Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Closing Thoughts615was depicted in many popular books and movies, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’sNest, as a brutal treatment with debilitating side effects (Swartz, 2009). Its use has increasedgreatly since that time, especially in the past decade or two, with ECT nowavailable in most major metropolitan areas in the United States (Shorter, 2009).How does ECT work? Despite many decades of research, it’s still not known exactlywhy electrically inducing a convulsion relieves the symptoms of depression(Michael, 2009). One theory is that ECT seizures may somehow “reboot” the brainby depleting and then replacing important neurotransmitters (Swartz, 2009).Some new, experimental treatments suggest that those seizures may not actually benecessary. That is, it may be possible to provide lower levels of electrical current to thebrain than traditional ECT delivers and still reduce severe symptoms of depression andother mental illnesses. For example, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) involvesstimulation of certain regions of the brain with magnetic pulses of various frequencies.Unlike ECT, it requires no anesthetic, induces no seizures, and can be conducted ina private doctor’s office rather than a hospital (Rosenberg & Dannon, 2009).Another experimental treatment, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), involves thesurgical implantation of a device about the size of a pacemaker into the left chestwall. The device provides brief, intermittent electrical stimulation to the left vagusnerve, which runs through the neck and connects to the brain stem (McClintock &others, 2009). Finally, deep brain stimulation (DBS) utilizes electrodes surgicallyimplanted in the brain and a battery-powered neurostimulator surgically implantedin the chest. Wires under the skin connect the two implants, and the neurostimulatorsends electrical signals to the brain (Fink, 2009; Schlapfer & Bewernick, 2009).Keep in mind that TMS, VNS, and DBS are still experimental. And like ECT, thespecific mechanism by which they may work is not entirely clear. Still, researchersare hopeful that these techniques will provide another viable treatment option forpeople suffering from severe psychological symptoms (McDonald & others, 2009).>> Closing ThoughtsAs you’ve seen throughout this chapter, a wide range of therapies are available tohelp people who are troubled by psychological symptoms and disorders. Like ourfriend Marcia, whose story we told in the Prologue, many people benefit psychologicallyfrom psychotherapy. As the first part of the chapter showed, psychotherapycan help people by providing insight, developing more effective behaviors and copingstrategies, and changing thought patterns.The biomedical therapies, discussed in the second part of the chapter, can alsohelp people with psychological problems. This was also true in Marcia’s case, whenshe reluctantly agreed to try an antidepressant medication. For almost a year, Marciatook a low dose of one of the SSRI antidepressant medications. It helped in the shortterm, lessening the feelings of depression and anxiety and giving her time to workthrough various issues in therapy and develop greater psychological resilience. Today,people are increasingly being helped by a combination ofpsychotherapy and one of the psychotropic medications.As our discussion of the effectiveness of psychotherapyhas shown, characteristics of both the therapist and theclient are important to the success of psychotherapy. In theEnhancing Well-Being with Psychology section at the endof this chapter, we describe the attitudes that should bebrought to the therapeutic relationship, discuss some generalground rules of psychotherapy, and dispel some commonmisunderstandings. The Enhancing Well-Being withPsychology section will help you understand the nature ofthe therapeutic relationship and provide information usefulto anyone who may be considering entering psychotherapy.© The New Yorker Collection 1991 Mike Twohy from cartoonbank.com.All Right Reserved.