Depression and other mental illnesses touch millions of people globally; still, several methods of therapy can provide ways to overcome them. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the most commonly used therapies in mental health:
CBT includes rational emotive behavior approaches DBT has a strong emphasis on mindfulness, and psychodynamic therapy taps into the formative years of a patient’s life. Both are interesting since each of them is individual, addresses a variety of psychological problems, and is selected based on the client’s requirements.
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Overview:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most utilized forms of therapy around the world in this generation. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a set treatment procedure that is time-bound and aims at modifying negative cognition and behavior. The idea here is that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all related and that changes in physical and/or emotional responses can be achieved by changes in thought patterns.
How it Works:
The CBT sessions usually entail learning of the problem or cue that one experiences. Clients enlist the services of therapists to come up with ways of handling these problems whereby, clients are required to dispute the negative thinking patterns (called cognitive distortions). For instance, a client who has a thought pattern of “I am a failure,” the client would be trained to have a different outlook about such thoughts.
What It Aims to Address:
CBT can be used for several types of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and phobias. It is most useful for people who want real-life strategies for dealing with their condition.
Example: A person with SA, for instance, may be taught to change the negative messages towards social situations and activities and hence progressively cut down on socially avoidant behaviors.
2. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT
Overview:
Because there are certain differences between CBT and DBT, DBT is a particular type of CBT that has been designed for the treatment of BPD. It has since then been applied to other disorders such as; eating disorders, substance use disorders, and persistent suicidal ideation. The primary aspects of DBT are emotional regulation, mindfulness, and acceptance of unpleasant feelings.
How it Works:
DBT is a combination of CBT and mindfulness practice in equal proportion and aims at creating a positive balance between acceptance and change. The nature of the therapy is that it uses dialectic, which means that the client is to achieve harmony between two opposites, for example, acceptance and change. DBT includes the patient’s individual therapy, group training sessions, and telephonic counseling in case of an emergent situation
What It Aims to Address:
DBT is most commonly used for people who exhibit elevated emotional sensitivity or have difficulties in the management of interpersonal relationships. Special techniques can be very helpful for people experiencing self-cutting, suicidal thinking, or mood disorders.
Example: A person with BPD might engage in distress tolerance agency in case he or she feels vulnerable or overwhelmed with emotions including deep breathing and grounding.
3. Psychodynamic Therapy
Overview:
Psychodynamic Therapy is one of the oldest forms of therapy credited to Sigmund Freud who founded this therapy type. To sum up, it is necessary to point out that Psychodynamic Therapy differs from CBT or DBT in terms of being more time-consuming and focusing on the patient’s personal experiences. It is concerned with revealing latent thoughts and attitudes that may define present behavior.
How it Works:
In Psychodynamic Therapy, the therapist helps the patient examine his or her history, attachments, and inner drives. The result is to enable the person to learn how his past influences his present state i.e. thoughts, emotions, and actions. Thus, the idea is that the person becomes aware of his emotional issues and conflicts which he is often not aware of being aware of.
What It Aims to Address:
Those who can benefit from Psychodynamic Therapy are people with severe unresolved childhood traumas or severe relationship problems and those with conflicts of a deeper emotional nature. It is designed for the development of own personality and makes a person aware of feelings that cause a specific behavior.
Example: A maladaptive personality pattern may include the inability to sustain relationships because of the fear of intimacy which a person with such issues might discover the roots of it in their attachments with their parents.
Conclusion
CBT, DBT, and psychodynamic are and they are all therapy and everyone of them can give a form of therapy for those people with mental disorder as they have their own preference. As for the severity of techniques in CBT and DBT, the two are more systematic and keen on pointed out symptoms following true to the line principles as compared to Psychodynamic Therapy which also accomplishes the goal in the systematic search for unconscious conflicts.
However, the following factors should be considered when choosing the type of therapy to be done here; the first thing is the status of the patient, goals of the patient and the above mentioned type of therapy in which the patient would prefer to be involved in. In writing these therapies, one gets aware and also gets to know each step that is taken in the process of healing if one or the other person is suffering from any kind of mental illness.
