Medications are usually prescribed to alleviate psychotic symptoms, stabilize mood and treat depression, while psychotherapy can help curb distorted thoughts, teach social skills and diminish social isolation. ("Schizoaffective Disorder," 2006)
Medication: Medications generally include antipsychotic drugs prescribed to alleviate psychotic symptoms, such as delusions, paranoia and hallucinations. Mood-stabilizing medications are prescribed in bipolar disorder, which help to level out the highs and lows of manic depression. Anti-depressants such as citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac) and escitalopram (Lexapro) are normally prescribed for depressive subtype schizoaffective disorder, as they are likely to alleviate feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or sleeplessness and lack of concentration. (Ibid.)
Psychotherapy and Counseling: Although there has been far less research on psychotherapeutic treatments for schizoaffective disorder than in schizophrenia or depression, the available evidence suggests that cognitive behavior therapy, brief psychotherapy, and social skills training do have a beneficial effect on patients of schizoaffective disorder. By building a trusting relationship with the patients, the psychotherapist can help them understand their condition better and make them feel hopeful about their future. Family or group therapy treatment has also been found to be effective as people with schizoaffective disorder feel better when they can discuss their problems with others, rather than suffer in isolation. Group therapy helps them to overcome their social isolation (Ibid.).
Outcomes of Treatment: The prognosis for patients with schizoaffective disorder lies somewhere between that of patients with schizophrenia and those with a mood disorder, i.e., the treatment of schizoaffective disorder is more successful...
Mental Health The client, a sixty-year-old male of average height but thinly built, demonstrated initial reluctance to meet with the therapist. However, within a few minutes of initiating the therapeutic conversation, the client smiled and seemed temporarily disarmed. I spoke to him with kindness but without condescension. The following encapsulates the therapeutic conversation that took place at the Veteran's Hospital at which the client had been receiving treatment for schizoaffective disorder,
They show that mood swings in depressed children alternate with days of a pervasive down mood. These moods involve sadness, loneliness, unhappiness, hypersensitivity, overreactivity, and negative attitudes. All of this is combined with irritability caused by sadness, self-deprecation ("I am worthless, stupid, and ugly"), feelings of being persecuted by others, an aggressive orientation toward authority, argumentativeness, and suicidal thoughts. Present as well is the trend of self-isolation or withdrawal
Social-Environmental Context of Violent Behavior in Persons Treated for Severe Mental Illness Concept Introduction Society as a whole understands that two major demographic predictors of violent behavior are being male and being young. Two major clinical predictors of violent behavior are a past experiential history of violence (e.g., in the home, the community, personal delivery or receipt of violent acts or behaviors) and substance abuse (i.e., alcohol and/or drugs). Recently, it has
Bipolar Disorder generally sets in during adolescence or early adulthood though it may also occur late in one's life or during childhood. It results in terrible mood swings ranging from mania and euphoria to depression and suicidal tendencies. The earlier a person is diagnosed with bipolar disorder the better. Medication is available for bipolar disorder, which helps control the mood swings and even treats the condition. Diagnosis of bipolar disorders
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In other words, the nurse needs to become the patient's mentor and confidant all at the same time. This requires excellent communication skills and listening skills on the part of the nurse. Applicable Psychological Theory: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) The Cognitive Behavioral model is an amalgamation of three major psychology disciplines: behavior therapy, cognitive therapy and social psychology (Cooper & Lesser, 2008). There are a series of steps that need to be
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