TREATMENTS
There are three principal methods of
treating mental and emotional illness today-psychological, physical, and
social. Psychological Treatments Psychotherapy is the overall term for
psychological forms of treatment. While there are many definitions, essentially
psychotherapy involves discussion, probing, evaluation, advice, and other
treatment given through the medium of words. Psychotherapy itself does not
include use of medicines or other physical treatment, though any of these may
be used as an adjunct.
Usually, in psychotherapy, patient and
therapist sit down in a quiet room; sometimes the patient may lie on a couch.
The therapist encourages the patient to speak freely about himself and his
feelings. Often, as the patient does so and the therapist interprets and makes
suggestions, the patient begins to see himself and his problems more clearly;
he may lose some of his inordinate fears as he understands his problems better;
he may soon experience completely different feelings about old problems.
Psychotherapy may aim simply at relieving a temporary state of depression, and
sometimes this may even be accomplished in as little as half an hour; or, at
the other extreme, it may aim, over a period of years, at making fundamental
changes in personality.
A process called ventilation may be used in
brief psychotherapy. It amounts, seemingly simply, to letting a troubled person
blow off steam. Yet, when it is done properly by a therapist trained in its
use, ventilation alone may permit a relatively healthy person facing a minor
crisis to dis- lodge his feelings of gloom or panic and his inability to do
anything constructive and restore his usual self-control.
When emotional problems are more serious
and ventilation is not enough, reassurance may be added. This is authoritative,
informed re- assurance. Particularly dramatic examples of how effective it
sometimes can be came during the Korean conflict. Most soldiers who had to be
taken out of the line because of acute combat nerves could return to action
after a few brief sessions with a psychiatrist. In addition to encouraging them
to talk frankly about their fears and guilt feelings, the psychiatrist could
reassure them that virtually every officer and soldier is secretly afraid. In
psychotherapy, the patient-because he is aware that the therapist has no personal
bias and is specially informed about psychological problems as no friend or
family member is-can take advice and suggestions he would not accept from
others (for example, on settling marital dis- agreements or problems with
children).
