Outline One Form of Stress and Discuss Two Different Methods of Treatment

Michael Taylor

IB Psychology

Ms Jenkins

5 March 2010

Outline one form of stress and discuss two different methods of treatment.

Evaluate each of the methods of treatment.

Stress can originate from many different sources and can have complex effects on people. As a result, people can develop divergent forms of stress. One example of a form of stress is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a pathological condition caused by severe stress, particularly stress that originates from a traumatic event or experience. As a result of PTSD people often struggle with society, unable to connect or relate to people any longer. The disorder can last (up to) years if it is not treated and can have detrimental effects. An interview study by Lyons (1984) revealed that 400,000 veterans from the Vietnam War are still suffering from PTSD. Two possible treatments for PTSD are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and naturopathic therapy.

The traumatic events can have lasting effects on people with PTSD. In a study by Hales and Zatzick (1997) it was suggested that PTSD is one of the most consequential effects of stress. These traumatic events have such an impact that the experience causes the person to see the world differently, behave differently, and think differently. Symptoms of PTSD include reliving the experience, avoiding reminders, insomnia/nightmares, poor concentration, and chronic irritability. An individual can have constant flashbacks of the experience and consequently tries to avoid any sort of reminder that may cause frequent flashbacks. People with PTSD can have difficulty finding a job due to their poor concentration levels and ability to truly focus on something without always having that background thought of the traumatic event. The disorders causes people to even behave differently and they can have irrational aggressive outburst and be easily angered. Powers et al. (1994) found the PTSD was evident in severe burn victims and it was also common in serious car accidents (Blanchard et al. 1994).

Two methods available for treating PTSD are CBT and naturopathic therapy. CBT originated in the 1960’s with the view that a person’s thoughts can affect their emotions and behaviour. Therefore, negative and irrational thoughts, like in PTSD, can cause the individual to have maladaptive behaviour. The process of CBT consists of replacing these negative thoughts and replacing them with more positive thoughts. This is thought to have a great effect of the individual’s behaviour. CBT is performed with a therapist who works with the patient, and it consists of two parts: the cognitive element and the behavioural element. The therapist determining the origin of the negative thoughts and purely absorbing all the information going through the patient’s mind outlines the cognitive element. The second part, the behavioural element, is described by the therapist and patient working together to decide how the change the maladaptive behaviour, setting aims to reach for, and working together through the stages of change.

Naturopathic therapy works by putting the healing power, not in the hands of the doctor, but more in the power of the body. The mind and body are tremendously powerful in the process of healing, and naturopathic therapy exercises natural treatments and the usage of the body to heal itself, instead of relying on drug treatment or client and patient therapy. Naturopathic treatments include clinical nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture and naturopathic manipulative therapy. Most of the treatments encourage the body to relax and therefore reduce the stress. Stress can affect the body at many different levels, and the severity of the stress can vary greatly. Naturopathic doctors aim to heal the body as a whole, and therefore cover all the different levels and control them together. The aim of the treatment is to restore the patient to good health where they are independent and able to continue the treatment by themselves. As the treatments can be somewhat rudimentary (healthy diet, exercise, positive thinking, etc) is it easy for this level of independence to be achieved.

Cognitive behavioural therapy has many strengths and limitations. When working with the therapist, the patient has a structured plan of treatment with clear goals and measurable outcomes. Teasdale (1997) enforces that CBT should focus on teaching the client meta-awareness, the idea of having the patient to think about their own thoughts. In CBT, the success comes from within the patient. Different stages of goals are set allowing the patient to feel a sense of achievement as each level is reached. In CBT, not only is the stress dealt with, but also the effect that the stress had on the body. In this sense, the patient is able to learn how to cope with the stress which can be used in the long term for future problems. There are also no side effects of CBT. Despite the possible side effects of the drugs, Nemeroff et al. (2003) found that CBT when combined with drugs was the most effective treatment for chronic depression from people suffering from PTSD. However, the length of CBT can vary and therefore be very costly for the patient. Depending on the level of the impact the stress had on the patient, can cause the patient to feel unmotivated and not being able to concentrate. This can result in the patient not taking full advantage of CBT and can result in the therapy not being effective. Also, in 1989 Elkin et al. found that CBT was no more effective that drug therapy when treating major depression.

Naturopathic therapy has many strengths and limitations. Firstly, the therapy is a safe and assuring form of treatment. Before the first meeting, the patient knows that the doctor will not be relying on pharmaceutical drugs but the form of treatment will come from the patient himself or herself. The patient knows the treatment will be safe and natural and will not harm (possibly a baby’s fragile body) the body. A survey in 1979 by Clemes showed that 86% of people (surveyed) would feel comfortable and stress free if they had to see a naturopathic doctor. Naturopathic therapy can be a good option for people who have tried other treatments but not had any luck. The therapy is very easy for the patient to continue by himself or herself and there are no side effects. To fully complete the healing process, like many other healing treatments, naturopathic doctors often have to refers patients to other health professionals. This is often the case when the patient needs immediate medical are, such as surgery. Naturopathic doctors are not licensed to prescribe serious medical drugs or perform surgery. Lastly, naturopathy does not provide immunization from the issue, so it can never be considered as 100% effective.

PTSD, although only recently diagnosed, has been recognised to have existed for centuries. In a study by Parry-Jones & Parry-Jones (1994), a peasant family stuck by an avalanche in the Italian Alps in 1755 developed serious cases of PTSD. Aspects of the disorder include the individual to relive the traumatic experience and have great difficulty concentrating and develop poor social communication skills. There are many treatments available include CBT and naturopathic therapy. CBT focuses on developing a relationship between the therapist and the patient and then they work together to overcome the apparent issues and obstacles. Naturopathic therapy is a more natural occurring therapy in which the body is encouraged to heal itself through massaging, acupuncture and homeopathy for example. However both treatments have their strengths and limitations.