Psychodynamic Approach To Psychological Disorders: A Case Study

The biological or medical model approach examines psychological disorders as a type of illness and assumes it is a physical issue. The approach believes that factors such as genes, bio-chemistry, neuro-anatomy and germs are the causes of psychological disorders, and use treatments such as drugs and psychosurgery to rectify them. (Saul McLeod, 2008/2014) Anxiolytic drugs such as benzodiazepines are commonly used in the treatment of somebody with depression or bipolar as they increase activity in the neurotransmitter. (A2-Level Psychology, 2009) On the other hand, the psychodynamic approach examines the causes of psychological disorders, and believe that they are due to anxiety, conflict and negative childhood experiences. Treatments for this approach differ from the biological perspective as they aim to reveal unconscious issues through
(A2-Level Psychology, 2009)
Contradictory to this however, treatments such as psychotherapy can end up being distressing for people as they are encouraged to recall negative and tragic events from the past that have perhaps suppressed. For many people, this can be more traumatic for them than having to deal with the original symptoms. Although a patient may want to treat the symptoms of their mental disorder, treatments such as psychotherapy can help solve the cause of the illness and together a patient and specialist can work together to try and bring that cause to an end. It is unfortunately difficult to prove how effective psychotherapy is, it is all based on subjective data and the unconscious mind. During this treatment, patients may recall false memories and believe that they are true causing more anxiety and issues with