Psychotherapy
According to the dictionary, psychotherapy is the treatment of mental disorder and maladjustment by the psychological means especially indicating verbal communication. While this is a fairly simple definition, anyone who has had anything to do with this method of treating mental illness knows that it is a very complex and often a very long process. To add to this complexity, each practitioner of this form of mental treatment often follows their own unique combination of principles and techniques that they believe to have the greatest impact and influence toward the benefit of their client.
One of the reasons there is so much variety in the approach of treatment is because there are many theories on mental disorder. Some theories believe that mental disorders are a function of a person's history and focus on the client resolving issues from their past in order to have a more healthy now. Other theories believe that a person who has a mental disorder is physically ill and often will seek to treat the mental illness in a physical fashion by the use of medication. Most theories and treatments tend to fall somewhere between these two extremes, but this is by no means all inclusive.
No matter what kind of theory a professional follows and believes in, the truth is that psychotherapy is and will never be a quick fix solution to the problems of mental health. Most people who suffer from a mental disorder will often struggle with these problems their entire life. Even when they do find a good therapist, they often will have erratic attendance and quite often resist any but the most basic suggestions in their treatment. This can be very frustrating not only to the mental health professional but also to the client's family, and even the client themselves.
If you are dealing with your own mental illness or are close to someone who has, the good news is that the techniques and medication used today are a huge improvement over the old methods. While they are far from perfect and have room for improvement, they are better than nothing. The trick is to remain consistent in not only therapy, but also to find a medication regimen that aids the client. However while this is easy to say, it can be very hard to implement.
All in all there is no guarantee that any form of psychotherapy will help someone. However, this therapy along with other treatments can help and in the long run can eventually teach a person with a mental illness how to live a productive and balanced life.
