Getting It Together: Does Psychotherapy Really Work?
People with psychological disorders do get better, and they tend to attribute their improvement to the therapy, but the question is would they have gotten better with no treatment at all. The key is research, which is difficult given confidentiality...
Abnormal Psychology; Introduction to Psychology: Suicide Risk
Fifty percent of people with bipolar disorder attempt suicide at some point in their lives; 20% complete the act. Kay Redfield Jamison talks about her own struggle with bipolar disorder and the sense of helplessness and pain that result. The period ...
Abnormal Psychology; Introduction to Psychology: Bipolar Disorder
With bipolar disorder, the mood landscape is more complex. In the first stage called hypo mania depressions are offset by periods of mild mania. For about 50% of people with bipolar illness, these early stages are an incredible rush of ideas and cre...
Abnormal Psychology; Introduction to Psychology: Depression, the World's Leading Cause of Disability
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and the number one reason people seek help from mental health professionals. There is no way of predicting who will get depressed, although family history and previous depressive episodes are ...
Abnormal Psychology; Introduction to Psychology: Creating Treatments That Work
Clinicians assume that the treatment of personality disorders will take longer because it's an attempt to change the core person, a person who has been rehearsing these behaviors for a lifetime. To assist the development of treatments, researchers a...
Abnormal Psychology; Introduction to Psychology: Symptoms of Depression
Depression is not the normal ups and downs of mood that are part of life but getting stuck down and staying there for weeks. The physical and emotional symptoms of depression range from a sense of profound worthlessness and loss of interest in what ...
Out of Balance: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
A person who suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder repeatedly re-experiences a disturbing event in their life. A scene of what happened pops into their mind or they alternately try to convince themselves that it could not have happened. Not eve...