Exploring Effective Treatments in Abnormal Psychology: A Critical Essay
Homework type: Essay
Added: today at 7:15
Summary:
Explore effective treatments in abnormal psychology, learn about biological, psychodynamic, and behavioural therapies to improve mental health and wellbeing in the UK.
Abnormal Psychology – Treatment
Abnormal psychology, at its heart, is concerned with the scientific study of atypical patterns of thought, emotion, and behaviour, often associated with significant distress or impairment. Within the UK, awareness and understanding of mental health have widened significantly, reflected in both policy changes and the National Health Service's approach to care. Treatment plays a central role not only in alleviating distressing symptoms but also in promoting patients' wellbeing, restoring functioning, and integrating individuals back into everyday life. However, questions persist regarding what constitutes the most effective, ethical, and person-centred forms of care, given the sheer diversity of presentations and experiences within mental illness. This essay will critically examine biological, psychodynamic, and behavioural interventions used to treat psychological disorders, evaluating their mechanisms, merits, limitations, and the surrounding ethical concerns, ultimately arguing for an integrative perspective grounded in empathy and evidence.
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Biological Therapies in Abnormal Psychology Treatment
Pharmacological (Drug) Treatments
Since the latter half of the twentieth century, medication has become central to treating many psychological disorders in the UK. The primary goal of pharmacotherapy is to manage and reduce symptoms of conditions such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis, thereby enabling individuals to regain some sense of equilibrium and participate in psychosocial interventions.Antidepressants
Historically, the earliest wave of antidepressants included monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). These drugs, though effective, often came with troublesome side effects and dietary restrictions, limiting their utility. The advent of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline, marked a watershed moment. SSRIs work by increasing serotonin availability in the brain, believed to be crucial for stabilising mood. Their popularity stems from a relatively benign side-effect profile, making them first-line treatments under NHS guidelines for moderate to severe depression and certain anxiety disorders. Nevertheless, their effect is not immediate; patients frequently wait several weeks to notice improvements, which can be discouraging. Furthermore, some still experience side effects ranging from nausea to sexual dysfunction.Anxiolytics (Anti-Anxiety Medication)
Benzodiazepines—for instance, diazepam—operate by enhancing the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which reduces brain excitation and induces calmness. They are particularly effective at swiftly alleviating intense anxiety and are often used in acute settings, such as A&E for panic attacks or in severe cases of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). However, these drugs are a double-edged sword. Prolonged use quickly leads to tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal difficulties, leading NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) to recommend their use for only short periods, if at all. The risk of dependency-related issues has prompted a re-evaluation of their widespread prescription, especially as safer, longer-term options such as psychological therapies have become more available.Antipsychotics
Antipsychotic medication remains foundational in the treatment of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. These drugs are split into first-generation (typical) and second-generation (atypical) classes. Typical antipsychotics, such as haloperidol, act primarily as dopamine antagonists but are notorious for side effects, including movement disorders (tardive dyskinesia) and sedation. Atypical variants, such as risperidone or clozapine, pose lower risks in some domains but introduce others, including significant weight gain and metabolic disturbances. For many, these side effects are daunting; nonetheless, the ability of antipsychotics to reduce hallucinations, delusions, and agitation is life-changing for some, forming the basis for community rehabilitation and, occasionally, supported employment.Critique and Challenges of Drug Treatments
Although easier access to pharmacological treatment has benefited many, the challenges remain formidable. Drugs often address symptoms without fully resolving underlying causes, sometimes making them a form of “chemical plaster” rather than a cure. Medication adherence is hindered by side effects or personal beliefs about mental health. The UK’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) continues to scrutinise prescribing practices in NHS trusts, especially with regards to polypharmacy, informed consent, and the minority of cases involving overprescription. Critically, the placebo effect complicates evaluating efficacy, and withdrawal or discontinuation symptoms are not uncommon—raising the stakes for safe management. Ethical dilemmas arise around whether symptom suppression truly serves the individual's long-term interests.Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
For the most severe, intractable forms of depression—where drugs and psychotherapy fail—electroconvulsive therapy remains an option, albeit controversial. ECT involves the application of controlled electrical currents to the brain, sparking a brief, controlled seizure. Modern ECT in the UK employs anaesthesia, muscle relaxants, and often unilateral rather than bilateral stimulation to minimise memory loss and other side effects.ECT can deliver rapid, dramatic improvements—sometimes life-saving in cases of suicidal depression. However, the effects often diminish over months, with relapse a genuine risk. Society’s historical associations of ECT with abuse and coercion—immortalised in popular media such as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”—remain potent, though largely unrepresentative of current, heavily regulated practices. Ethical concerns pivot on autonomy: ensuring informed consent (especially among the vulnerable), avoiding coercion, and considering the possible overuse as a control method in restrictive settings.
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Psychodynamic Approach: Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Developments
Originating with Sigmund Freud and developed extensively in London (notably at the Tavistock Clinic and Maudsley Hospital), psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies aim to unearth unresolved conflicts from early experience, believed to unconsciously drive current distress.A classic method is talk therapy, involving dream interpretation, free association—where patients freely verbalise thoughts to bypass conscious censorship—and exploring transference, i.e., the emotional projections onto the analyst reflecting past relationships. The therapist maintains a neutral role, providing a “blank screen” for interpersonal dynamics to unfold.
Treatment under this model proceeds over considerable periods: sometimes several sessions per week, spanning months to years. Critics argue this is impractical, costly, and, crucially, difficult to measure empirically. Despite Freud’s legacy, the UK has moved towards shorter and more accessible psychodynamic interventions—such as brief psychodynamic therapy—especially via the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service. Nevertheless, psychoanalysis finds niche success with neurotic disorders—obsessional states, anxiety, and certain cases of depression—where individuals seek more than mere symptom relief, craving deep-rooted understanding of their emotional life.
The main criticisms surround its limited applicability to psychosis, potential for suggestion and false memory creation, and lack of robust outcome data, making it a less attractive option under the NHS’s evidence-based paradigm.
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Behavioural Therapies: Changing the Learned Patterns
Rooted in principles established by John Watson and furthered by British figures such as Hans Eysenck, behavioural approaches posit that abnormal behaviour is learned through conditioning and, more importantly, can be unlearned.Systematic Desensitisation (SD)
SD, still widely practised in UK clinics and lauded by NICE guidelines, is designed especially for specific phobias. Initially, patients are taught to relax, perhaps through breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation. Then, with the guidance of a trained therapist, they construct an anxiety hierarchy—a ladder of feared situations, each more challenging than the last. Gradually, they confront these scenarios, either in real life or imagination, counteracting fear responses with active relaxation. Notable success rates are reported for simple, well-defined phobias—fear of flying, spiders, heights, etc.Limitations arise with complex, multifaceted disorders (e.g., social anxiety, OCD), where underlying cognitive distortions or social skills deficits require additional intervention. Motivation and regular engagement are essential, and some may drop out due to discomfort or lack of progress.
Other Behavioural Approaches
Flooding, aversion therapy, and skills training each target specific symptom clusters, yet the underlying philosophy remains: change the environment and learned responses to change behaviour. These methods gain praise for their practical, time-limited nature and measurable outcomes—a key criterion within the evidence-focused NHS.Behavioural therapies’ main criticisms are their narrow focus. By prioritising observable symptoms, they risk neglecting the individual’s emotional and historical context. This may result in symptom substitution—where the treated problem morphs into another, unaddressed form.
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Integrative and Contemporary Treatment Approaches
In recent decades, the boundaries between approaches have blurred in British mental healthcare. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), developed by Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis but fostered in the UK’s clinical climate, exemplifies this. CBT combines the focus on learned behaviour from behavioural therapy with the exploration of thinking patterns from cognitive psychology. The NHS widely offers CBT for depression, anxiety, and a range of other presentations, underpinned by robust empirical support.Increasingly, the best outcomes occur through multimodal approaches—combining drugs and psychotherapy, or mixing different talking therapies to suit the individual. Effective treatment is now seen as dynamic and person-centred, constructed collaboratively between patient and clinician, recognising diversity, consent, and choice. Holistic methods also draw attention to family, social networks, and cultural background, vital in the UK’s plural society.
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Ethical Issues Across Treatments
Ethical considerations are omnipresent. Informed consent is sacrosanct within the contemporary NHS, especially where capacity to consent is ambiguous, as in some acute psychiatric crises. The possibility of over-medicalisation—treating natural distress as pathology—must be avoided, as should the unacceptable spectres of coercion or social control. Stigma and discrimination remain daily realities; treatments must protect rather than compromise patient dignity. Safeguarding, particularly relating to therapist competence and potential abuse (as in false memory suggestions), is rigorously regulated by professional bodies such as the British Psychological Society.---
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