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Writer's pictureDeric Hollings

Managing and Treating Symptoms


 

This morning, I read an article about a celebrity who purportedly experiences symptoms related to substance use or abuse, as well as regarding mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”). Because I don’t know of the issues which she reportedly experiences, I don’t care to discuss the celebrity herein.

 

In any case, I find it worthwhile to provide commentary on matters discussed within the comment section of the article. Anonymizing identities of commenters, I discovered the following:


 

One individual stated:

 

I read once that even mental health professionals do not yet know why some people can find the correct meds/therapy and recover from mental illness. Whereas others just never get well. Brain scans are needed more often to properly understand and then heal the brain. Just as they would with any physical injury/illness.

 

I appreciate that the commenter differentiated between mental health and mental illness. Regarding this matter, I stated in a blogpost entitled It Isn’t Always Mental Health:

 

[W]hen I hear colloquial use of “mental health,” people tend to place emphasis on well-being versus the absence of illness or injury. This seems odd to me, because if it were a coin, mental health would appear on one side and mental illness on the other.

 

I’ve worked in the mental health field since 2011, as I have experience working with individuals who experience more severe forms of mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia). This isn’t the same experience of a person who has symptoms of arguably less impactful conditions (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder [GAD]).

 

Nevertheless, I appreciate that one person responded to the original commenter thusly:

 

You don’t recover or cure mental illness; you manage it. And I’m with you, some combo of drugs work for some and not for others. We need more people going to school to become researchers in this field.

 

There’s a meaningful distinction to be drawn between curing a person’s condition and managing it. Regarding this matter, I stated in a blog entry entitled Treatment vs. Management:

 

Management:

·  Management is designed to reduce harm

·  Management’s purpose is to reduce unproductive escalations

·  Management is not designed to make the patient feel better, only to behave less destructively

·  You are managing any time your goal is to reduce harm. This may be reduction in suicidal behavior, cutting, or other self-harm, threatening behavior, chemical abuse, or other forms of unsafe or overtly self-destructive behavior. The cognitive and affective patterns of the patient are only addressed to the degree needed in order to constrain and diminish the escalated behavior.

 

Treatment

·  Treatment is designed to repair the self

·  Treatment’s purpose is to improve the patient’s functioning

·  Treatment is designed to make the patient behave, think, and feel better

·  You are treating whenever you are trying to make improvements in the patient’s behavior, cognitions, and affect, rather than simply trying to lessen the disordered functioning. Treatment is designed to get the patient “better.”

 

The bottom line is that management reduces symptoms enough for an individual to moderate self-disturbance while treatment increases overall functioning. Regarding the latter, I promote the improved ability to employ healthy strategies (function) and improve overall quality of life (i.e., getting better).

 

Although some psychotherapists may promote themselves as being able to “cure” or “fix” people, I don’t hold myself forward in such a manner. Rather, I manage and treat symptoms, though I don’t manage, treat, cure, or fix people.

 

While people are fallible human beings, we aren’t broken simply because many of us experience mental health conditions or mental illness. All the same, I appreciate how an individual commented on the article by expressing that mental illness isn’t recovered from or cured, though managed.

 

A separate commenter provided a similar response when stating:

 

No one recovers from mental illness. They can be managed with meds and therapy. Some need more management than others. No different than diabetes or asthma.

 

I’ve known of mental health practitioners who would emphatically disagree with this perspective, because the Western disease model regarding health is said to pathologize symptoms unlike how the Eastern approach to wellness presumably addresses such issues.

 

While I don’t claim to know all there is concerning mental health, I value both the Western and Eastern models. Which I appreciate more heavily depends upon the client I’m treating.

 

For instance, if I’m addressing a client who experiences symptoms of schizophrenia, I lean closer toward the Western perspective. On the other hand, if I’m addressing a client’s symptoms regarding GAD, I favor the Eastern model.

 

Moreover, the main psychotherapeutic modality I use, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), is a transdiagnostic model. Therefore, and because I don’t accept insurance for the services I provide, I can address symptoms which a client experiences without the need for diagnosis.

 

Anyway, I appreciate the article upon which some people thoughtfully commented. If you’d like to know more about how I manage and treat symptoms while not curing or fixing people who aren’t broken to begin with, I look forward to hearing from you.

 

If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

 

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

 

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!

 

 

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

 

References:

 

Hollings, D. (2024, April 20). A transdiagnostic approach. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/a-transdiagnostic-approach

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use

Hollings, D. (2024, May 11). Fallible human being. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fallible-human-being

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (2024, April 13). Goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/goals

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2023, April 29). It isn’t always mental health. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/it-isn-t-always-mental-health

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2024, March 4). Mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/mental-emotional-and-behavioral-health

Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings

Hollings, D. (2023, March 23). Pop another. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/pop-another

Hollings, D. (2024, January 13). Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/prevention-diagnosis-and-treatment

Hollings, D. (2023, September 15). Psychotherapeutic modalities. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapeutic-modalities

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance

Hollings, D. (2024, June 19). Treatment vs. management. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/treatment-vs-management

Thomas, G. (2024, August 8). Amanda Bynes shows off dramatic new look as she steps out with black hair while taking a stroll down in LA [Image]. Daily Mail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13721025/Amanda-Bynes-new-black-hair-Hollywood-Boulevard.html

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