Month: July 2021

Behaviour therapy is a direct and active mode of therapeutic intervention that recognizes the importance of behaviour, acknowledges the role of learning, and includes thorough assessment and evaluation. Instead of exploring past traumatic events or inner conflicts, behaviour therapists focus on the presenting problem—the problem or symptom that is causing the patient great distress. A major assumption of behaviour therapy is that abnormal behaviour is acquired in the same way as normal behaviour—that is, by learning. A variety of behavioural techniques have therefore been developed to help patients “unlearn” maladaptive behaviours by one means or another. Techniques used in Behaviour therapy include Exposure therapy, Aversion therapy, Modelling, Systematic use of reinforcement and Token economies. Behaviour therapy ranges wide and is known to be successfully applied in children, adults as well as old age population.

Supportive psychotherapy is a dyadic treatment that uses direct measures improve symptoms and maintain, restore, or improve self-esteem, ego function, and adaptive skills. This therapy is based on encouragement, optimism and support. Through supportive therapy one might be able to resume one’s daily’s activities and use his ability to cope with them. The aim of this therapy is also to reduce and prevent anxiety along with increasing a person’s awareness of his illness or his problem. The therapist attempts to help patients deal with their emotional distress and problems in living. It includes comforting, advising, encouraging, reassuring, and mostly listening, attentively and sympathetically. The therapist provides an emotional outlet, the chance for patients to express themselves and be themselves. Also, the therapist may inform patients about their illness and about how to manage it and how to adjust to it. Depending on the client’s specific needs, as well as the degree of severity or complexity of the issues at hand, supportive psychotherapy may be a short-term intervention or a longer-term, ongoing form of treatment. It can be a very beneficial treatment for a wide range of psychiatric disorders throughout the life span like Developmental disorders, Psychotic disorders, Mood disorders, Anxiety disorders, Personality disorders, Adjustment disorders, etc. Supportive psychotherapy can help these individuals by reducing their anxiety, providing a nurturing, positive relationship, improving and reinforcing their coping skills, boosting their self-esteem, providing reassurance when appropriate, confronting inappropriate behaviour when necessary, and giving them guidance and advice as needed.

Relaxation therapy, also known as relaxation training or relaxation techniques, is a therapeutic approach that aims to promote relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety. It involves the use of various techniques and practices to induce a state of deep relaxation, both mentally and physically. Relaxation therapy can be used as a standalone treatment or as a complementary approach alongside other therapies. The underlying principle of relaxation therapy is that the body and mind are interconnected, and by promoting relaxation in the body, one can achieve a corresponding state of calmness and mental relaxation. The techniques used in relaxation therapy are designed to activate the body’s relaxation response, which is the opposite of the stress response.

There are several different relaxation techniques employed in relaxation therapy, including:

• Deep Breathing:
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR):
• Guided Imagery:
• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Autogenic Training:

Relaxation therapy sessions may be conducted individually or in a group setting, and they are typically facilitated by trained professionals such as therapists, counsellors, or healthcare providers. The therapist guides the individual through the chosen relaxation techniques, helping them learn and practice the skills necessary to induce relaxation in their daily lives.

Benefits of relaxation therapy:

• reduced stress and anxiety
• improved sleep
• enhanced mood
• increased self-awareness
• overall improved well-being

It can be particularly helpful for individuals experiencing chronic stress, anxiety disorders, insomnia, chronic pain, or other stress-related conditions.

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) is a type of cognitive behaviour therapy first used by Albert Ellis which focuses on resolving emotional and behavioural problems. The goal of the therapy is to change irrational beliefs to more rational ones. REBT involves uncovering clients’ irrational or dysfunctional beliefs and actively and directively disputes them. It sees people’s self-defeating cognitions, emotions, and behaviours as intrinsically and holistically connected, not disparate. It holds that they disturb themselves with disordered thoughts, feelings, and actions, all of which importantly interact with each other and with the difficulties they encounter in their environment. Therefore, with emotionally and behaviourally disturbed people, REBT employs a number of thinking, feel, and action techniques that are designed to help them change their self-defeating and socially sabotaging conduct to self-helping and socially effective ways. REBT theorizes that virtually all humans consciously and unconsciously train themselves to be to some degree emotionally disturbed. Therefore, with the help of an effective therapist and/or with self-help materials, they can teach themselves to lead more satisfying lives—if they choose to do so and work hard at modifying their thinking, feeling, and behaving. REBT encourages a person to identify their general and irrational beliefs (e.g. I must be perfect”) and subsequently persuades the person challenge these false beliefs through reality testing.

Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy (CRT) is a broad term used to describe specific rehabilitation interventions designed to address problems in mental processing that are associated with chronic illness, brain injury, or trauma, such as stroke. Given the wide range of symptoms and severity of cognitive problems in individuals with brain injury, CRT does not refer to a specific approach to treatment. It may include relearning specific mental abilities, strengthening unaffected abilities, or substituting new abilities to compensate for lost ones. It comprises of interventions that aim to lessen impairments, or lessen the disabling impact of those impairments. Interventions are applied through technology and other compensatory strategies that may allow the individual with cognitive impairment to accomplish important life activities and more fully participate in society. The interventions can be provided on a one-on-one basis or in a small group setting.

The process of CRT comprises 4 components:

1. Education about cognitive weaknesses and strengths. The focus here is on developing awareness of the problem.
2. Process Training. This refers to the development of skills through direct retraining or practicing the underlying cognitive skills. The focus here is on resolving the problem.
3. Strategy Training. This involves the use of environmental, internal and external strategies. The focus here is on compensating rather than resolving the problem.
4. Functional Activities Training. This involves the application of the other three components in everyday life. The focus here is on real life improvements

Psychoeducation refers to the process of providing education and information to those seeking or receiving mental health services and their family members. Many individuals who have a mental health condition know little or nothing about the condition they have been diagnosed with, what they might expect from therapy, or the positive and negative effects of any medications they may be prescribed. Information on these topics given to them by medical professionals may be confusing or otherwise difficult to comprehend and thus of little help. Offered in both individual and group formats, psychoeducation can benefit the individual diagnosed, parents and other family members, and caregivers and friends. Also, there are lots of wrong ideas and rumours surrounding psychiatric problems. One of the reasons could be less genuine information which people are exposed to through media and non-experts. Being misinformed can stop us from approaching a medical professional as a consequence of which chances of recovery are lowered. During psychoeducation misconceptions are clarified, queries are answered and detailed information is provided. It is generally known that those who have a thorough understanding of the challenges they are facing as well as knowledge of personal coping ability, internal and external resources, and their own areas of strength are often better able to address difficulties, feel more in control of the condition(s), and have a greater internal capacity to work toward mental and emotional well-being. Psychoeducation often leads to increased compliance with treatment regimens.

1. Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy (CRT) is a broad term used to describe specific rehabilitation interventions designed to address problems in mental processing that are associated with chronic illness, brain injury, or trauma, such as stroke.
2. Given the wide range of symptoms and severity of cognitive problems in individuals with brain injury, CRT does not refer to a specific approach to treatment. It may include relearning specific mental abilities, strengthening unaffected abilities, or substituting new abilities to compensate for lost ones.
3. It comprises of interventions that aim to lessen impairments, or lessen the disabling impactof those impairments. Interventions are applied through technology and other compensatory strategies that may allow the individual with cognitive impairment to accomplish important life activities and more fully participate in society. The interventions can be provided on a one-on-one basis or in a small group setting.

The process of CRT comprises 4 components:

1. Education about cognitive weaknesses and strengths. The focus here is on developing awareness of the problem.
2. Process Training. This refers to the development of skills through direct retraining or practicing the underlying cognitive skills. The focus here is on resolving the problem.
3. Strategy Training. This involves the use of environmental, internal and external strategies. The focus here is on compensating rather than resolving the problem.
4. Functional Activities Training. This involves the application of the other three components in everyday life. The focus here is on real life improvements.

All fields of human endeavour use measurement in some form, and each field has its own
set of measuring tools and measuring units. In psychology, we tend to measure behaviour by the use of various standardised tests. Psychological assessment involves the gathering and integration of psychology-related data for the purpose of making a formal psychological evaluation that is accomplished through the use of tools such as tests, interviews, case studies, behavioural observation, etc. This is necessary for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment. Psychological testing is always performed by a licensed psychologist and consists largely of paper-and-pencil tests. It is done to help a psychologist better understand an individual and provide valuable insights into the individual’s behaviour, skills, thoughts and personality. Psychological testing commonly includes intelligence testing, personality testing, and skills testing, among other areas.

The family is the foundation on which most societies are built. Family therapy might be necessary where there are disturbances in the family system. Often the problems that a person faces can be understood by going deeper into the interactions between the family members. It must be understood that the exchange between the family members involve a form of communication which can lead to either harmony or disharmony in relationships. Family therapy explicitly focuses on altering the interactions between or among family members and seeks to improve the functioning of the family as a unit, or its subsystems, and the functioning of individual members of the family. By increasing the problem-solving capacity and communication within the family system, the individual client can be helped to recover from his problem. Family therapy is a recognized form of treatment in major psychiatric problems such as schizophrenia, depression, alcohol or drug use, conversion related disorders eating disorders, and bipolar disorder.

Pharmacotherapy involves the remediation or management of a psychiatric condition through the use of appropriate medication. Mental health conditions like Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, OCD, Schizophrenia, Drug Addiction, Eating Disorder, Conversion, Personality Disorders, etc. often tend to require medication. Different conditions require different forms of medication. Advancements in science along with greater understanding of how the brain functions has led to more effective, less toxic, better-tolerated, and more specifically targeted medicines being available, with potentially fewer side-effects. Our psychiatrists and neuro-psychiatrists will evaluate your condition and based on your needs they will provide appropriate psychiatric medication.