Response: Evaluate and describe the quality of your colleague’s argument. How did he or she use the literature to support the statements made? Do you agree with the argument and your colleague’s choice of the greatest challenges? Why, or why not? Did your colleague provide convincing data for this position? What insights did your colleague include that you had not considered? What might you suggest your colleague consider which was not included? Please use your research to support your assertions. Continue to monitor the discussion forum until 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST) on Day 7 of the week and respond to anyone who replies to your initial post.
1st Laster
After taking this class, and having been in this program for the past year, I have learned the benefits and the strengths and weaknesses of using medications to treat psychological disorders. The greatest strength that I have discovered in using medications to treat psychological disorders is that although the disorder is not curable, the symptoms from the disorder can be treated which will give the client a little bit of relief. For example, a person suffering from depression may suffer from insomnia, the psychologist can prescribe Ambien to help them sleep at night. The biggest weakness about using medications to treat psychological disorders is that there is not a cure. The medications are only used to ease the symptoms. The psychological disorder is a disorder that cannot be cured. The negative about using medications is that it does not treat the disorder, clients tend to become dependent on the medications or stop taking them altogether and when that happens the client experiences all their symptoms. When prescribing medication there also needs to be therapy so that the client can learn how to deal with their disorder and to cope with the symptoms and the stressors that cause the breakdown.
It is not unethical to prescribe the accurate medications to the client, however the psychologist would act in an unethical manner if he prescribes the client the medication and does not monitor the effects it has on the client or if they are sticking to their medication schedule. As a psychologist we do have an ethical oath to make sure we give our clients the best care possible, if we slack on the monitoring of our clients with the medication and they unintentionally get hurt for any reason we can be held liable and potentially lose our license.
The risk-benefits factor in prescribing medications to help treat the psychological disorder is that the small side effects are worth going through so that the clients can have as normal a life as possible. The benefits far outweigh the risks because at the end of the day our clients just want to live a normal life where they are not hindered or judged by their disorder.
Our field is growing leaps and bounds with breakthroughs on several different psychoactive medications. We already have the Second generation antipsychotics that have less risks and longer shelf life. Medications that have been tested and proven to be a great benefit for clients suffering from psychological disorders by having lesser side effects and have been approved for long term use. Over the next seven years I predict that we will be adding more medications and making great strides in finding cures to some of the most common psychological disorders.
2nd Zibolsky
When it comes to the use of psychoactive drugs to treat psychological disorders, I believe in the correct treatment these drugs can, and are extremely beneficial to the individual that is taking them. I would like to state, that I am not one for the use of prescription medications, and I do personally feel that medication is handed out for cases that could be treated more naturally, for some medications can break down the good antibodies/cells in our immune systems, that cause humans to have continuing illnesses. However, psychoactive medications can be used to assist in supporting individuals to work, have a family live, and give them self-esteem, these things are crucial to supporting healthy mental wellness. Can things go wrong, absolutely, like we learned an individual can be misdiagnosed, (as it seems to be currently happening to children a lot). In individual can be destructive and take their medication differently than directed becoming co-dependent on the medication, some psychoactive drugs can also cause some pretty serious side effects. With all of these negatives against the use of psychoactive drugs, the important thing is that they can support creating a somewhat normal life for those individuals that suffer from psychological disorders. Ongoing monitoring becomes important for the physicians/ counselor, etc. treating the individual to make sure the medication is correctly working, neurological, and physical well-being stays at a healthy status. Personally, and professionally using psychoactive drugs under a quality physician that is going to discuss the pros, and cons of the medication with the individual, is a much far better treatment, then the individual trying to treat their disorder alone through illegal drugs, and alcohol use.
As I stated, I do not care for taking prescription drugs, however after having an experience of my own, where I needed to take psychoactive medication for a period of time to treat anxiety, and insomnia. I know that these medications can be extremely helpful for an individual to get their life back.
The biggest challenge psychoactive drugs face in the next seven years is creating awareness of the good that they can support in an individual’s treatment, along with understanding what, and how they can create the negative to an individual as well. For example, of the negative, children are being misdiagnosed a being put on medications that can have suffer side effects, like drug addiction in adolescence/adulthood. By, correcting setting a diagnosis the stigma of psychoactive drugs will improve.
