Psychotherapy is one of the common treatment methods used to treat various psychiatric problems, such as severe stress, depression, and anxiety disorders. Psychotherapy is usually done individually, but sometimes it can also be done in groups.
Psychotherapy is one of the most frequently used treatment steps by psychiatrists and psychologists to deal with emotional disturbances or psychological problems felt by patients.
In addition, psychotherapy can also be done to overcome behavioral problems, such as tantrums, fear of speaking in public (glossophobia) and addictive behavior or dependence on certain things, such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, to pornography.
Through psychotherapy, psychologists or psychiatrists will guide and train patients to learn to recognize the conditions, feelings, and thoughts that cause complaints and help patients to form positive behavior towards the problems at hand.
Thus, patients are expected to be able to control themselves and respond to difficult situations better.
Conditions Requiring Psychotherapy
Many incorrect assumptions or stigma that people who undergo psychotherapy to a psychologist or psychiatrist indicate that the person has a mental disorder or is insane. In fact it is not so.
Psychotherapy is intended for anyone who realizes that he has psychological problems or is at high risk of mental disorders and intends to seek help to overcome these problems.
The following are some of the complaints or psychiatric problems that need to be treated with psychotherapy:
- Feeling extremely hopeless or sad for several months, for example because of depression.
- Excessive anxiety, fear, or worry that causes difficulty in carrying out daily activities or work.
- Extreme mood or mood changes, such as being suddenly excited or very sad for no apparent reason.
- Begins to exhibit negative behaviors, such as irritability, substance or drug abuse, alcoholism, or overeating.
- Have ideas or thoughts of committing suicide or hurting others.
- Have hallucinations.
- Difficulty expressing your feelings or feeling that no one else can understand your feelings or problems.
- Having obsessions or habits that are difficult to break, for example tidying and cleaning the house too often, washing hands repeatedly, and going back and forth to the kitchen to check the gas stove repeatedly.
- Finds it difficult to achieve a sense of pleasure, comfort, or satisfaction during previously enjoyed activities (anhedonia)
The above complaints can occur when a person experiences mental stress or a traumatic event, for example after a divorce, a family member or close friend has died, has recently lost his job, or has recently been a victim of a disaster or violence, including sexual harassment.
In addition to traumatic events, some of the above symptoms may also be caused by certain mental disorders, such as dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality), depression, personality disorders, bipolar disorder, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia.
Types of Psychotherapy
There are many methods and techniques of psychotherapy carried out by psychologists or psychiatrists. The type of therapy that will be used is generally adjusted to the patient's condition and the patient's response to psychotherapy.
Some types of psychotherapy that are quite often done, include:
1. Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to evaluate thought patterns, emotions, and behaviors that are the source of problems in the patient's life. After that, the doctor or psychologist will train the patient to respond to the source of the problem in a positive way.
For example, if the patient used to use drugs or alcoholic beverages to deal with stress, then with this psychotherapy, the patient will be trained to respond to stress with more positive activities, such as exercising or meditation.
2. Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapy
This type of psychotherapy will lead the patient to look deeper into his subconscious. Patients will be invited to explore various events or problems that have been hidden and unconscious.
In this way, the patient can understand the meaning of each event that is experienced. This new understanding will help patients in making decisions and dealing with various problems.
3. Interpersonal therapy
This type of psychotherapy will lead the patient to evaluate and understand how the patient relates to other people, such as family, spouse, friends, or coworkers. This therapy will help patients become more sensitive when interacting or resolving conflicts with other people.
4. Family therapy
This therapy is done by involving the patient's family members, especially if the patient has psychological problems related to family problems. The goal is that the problems faced by the patient can be overcome together and repair the cracked relationship between the patient and family.
5. Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a psychotherapy technique that uses hypnosis to help patients better control their behavior, emotions, or thought patterns.
This psychotherapy method is often used to make patients more relaxed, reduce stress, relieve pain, to help patients stop their bad habits, such as smoking or overeating.
To treat psychiatric problems, psychotherapy is often combined with the use of drugs, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiety relievers, and mood stabilizers.mood stabilizer), depending on the diagnosis of the disease or psychiatric problems suffered by the patient.
In addition, the results of psychotherapy will be different for each individual. Certain types of psychotherapy may be suitable for one patient, but may not be effective for other patients. Therefore, it is recommended that you consult a psychologist to determine the appropriate therapy for your condition.