Abstract
The below given research is the demonstration of how psychobiology is used in medical practice, so that to suggest effective treatment of various mental disorders. The points of it are concentrated on the idea of distinctive analysis of theoretical as well as practical implementation of behavioral therapies in terms of cure. The exemplified evidences of direct treatment and peculiarities as of the prospects of further prophylactic measures are stated in a form of evaluation. Furthermore, the types of researches are grounded on the current achievements in the symbiosis of both psychology and biology, so that to depict the flow of scientific thought in present time. The report is outlined also with the idea of therapeutic approaches towards better implementation of methods in psychobiology.
Introduction
The world of a man is a versatile field of processes which exist in their interconnected nature. The physiological state of a man concentrates on the uniqueness of anatomical structure and distinct mental work of a human being. This symbiosis may be explained by means of many methodological approaches which provide a wide scope of information for those who examine a definite patient. Here the medicine plays a great role, for the scientific analysis is a basic method which can define the sources of different aggravations or diseases and promote rightly determined diagnosis. Such manipulations of medics and scientists led in the twentieth century to the creation of different scientific disciplines which in turn can be united into one field of investigation. In this respect the use of psychobiology goes without saying.
The historical cut of the previous century showed the appropriate methods to evaluate the nature of peoples’ psyche, so that to make out the treatment for mental diseases and for healing by other than chemical implementation. Psychobiology, on the other hand, promotes the bilateral treatment gathering in its methodological base the experience of various medics and researchers in the sphere of human mentality and soulful affairs. Dialectical, behavioral, cognitive and other approaches are worth describing in this paper along with the proper ways of treatment. In fact, psychobiology gains more and more popularity among medics and psychologists all over the world due to its effectiveness and optimal means for pre-and post-prophylactic cure, so that to make patients healthier and happier enough.
Historical and social background
People were always interested about the unexplained for a long time process in a man’s mental activity, when, for example, there were epileptic fits or cases of delirium. Most of them believed in a supernatural source of such implementation, others, the minority in reality, tried to find answers in the sphere of scientific approach and by means of disclosure of the difficult and enigmatic structure of a human organism. With a flow of time scientific thought grew year by year, century by century. With coming of Enlightenment-era human beings got accustomed to believe in the power of science. Especially, this tendency was felt with the philosophical grounds of positivism. It was in the nineteenth century and starting with the twentieth century the psychological branch of medicine gets a fresh breath in its researches due to a group of different scientists in the USA, the UK, in Russia (later in the USSR), in Germany etc. Behaviorism became one of the most pivotal trends in explanation of various states of a man’s mind. Moreover, a traditional behaviorism was supported by a radical form of it due to works of John Watson and B. F. Skinner, who, as Peter Zachar (2000) notes, were “the original eliminativists” (107).
It is known that there are many viewpoints as of the beginning of the psychological science as a separate field of investigation in the realm of medical research and observations. Hergenhahn (2008) outlines in this case that while studying the history of psychology one should take into account that the time is a needful parameter to make an innovative idea concerned within masses and among scientific circles. Nevertheless, there is a point that historical development of psychology like any other branch of science and, particularly, everything in this world had an ascending nature: from the very grains of psychology to the structurally and systematically formed science of today. Moreover, psychobiology provided contemporary people with the informative framework as of not only explanation of peoples’ behaviors but also it deals with the proper treatment for patients. All in all, in the history of modern psychology there are such figures as S. Freud, J. Watson and B. F. Skinner, C. Jung and E. Fromm. In the sphere of contemporary psychobiology one cannot but mention Henriette van Praag, Greg Hand, Ken Philips, Dave Collins and others (Acevedo, & Ekkekakis, 2006).
Behavior Therapy
Due to works of the behavioral school in the United States this branch of psychological knowledge is of great popularity. The therapeutic approach toward this kind of cure one can fall into such types as cognitive behavior therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy. Here only these three kinds of therapies are represented in their methodological backgrounds and peculiarities as for rightly chosen approach of how to promote treatment for a therapist. In this respect there should be a mentioning of the Skinnerian thought about behavioral therapy. Hergenhahn (2008) underlines the peculiar aspects of Skinner’s views by means of the following statement:
The Skinnerian version of behavior therapy assumes that people learn abnormal behavior in the same way that they learn normal behavior. Therefore, “treatment” is a matter of removing the reinforcers that are maintaining the undesirable behavior and arranging the reinforcement contingencies so that they strengthen desirable behavior (449).
In this case an ambiguity of a man’s behavior is an expected effect with its extent of probability. In other words, one cannot deny something abnormal in behavior of a human being due only to a rational or logical approach.
Cognitive behavior therapy
The fact of cognition as a technique for working out of what a person is intended to do or how such intentions may be evaluated is respectful for today’s science due to the possibility to model and retain different procedures with an ability to place an observer in the situational conditions of a patient, so that to feel acutely the feelings and emotional background of his/hers. One of the implementations for cognitive behavioral therapy is for depressed people. As O’Donohue, Fisher, and Hayes (2003) admit, this branch of therapy was formed, developed, and provided in practice, first, for people in depression, so that to break down negative content of patients in positive transformations with a purpose to create a distinct picture with an optimistic coloring. Positive reinforcers are main aspects in suchlike treatment. Lewinsohn, Ferster, Beck and others worked over this kind of treatment in the 1970s and gave the continuation of cognitive behavioral therapy in further times (O’Donohue, Fisher, & Hayes, 2003). One of the examples for treatment presupposes the use of EEG Sleep in long term perspective. As Weissman (2001) admits, they in their research in 1990 “reduced delta sleep ratio represented a marker of vulnerability to recurrence” (108). For the treatment of anorexia nervosa Halmi (1992) proposes the glimpses at psychobiology of eating behavior.
Biobehavioral estimation of cognitive techniques for making physiological processes under control is also presupposed with the use of above mentioned therapy. Thus, according to O’Donohue, Fisher, and Hayes (2003) the empirical approach of cognitive behavioral therapy goes farther toward the treatment of premature ejaculation, treatment of female orgasmic disorder, bowel and toilet training treatment, or even treatment of insomnia. A therapist in this case should point out the wholeness of biopsychosocial peculiarities concerned with a patient. A kind of hypnotic procedure can be chosen for this reason by a therapist. With regards to Acevedo, and Ekkekakis (2006) physical activity along with a mental programming. MacFarlane (2004) notes: “CBT therapists pay particular attention to characteristic BPD schemas or core belief systems such as feelings of unlovability/defectiveness, fear of abandonment/loss” (218)…
Rational emotive behavior therapy
A scheduled as well as modeled nature of treatments for REBT is supposed to be during all sessions of visiting a therapist. In fact, a difficult scheme of treatment in this kind of therapeutic approach may be implemented in various life situations. Here it is necessary to stop at the problem of hallucinations and schizophrenia and the use of REBT as a sort of panacea respectively.
People are likely to assume that in such cases of illness the only approach may be related to physical, biological, or biochemical interventions to improve the state of a patient’s mind from the inside by means of chemical intrusions. In fact, from the standpoint of an implicit medical evaluation hallucination and schizophrenia are just kinds of mental disorders. REBT, on the other hand, provides a trend of measures to make treatment more supported with the ABC model. The thing is that such kinds of diseases are hard to cure, and in most cases there is no way to break down the problem totally. Hence, conscientious approach is vital here, for it may take less time for treatment by REBT when a patient is willing to go through the many-faceted framework of procedures. In turn Windy Dryden (2003) pretends to grab special attention on the fact that treatment of previously mentioned diseases props up against A-C theory, where A is an illness and C is probable symptoms, namely voices. The author continues research by a remark that “if the psychological and biochemical substrates can be identified” then a psychologist may only “eradicate the symptoms” in practice (Dryden, 2003, p. 234). According to the cognitive theory this therapy has many things in common due to evaluation of patients with outlined diseases in complex with their experience and perception of the reality, which is helpful apart from just stating the symptoms and history of these mental diseases (Dryden, 2003, p. 234).
Dialectical behavior therapy
This kind of therapy is outlined for people emotionally sensitive and highly subject to even suicidal cases. Dimeff, Koerner, and Linehan (2007) point out that DBT is a form of special treatment for “chronically suicidal individuals, and first validated with suicidal women who met criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD)” (1). Today the need for such treatment is rather extreme, because with a fastened rhythm of life people forget about the universal values which may lead to a state of harmony. It is about the institutions of marriage, family, children etc. Unfortunately, this kind of behavioral therapy became one of the newest due to the needs of contemporary people suffering from constant disorders and losing the measure of reality due to perpetual stresses (Potash, 1999). Current inpatient and future outpatient goals are significant for DBT treatment focusing on the factors which determined a case, for example of suicide, and further hospitalization without mentioning the patients’ inclinations for “chronic patterns”, so that to “decrease the likelihood of future hospital admissions” on the beginning stage (Dimeff, Koerner, & Linehan, 2007, p. 74).
Conclusion
The flow of the needs concerned with contemporary times does not exclude the use of behavioral therapy for people. It is especially concerned with lack of business within people or, on the other hand, with stresses caused by overcharges in the workplace (Corey, 2008). Moreover, today’s practice of peoples’ worries about their mental health activities and probable disorders terrifies with more and more direct cases, which witnesses about the increase of this negative effect in the society (Spradlin, 2003).
Reference
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