Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

R E C A P / E V A L U A T E / R E T H I N K 
R E C A P 
How are drug, electroconvulsive, and psychosurgical tech-
niques used today in the treatment of psychological disorders?
• Biomedical treatment approaches suggest that therapy 
should focus on the physiological causes of abnormal 
behavior rather than considering psychological factors. 
Drug therapy, the best example of biomedical treatments, 
has brought about dramatic reductions in the symptoms 
of mental disturbance. (p. 564)
• Antipsychotic drugs such as chlorpromazine very effec-
tively reduce psychotic symptoms. Antidepressant drugs 
such as Prozac reduce depression so successfully that 
they are used very widely. Antianxiety drugs, or minor 
tranquilizers, are among the most frequently prescribed 
medications of any sort. (p. 564)
• In electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), used in severe cases 
of depression, a patient receives a brief electric current of 
70 to 150 volts. (p. 567)
• Psychosurgery typically consists of surgically destroying 
or removing certain parts of a patient’s brain. (p. 568)
• The community psychology approach encouraged 
deinstitutionalization in which previously hospitalized 
mental patients were released into the community. 
(p. 570)
If you decide to seek therapy, you’re faced with a daunting task. 
Choosing a therapist is not a simple matter. One place to begin 
the process of identifying a therapist is at the “Help Center” of 
the American Psychological Association at http://www.apa
.org/helpcenter 
. And, if you start therapy, several general 
guidelines can help you determine whether you’ve made the 
right choice: 
You and your therapist should agree on the goals for 
treatment. They should be clear, specifi c, and attainable.
• You should feel comfortable with your therapist. You should not be intimidated by or 
in awe of a therapist. Rather, you should trust the therapist and feel free to 
discuss the most personal issues without fearing a negative reaction. In sum, the 
“personal chemistry” should be right.
• Therapists should have appropriate training and credentials and should be licensed by 
appropriate state and local agencies. Check therapists’ membership in national and 
state professional associations. In addition, the cost of therapy, billing practices, 
and other business matters should be clear. It is not a breach of etiquette to put 
these matters on the table during an initial consultation.
• You should feel that you are making progress after therapy has begun, despite occasional 
setbacks. If you have no sense of improvement after repeated visits, you and your 
therapist should discuss this issue frankly. Although there is no set timetable, the 
most obvious changes resulting from therapy tend to occur relatively early in the 
course of treatment. For instance, half of patients in psychotherapy improve by 
the 8th session, and three-fourths by the 26th session. The average number of 
sessions with college students is just 5 (Crits-Cristoph, 1992; HMHL, 1994; 
Lazarus, 1997).
Be aware that you will have to put in a great deal of effort in therapy. Although our 
culture promises quick cures for any problem, in reality, solving diffi cult problems is not 
easy. You must be committed to making therapy work and should know that it is you, 
not the therapist, who must do most of the work to resolve your problems. The effort 
has the potential to pay off handsomely—as you experience a more positive, fulfi lling, 
and meaningful life.