Psychotherapy as a Biological Treatment for Mental Disorder - Essay Example

"Psychotherapy as a Biological Treatment for Mental Disorder" is a well-written example of a paper on the disorder.
Professionals from the psychiatric field have been searching for effective ways to treat mental disorders such as anxiety, stress disorder, behavioral changes, and depression. Psychotherapy is one of the most effective biological treatments for mental disorders. Factors such as cultures, religion, and socioeconomics, and ethics can influence a person’s view on psychotherapy. While Psychopharmacology interventions, which include the use of pharmaceutical drugs, have been very effective in treating these mental disorders, research has shown that psychotherapy treatments can also give impressive results.

Psychotherapy appears to improve the functioning of the regions of the brain. Studies such as neuroimaging have been used to observe the relationship between response to psychotherapy and the activity in critical areas of the brain responsible for the reaction to fear, negative emotions, and emotion control (Fournier, 2014). It has been presumed to restore neural abnormalities in regions that respond to emotional stimuli and reduce its symptoms, thus improving those regions' regulations, especially those linked to adverse personal incidents.

There is evidence that psychotherapy positively impacts brain recovery from the psychological stress response system in psychotic disorders. It re-establishes and restores the biological neural network connection of the brain regions that are dysfunctional due to dreadful life event experiences the patient undergoes and facilitates the healing of that region of the brain(Wheeler, 2014). Psychotherapy targets the part of the brain damaged from a mental and emotional point and tries to rewire it.

Psychotherapy is using psychological methods to treat mental illness instead of a medical approach; therefore, the patient's culture, religion, and socioeconomics can be a hindrance to getting the necessary treatment. Culture has a powerful influence on a person’s perspective of life, both consciously and unconsciously (Wheeler, 2014). Patients coming from a culture where they cannot disclose personal events or occurrences that might cause mental instability are an obstacle to the psychotherapeutic treatment. The clinician must be aware of the patient's cultural background to be rational when conducting the psychotherapy sessions.

Religion and spirituality also play an essential role in administering psychotherapy treatments to patients with strong religious beliefs. Some religions perceive that religious figures and beings should be the only ones who address talks of one's traumas and fears. Thus becomes a deterrent for the patient to seek psychotherapy treatments. It also becomes difficult for patients to give clinicians critical information to assess their mental condition. For effective communication between the clinician and patients, the clinician should be aware of patients' religious beliefs to understand and work on how to administer the treatment successfully.

The socioeconomic status of patients with a mental disorder can also influence their views on psychotherapy's relevance. Patients with low socioeconomic status can be linked to mental illnesses such as depression, stress, anxiety, substance abuse, and mood disorders. Low-income-earning patients who are part of lower socioeconomic backgrounds lack the resources to access the psychotherapeutic treatments and may find it irrelevant to allocate their minimum payment on such rather than the essential life resources they need. Mental disorder patients from this low social status are disadvantageous in receiving psychotherapy treatments and optimal care.

Ethical issues that arise from psychotherapy treatments are the confidentiality of the patient’s information. Patients might have a hard time disclosing personal information in an effort to avoid a breach of confidence. Psychotherapists should provide clients with complete protection of their confidential information.

Psychotherapy is a primary biological treatment for mental disorders, as per the study evidence shown. The culture, religion, and socioeconomic status of individuals suffering from mental illnesses influence the person's perspective on psychotherapy treatments and can be a barrier for the patient to receive optimal care. Therefore psychotherapy does have a biological basis.