narcissistic personality are more useful with psychotherapy. Other illnesses, such as depression and OCD would benefit from both a mix of pharmaceutical and psychotherapy. An important issue one must consider when making this decision is also the economical standpoint of each patient. As stated in the article, the author explains “ it is cleary cheaper and faster to give a pill than deliver psychotherapy.” This explains the convenience offered to the doctors and patients by taking a pharmaceutical drug. Prescription medication is preferred because of its ability to create profit after spending large amounts of research. The problem with psychotherapy is that it doesn't create the opportunity for a profit in the future, deterring people to spend money on it for research. Still, many patients often preferred psychotherapy instead of pills, yet most research is focused in the benefit of profit rather than in the best interest of the patient. I do hope that psychotherapy become more prominent in the future by adjusting the funding of research towards therapy. While some illnesses are better tackled with pharmaceutical drugs, many are best handled with a mix of both medications and therapy.
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Post by Prashanthi on Jul 30, 2015 16:58:49 GMT -4
I strongly agree with the implications of this article. There is no denying that medication is very effective in the improvement of several psychiatric conditions, however it has also been proven that many other conditions as mentioned in the article such as PTSD and borderline do not respond well to psychotherapy. Sure , it may be easy to pop a pill and show up for an appointment 3 months later, however life is more than just prescriptions. With the intensity and stress of daily life events, its crucial to develop techniques that help prepare individuals for daily adversities. Not to mention the many side effects that ppl experience after years of medications create an illness within it self. Chronic illnesses such as PTSD are very serious conditions that will never be treated with a visit once in 3 months. Psychotherapy is extremely crucial alongside medication to further enhance the overall healing and well being of patients
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