Psychoanalytic Treatment
Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud, who divided the brain into conscious, preconscious, and unconscious thought. He explained his model of the mind as an iceberg; only a small section (consciousness) could be seen, but a large section remained underwater (preconsciousness + unconsciousness). Preconsciousness remained not far below the surface of the water and could be easily obtained while unconsciousness was more difficult to grasp. Freud also developed the idea of ego, superego, and id as different modes of thought. Each mode is responsible for a particular manner of thinking: the supergo deals with moral imperatives, the id with primary urges, and the ego acts as moderator between the two to produce rational thoughts and decisions.
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From these ideas, Freud concluded that mental illness was caused by a conflict within a person's unconsciousness, and since unconscious thought lies below the surface of the water, the conflict cannot be resolved and illness persists. According to him, the key to treatment of mental illness is for patients to realize and come to terms with their unconscious thoughts, previously obscured from them. Thus, psychoanalytic treatment is dubbed the "talking cure," when patients simply talk until they feel better. As this was the first form a treatment that yielded moderate success, it became widely used through many decades. The "talking cure" is the origin of the mental illness trope in which a patient is pictured lying back on a couch, spilling all their troubles to their doctor. This was indeed not so different from the first execution of the "talking cure;" the doctor who carried it out wanted to make sure the patient was comfortable and relaxed, unknowingly creating the stereotype of the mentally ill patient and the reclined sofa. These stereotypes have contributed to mental illness stigmas. There is a lot of negative connotation surrounding "shrinks" and people's needs to confide in paid professionals.
Today psychoanalytic treatment remains but is falling out of favor. In a modern age of science, drug therapy is a more popular form of treatment and sometimes, more effective.
Today psychoanalytic treatment remains but is falling out of favor. In a modern age of science, drug therapy is a more popular form of treatment and sometimes, more effective.