Treatment of Psychological Disorders Warsaw

Disorder is a very general term. It can refer to dysfunction in social functioning, self-acceptance or understanding the environment. It can also cover one area, such as an unhealthy relationship with food. Due to the dynamics of modern times, more and more people are also struggling with stress and insomnia. What are the most common disorders? How can you treat them?

A personality disorder is, in short, a set of features and fixed patterns of behavior that work to the detriment of the individual. The way a person perceives the world, treats himself, people and the environment is a source of suffering, dissatisfaction or sadness for him.

Often, contact with another person is a reflection of ourselves – how we perceive others and the entire environment. Therefore, people with personality disorders have the greatest difficulty in connecting with others and creating healthy relationships with them. All because of a distorted perception. Among these disorders we can distinguish following personalities:

• paranoid,
• schizoid,
• antisocial,
• histrionic,
• borderline,
• narcissistic,
• avoiding,
• dependent,
• anankastic.

Treatment of personality disorders requires many years of psychotherapy. The most recommended is psychodynamic therapy, which allows the patient to work through and understand the entire structure of their behavior. Everything happens in a safe and comfortable atmosphere, which is conducive to sharing emotions and thoughts with the therapist.

Some elements of cognitive behavioral therapy are also helpful in treating personality disorders. Particular emphasis is placed on the reformulation of automatic thoughts, from unfavorable to positive and serving the patient. Pharmacotherapy alone in the case of personality disorders will not do much. It helps to relieve some symptoms, for example in people with anxiety attacks. However, the cure of the disorder itself requires, first of all, thorough psychotherapy.

Eating disorders are a very contemporary problem, exacerbated by pressure from the media. It’s hard to chase away the perfect bodies, both on TV and in social media. This makes many people strive for unreal perfection in their appearance and their own well-being and value addiction to a distorted perception of physical attractiveness. The second problem is stress and the need to satisfy various emotions with food.

The most common eating disorders are:

• anorexia – the so-called anorexia nervosa, aversion to food;
• bulimia – binge eating and inducing vomiting;
• compulsive overeating – eating emotions, stress, emptiness. A person eats a lot and in uncontrolled amounts, but does not later provoke behaviors such as vomiting.

Nowadays, orthorexia is also more and more often mentioned. It is an obsessive concern about the quality of the selected products and the fear of eating something unhealthy.

Without a doubt, the most complicated disorder to cure is anorexia. This is mainly due to the fact that patients are not aware of their disorder. In addition, these people strongly depend their value on appearance. It is typical to think “If I lose 2 kg more, then and only then will I deserve …”.

Anorexia is a disease that leads to exhaustion of the body and eventually even death. Importantly, among those who are sick, admiration for those who die of disease sometimes arises. Therefore, therapeutic work is very difficult and complicated. It requires not only individual psychotherapy, but also very often family psychotherapy. Involving loved ones, educating them about the disease itself and how to support the patient, are the key elements of the treatment process.

It is a little easier to work with patients suffering from bulimia or binge eating. The main difference is that these people are aware of their problem. This is the first, very important step to therapeutic work. Throughout the process, the patient learns a healthy relationship with food, coping with emotions, and changing his perception. In some situations, family therapy may also be necessary.

Sleep problems are also one of the most common disorders. It is caused by the fast pace of life and ubiquitous stress.

As stress persists, the body is constantly on alert. It brings with it physiological responses, such as e.g. faster heart beat. Waking up the whole body makes it difficult to fall asleep and wakes up at night.

In addition to problems with sleep and insomnia, disorders in this area include:

• hypersomnia,
• narcolepsy,
• hallucinations
• a sleep paralysis,
• night terrors,
• nightmares.

They can be caused by other somatic diseases, e.g. the thyroid gland, and mental diseases, e.g. depression. Nightmares and night terrors can be the result of a past trauma.

If someone suffers from sleep disturbances, treatment should begin with the correct diagnosis. Basic tests may be necessary to rule out a somatic cause.

The form of therapy depends primarily on the specific problem of the patient. Cognitive-behavioral methods are most commonly used, but in some situations (e.g. trauma-induced disorders) psychodynamic therapy is more effective. Thanks to the therapy, the patient also learns relaxation and calming techniques that facilitate falling asleep (e.g. Jacobson training).

Read more: Psychotherapy Warsaw