Psychotherapy in an Age of Neuroscience

Psychotherapy in an Age of Neuroscience PDF Author: Joel Paris
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190601019
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
Psychiatry, once proud of its biopsychosocial model, has now adopted a neuroscience-based approach that strongly favors psychopharmacological treatments and downplays the role of psychotherapies (or social interventions). This kind of practice can be sufficient for the psychoses, but it is neither evidence-based nor beneficial for patients with common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, substance use, and personality disorders. Current practice derives from a theoretical model in which psychiatry is viewed primarily as an application of neuroscience, with little reference to the vast literature on psychology, social sciences, and psychotherapy. This work reviews research bearing on these issues, and it shows why existing data support a different set of conclusions from those held by many experts and most practitioners