Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The field of psychology has seen constant change and development since it first became recognized as a science at the end of the eighteen hundreds (Landrun, n.d). We have seen drastic changes from the barbaric practices of lobotomies, electric shock therapy and locking people up in asylums to the modern treatment of cognitive behavioural therapy and the use of psychotropic medications. Of course the field is still constantly changing and developing as we learn more and more about the complex human mind and have access to improved technology. Currently psychiatrists seem to be moving away from traditional cognitive behavioural therapy and focusing more on the use of medication to treat their patients, but what effect is this change having on …show more content…
Dr. Levin states that he misses “the mystery and intrigue” of the practice (Harris, 2011). Psychiatrists yearn for the feeling of accomplishment knowing that they had helped people, has now left many feel unfulfilled, as there is not much to master in the art of filling out prescriptions. Furthermore, many doctors express complaints about the added stress of the lack of time to make a real difference. There are many cases in which it is clear a patient could benefit from just a few extra moments of talk, but when one is seeing upwards of a thousand patients at a time, those extra minutes add up quickly, and one must draw a line somewhere. Levin went on to say, “The sad thing is that I’m very important to them, yet I barely know them. I feel shame about that, but that’s probably because I was trained in a different era,” (Harris, 2011). Many psychiatrists are stigmatized as greedy and heartless due to the belief that they should charge a more reasonable rate for their services, to be able to provide for the average citizen, rather than only one group of people. However, much like everyone else, psychiatrists are hesitant to take steps backwards in their …show more content…
While psychotropic medications can be effective, a study done at John Hopkins University has found that talk therapy is more effective than medication in the treatment of issues such as anxiety disorders and depression and unlike just using medication the results last even after the therapy sessions stop (Mayo- Wilson et al., 2014). Additionally, with medication, there is always the risk of dangerous, or simply uncomfortable side effects that aren’t present with just talk therapy. The most common side effects of common psychotropic medications that patients are risking include: headache, nausea, drowsiness, agitation, decreased sex drive for women and inability to maintain an erection for men (NIMH,

Show More