Psychotherapy consists of a sequence of verbal interactions between a therapist and a client, which can help diagnose and treat mental and emotional problems. There are various forms of psychotherapy, each of which differs in the way it is conducted. The …show more content…
Both of them also believe that psychological health can be restored by finding out about these conflicts and resolve them. The main difference between psychoanalysis and the modern psychodynamic therapy is that the former places more emphasis on sexual issues and the remote past, while the latter focuses more on the client’s present relationships. Additionally, psychoanalysis is much longer, as it usually lasts for several years, and in psychodynamic therapy there is more dialogue between the therapist and the client. Humanistic therapy focuses on the client’s present and conscious experiences, as it is grounded in the belief that changes must occur in the present. It is subdivided into client-centered therapy and gestalt therapy. The former concentrates on self-growth by making the client mindful of inner feelings, needs, and interests; while the latter helps the client blend conflicting parts of his or her personalities into an integrated hole. In client-centered therapy, the therapist is more empathic, while in in gestalt therapy, the therapist is engaging and confrontational. Behavior therapy …show more content…
In other words, while psychotherapies may be able to offer stable cures, they also result in very long treatments; contrarily, psychotropic drugs can start working almost immediately, but they just provide a “band-aid” solution. For this reason, the best option in many cases is a combination of psychotherapy and psychiatric drugs, in order to temporarily solve the problem and tackle it to its core at the same time. That being said, it’s very important to say that not all patients respond in the same way to psychotherapy and psychiatric drugs. In fact, while a patient may respond better to a combination of psychotherapy and drug therapy, another one may respond better to either one alone. Additionally, different psychotherapies have different effects and some are prone to treat certain disorders more than others. For example, while cognitive behavior therapy usually works best for patients with panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and bulimia, modern psychodynamic therapies usually have more effect in treating depression, borderline personality and bulimia. Lastly, it’s also important to point out that psychotropic drugs carry risks of