Major Depression with Psychotic features Free Essay Example, 1750 words

The domain of psychology prefers the utilization of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a means of treating depressive psychosis. CBT is a psycho-therapeutic intervention which addresses maladjustment in emotional competence in an effort to change dysfunctional cognitive responses and thinking using systematic approaches to alter a variety of negative thought patterns. CBT consists of different face-to-face meetings with a counselor and the afflicted patient, usually 15 different total interventions, occurring once weekly. The counselor will often use a strategy known as cognitive rehearsal, whereby the patient is asked to recall a specific situation which caused frustration or stress. The patient and trained psychotherapist identify historical situations that have influenced mood disorders to identify potential, more effective solutions to alter negative thinking and replace these dysfunctional cognitions to more positive thought processes. The therapy also assists in identifying effective coping mechanisms that will work for the specific individual, which serves to reduce the prevalence of self-defeating thoughts that drive negative behavioral responses (Hoffman, Sawyer & Fang, 2010). Yet another potential treatment option is the use of electroconvulsive therapy. This treatment methodology consists of inducing seizures in the patient through the use of electric stimulation, a process also referred to as electroshock. We will write a custom essay sample on Major Depression with Psychotic features or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now This radical treatment is considered to be a last resort for treatment options after other, more traditional treatment options have been tested and found unsuccessful in aiding those suffering from depressive psychosis. It is believed, based on empirical data, that introducing electric current into the brain will essentially restart the central nervous system resulting in more balanced anatomical functioning (Shorter, 2007). Historically, this method of treating depressive psychosis has been criticized for causing brain damage to patients which explains the outcome of altered mood and perception. Today, in contemporary treatment practice, electroconvulsive therapy is usually administered to an anesthetized patient to spare them the emotional and physical disturbances of being exposed to electrical current whilst awake. In 2012, neuroscientists working with the National Institute of Mental Health found that major depression was rather instantly and effectively treated using the drug Ketamine, a drug that managed to relieve depression symptoms in only a matter of hours rather than in a period of months as with other treatment options (Zarate, Brutsche, Ibrahim, Franco-Chaves, Diazgranados, Cravchik, Selter, Marquardt, Liberty & Luckenbaugh, 2012).