psychoactive medication

psychoactive medication

According to Aboujaoude, (2009), some psychoactive medication enthusiasts are quick to reject psychotherapy as a dubious intervention. They argue that they are not necessarily more beneficial or more transformative than talking to a good friend. Psychopharmacological options have been on the increase over the last decade as can be seen in commercial advertisements which promote them. People have erroneously thought of therapy as ineffective, time-consuming and expensive. As a result, many clients whose psychological and psychiatric problems might well benefit from psychotherapy are not considering it as an option of treatment. Yet it has been known that in brain imaging research, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has produced changes in the brain similar to those produced by medications (Fournier & Price, 2014). It means that a client’s brain can be transformed by psychotherapy. It gives weight to what therapists and many patients have long acknowledged that psychological interventions like psychotherapy can profoundly change a person’s symptoms. This is a great support that there is a biological basis of psychotherapy.

A client’s culture, religion, and socioeconomic status affect their belief in the value and effectiveness of psychotherapy. When looking at how psychotherapy works, it is particularly important to know that cultures vary around the world and what might be considered acceptable and normal in one culture may be deemed abnormal in another culture. Psychotherapy may be considered valuable in western cultures. In other cultures, it may be deemed invaluable and expensive and may equate it to talking to a good friend as stated before. The same goes for religion. Some people believe in the biology link of mental illness whereas others might attribute symptoms like hallucinations to a spiritual etiology. Socioeconomic status has an effect on access to care and psychotherapy. According to Napier et al. (2014), people with a low socioeconomic status might not have insurance, live in remote areas, lack good transportation means, and so might not be able to access, afford, and utilize mental health services. The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner must stay abreast of cultural competence and practice cultural sensitivity.

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