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Integrative Psychotherapy and Addiction - Research Paper Example

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As the paper "Integrative Psychotherapy and Addiction" tells, the best practice for the treatment of addictive behavior is the use of Naltrexone, an opiate antagonist medication, in the process of cognitive therapy. Naltrexone is very effective in changing addictive behavior…

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Subject: Psychology
Type: Research Paper
Level: Undergraduate
Pages: 2 (500 words)
Downloads: 3
Author: theresewillms

Extract of sample "Integrative Psychotherapy and Addiction"

The focus is on changing patients’ thinking patterns, along with the use of the mentioned medication.

Yes, panic attacks are important to consider because they can prevail along with addiction, both influencing each other dramatically. This condition is called comorbidity in medical terms. DuPont (A54) states in his research that, “Panic disorder and addiction are occasionally comorbid--4.5% of addicted patients have panic disorder, and 16% of panic disorder patients are comorbid for addiction to alcohol and other drugs.” Panic disorder may result from chronic drinking, and vice versa. Hence, one condition does influence the treatment and prognosis of the other.
When alcoholism and its concurring panic disorder are not being managed well, the patient should seek health service that addresses both of the comorbid conditions simultaneously. This dual disorder should be treated with a combination of “pharmacological and psychosocial treatments” (Petrakis et al., para.3). The most cost-effective treatment is psychotherapy which addresses behavior-changing techniques, such as relapse prevention, motivational enhancement therapy, and contingency management. The short-term goal of psychosocial treatment for a dually-diagnosed patient should be the mental stability of the patient; while alcohol abstinence should be the long-term goal.
Helen’s GP has been focusing merely on pharmacological interventions. The medications (Valium, Xanax) are only making her addicted to the drugs, and have not improved her condition. She reports herself having more alcohol and more panic attacks. This shows that the treatment has not been correct. Helen cannot recover fully unless she gets psychosocial treatment (McMinn and Campbell 281), because the account of her social relations shows that she is extremely upset in mind. Ayers, Baum, and McManus (384) state that “…patients in psychotherapy do more than ¾ standard deviation better on outcome measures than patients in no-treatment or placebo-control conditions.”
No, the treatment Helen was getting was not an example of patient-centeredness. Patient-centeredness not only comprises the use of medication but also involves empathy and compassion on the part of the practitioner. Helen was only getting medication; whereas, what she needed was motivation and psychotherapy, so that she might have been able to cope with stress, panic attacks, and addictive behavior. Had the practitioner shown empathy toward Helen, listening to her problems and discussing her issues with her, she would have shown much improvement, which she was not showing with the mere use of Valium and Xanax. Hence, her treatment did not show patient-centeredness at all.

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