Time Series Designs And Therapeutic Outcomes

Abstract

This essay describes dialectical behavioural therapy which is my area of specialization. It outlines several outcomes achieved by his mode of therapy and further focuses on one outcome which is lack of self-destruct tendencies. It describes a time series design that I would use and it gives justifications of how and why I would use that time series design.

Introduction

There are several mental illnesses that affect most people in the current world. Some mental disorders are in born while the aetiology of others can be identified. Some of mental disorders include personality disorders type A which affect a larger part of the population. I am specializing on dialectical behavioural therapy.

Discussion

Dialectical behavioural therapy is a mode of treatment that was invented by psychologist known as Marsha Linehan. She modified traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of chronically suicidal and self-injurious individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) (Jacob L. Freedman, M.D, & Ken Duckworth, M.D 2013). During dialectical behavioural therapy, different types of psychosocial therapies are employed in order to achieve the required therapeutic effect. The therapist works together by first identifying the uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and attitudes. Once they have identified them together, acceptance of the condition follows and the ways to deal with the conditions are set up.

Relaxation techniques such as mindfulness are put in place and they help the individual to relax. This helps an individual to become highly cautious about their feelings and actions. This enables an individual to handle pressure and distress from the environment and increase his potential to control the urge of self-destruct. Breathing deeply and muscles relaxation are example of mindfulness techniques that are used in dialectical behavioural therapy.

Therapeutic outcome

This mode of therapy has several outcomes. These outcomes include decrease in the severity and the frequency of self-destruct behaviours. The second outcome is to increase the motivation of an individual to change. The third outcome is to provide a treatment environment that emphasizes on the strengths and the weaknesses of the patient during the treatment period.

I would like to measure the outcome of lack of the ideation of self-destruct in a patient. Patients with borderline personality disorder suffer from extreme emotional changes. They lack the methods to cope with such emotion surges. Dialectical behavioural therapy is a mode of treatment aimed at teaching them how to cope with these surges. (Psych Central. 2007)

Time series design

I would use a unique time series design in in dialectical behavioural therapy. I would first have a follow up of a patient and recording his behaviours about one and a half years prior to the beginning of the treatment. I would record his behavioural tendencies at the interval of one year, 6 months and three months before I initiate the programme. I would record the behaviours of the patient during the early months the treatment, 6 months. I would terminate the dialectical behavioural therapy after one year and record the outcome of the patient. I would still follow up the patient and note down the behavioural changes after 3months, 6 months and one year (Vaillancourt, K. (2012).

Justification of the time series design

I would use that time series since it gives a control in the research. The recording of the behaviour of the patient one and a half years prior to treatment gives a reference point and a base argument to measure whether there have been improvement in the ideation of the patient. There is also a good focus on and analysis during treatment and after the treatment.

I would have sessions with patients a weekly basis. Each session would take three hours and it would focus on the pressures the patients have passed through the whole week and how to accept deal with them.

Conclusion

Most personality disorders can be treated by either psychological or pharmacological therapy. The first stage of any personality disorder is the acceptance of the patient about his or her condition. When a patient accepts the condition and agrees to work with the therapist, treatment becomes easier and possible.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Jacob L. Freedman, M.D, & Ken Duckworth, M.D 2013 Dialectical behavioural therapy.www.nami.org/Template.cfm?ContentID=150441&Section=About_Treatments_and_Supports&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm Retrieved on September 30, 2013

Psych Central. (2007). An Overview of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Psych Central., available at http://psychcentral.com/lib/an-overview-of-dialectical-behavior-therapy/0001096 Retrieved on September 30, 2013

Vaillancourt, K. (2012). Outpatient Dialectical Behavior Therapy at a Community Mental Health Center: Outcome Study. (Electronic Thesis or Dissertation). Retrieved from https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ Retrieved on September 30, 2013.