Common Types of Treatment
Learn about common treatments for mental health conditions, including psychotherapy and psychiatric medications, and what to expect from each.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can be used to treat mental health conditions alone or can be accompanied by psychiatric medications. Common psychotherapies include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
A form of therapy that can help manage your mental health condition by changing the way you think and behave. It equips you with practical ways to overcome your issues and improves your state of mind by changing negative cycles and patterns.
Psychoanalytic Therapy
Psychoanalytic therapy can help you understand your past and how events in your early life could be affecting you now. Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depressive thoughts may stem from past experiences or events.
Client-centred Therapy
Client-centred therapy enables self-discovery and self-acceptance that leads towards healing, growth, and self-actualisation.
Psychiatric Medications
A form of therapy that can help manage your mental health condition by changing the way you think and behave. It equips you with practical ways to overcome your issues and improves your state of mind by changing negative cycles and patterns.
It’s important to note that some psychiatric medications can take a few weeks to be fully effective. That means you shouldn’t stop taking your medication prematurely without your doctor’s ‘okay’, even if you think you’re feeling better after a few days.
Medications and their effects
Antidepressants
Antidepressants help to improve the symptoms of depression and prevent the symptoms from returning.
Anxiolytics
Anxiolytics are anti-anxiety medications. They help to reduce the symptoms of anxiety such as panic attacks, trembling, rapid heartbeat, and sweating.
Antipsychotics
Antipsychotics are used to manage psychosis. This could look like a disconnection with reality, with symptoms like hallucinations or delusions.
Mood Stabilisers
Mood stabilisers are primarily used to treat bipolar disorder and extreme mood swings by helping to control unstable moods.
Side-Effects
Medications may cause some side effects, but you should inform your doctor immediately if you experience any severe side effects such as:
Sudden disorientation, agitation, or restlessness together with a high body temperature, tremors, or muscle rigidity.
Fever with rashes or painful blisters on the skin or inside of your lips, eyelids, and/or nose.