Types of Mental Health Treatment

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 26.2 percent of Americans 18 and older suffer from mental illness. It is also the leading cause of disability of people ages 15 to 44 in the United States.

Medicine

• For some mental health conditions, prescription drugs help regulate the bodily processes or imbalances that cause the conditions. Some types of drugs used for mental health treatment are anti-psychotics, antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and mood stabilizers.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

• Electroconvulsive therapy is a treatment used to treat severe forms of depression, which uses electrodes attached to the head to produce a seizure in patients. Misconceptions surround the procedure due to movies and other media; despite these portrayals, the procedure is safe and effective.

Psychotherapy

• In psychotherapy, a licensed professional engages the patient in conversation, which is meant to uncover the sources of pain or disturbance in a person. Through psychotherapy, patients eventually find solutions to overcome their problems.

Psychoanalysis

• Psychoanalysis utilizes methods such as free association and dream analysis to uncover the unconscious mental processes that affect behavior and thought. After finding these unconscious features, the therapist helps the patient adapt his behavior to break unconscious patterns.

Behavior Therapy

• Behavior therapy seeks to retrain the patient's brain through conditioning and repetition to avoid or change harmful thoughts or behavior. The therapist utilizes rewards and punishments for reinforcement.