Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

In India, until the 17th century, mental illness was perceived to be a curse caused by the evil eye or demonic spirits and a sign of weakness. People believed those who had a disorder were evil themselves and described as witches. Later, mental illness was viewed as deviant behavior (Mehraby, 2009). People with disorders were not socially acceptable and they were placed in asylums and prisons with criminals. As a result, Indian students were more likely to view depression as arising from personally controllable causes such as failing to achieve goals and use spiritual reflection and social support to deal with the disorder. Only recently, have people started to accept that psychological disorders are actually neurobiological disorders. A shift

A behavioral therapist may use techniques such as classical conditioning to reteach behaviors using a reward based system. There are three branches of this type of therapy: applied behavior analysis, cognitive behavior therapy, and social learning theory. Applied behavior analysis focuses on positive reinforcement to modify behavior, whereas social learning theory occurs purely through observation or direct instruction without any type of reinforcement. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, and that we can change the way we feel and act even if the situation does not change. Behavioral therapy can help people improve their self-image so that they no longer feel the need to engage in destructive behaviors. By adjusting the thought processes, and using positive reinforcement, people will learn new behaviors and coping

Mood disorders, which can include anything from bipolar disorder to clinical depression or seasonal affective disorder, are sometimes treated with a drug called Tricyclic Antidepressants. These drugs increase levels of norepinephrine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters, and block the action of acetylcholine, another neurotransmitter in order to restore the balance which will alleviate depression. In addition to relieving depression, tricyclic antidepressants also cause sedation. However, a different form of antidepressants, called selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have replaced the Tricyclic antidepressants because of their improved tolerability and safety (“Depression,” 2015). Since depression is caused by too much Serotonin being reabsorbed from the terminals that they come from, SSRI’s act as weak inhibitors in the reuptake of all neurotransmitters except serotonin, but act as strong inhibitors in the reuptake of serotonin (Emed,