Self-Help in Mental Health

by Harwood, T. Mark; L'Abate, Luciano

• ISBN13: 9781441910981
• ISBN10: 1441910980
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-30
• Publisher: Springer Nature

Summary

They're fast, cheap, and promise amazing results-no wonder more people seek mental health from self-help books and sites rather than seeking therapy. Complicating this picture: many resources are inappropriate, ineffective, even dangerous. For the clinicians who would gladly recommend self-help for their clients, the challenge is finding reliable, evidence-based sources of help among the vast qualities available.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Field of Self-help in Mental Health
What Constitutes Self-Help in Mental Health and What Can Be Done to Improve It?	p. 3
The Meaning of Self-Help	p. 6
Mental Health as a Condition	p. 8
Mental Health as a Discipline and How to Improve It	p. 9
Health Promotion	p. 10
Novel Delivery Systems	p. 13
Working at a Distance from Participants	p. 14
Homework Assignments	p. 14
Promotion of Physical Health	p. 16
Nutrition	p. 16
Primary Non-verbal Approaches	p. 16
Secondary Relational Approaches	p. 18
Tertiary Multi-relational Approaches	p. 21
Prevention of Mental Illness	p. 23
Psychotherapy	p. 23
Rehabilitation	p. 25
How Is SH Different from Promotion, Prevention, Psychotherapy, and Rehabilitation?	p. 25
Importance of Structure and Replicability in Self-Help	p. 30
An Experimental Checklist to Evaluate MH	p. 30
Concluding Remarks	p. 32
The Self-Help Movement in Mental Health: From Passivity to Interactivity	p. 35
Introduction	p. 35
The Passive-Active-Interactive Dimension in Self-Help	p. 36
From Passivity to Activity	p. 38
From Activity to Interactivity	p. 39
Growth in the Use of the Homework Assignments in MH	p. 39
Low-Cost Approaches to Promote Physical and MH	p. 40
Toward a Technology for MH Interventions	p. 42
Implications of Recent Advances for MH Interventions	p. 42
Conclusion	p. 43
Self-Support Approaches: Initiated, Guided, Maintained, and Monitored by Professionals (for Participants)
Distance Writing: Helping without Seeing Participants	p. 47
A Classification of Distance Writing	p. 48
Open-Ended Diaries, Journals, and Personal Information	p. 48
Focused Autobiographies	p. 49
Expressive Writing	p. 49
Programmed Writing	p. 50
Dictionary-Assisted Writing	p. 54
The Importance and Dangers of Addressing Hurt Feelings in Writing	p. 56
Rationale for the Usefulness of DW	p. 56
Discussion	p. 57
Conclusion	p. 58
Bibliotherapy	p. 59
Introduction	p. 59
Integrating Bibliotherapy with Treatment	p. 61
Bibliotherapy for Anxiety Disorders	p. 63
Bibliotherapy for Depression	p. 65
Bibliotherapy for Childhood Disorders	p. 67
Bibliotherapy for Eating Disorders	p. 67
Bibliotherapy for Sexual Dysfunctions	p. 68
Bibliotherapy for Insomnia	p. 69
Bibliotherapy for Problem Drinking	p. 70
Bibliotherapy for Smoking Cessation	p. 71
Bibliotherapy for Weight Loss	p. 72
Bibliotherapy for Diabetes	p. 73
Bibliotherapy in Primary Care	p. 74
Discussion	p. 75
Concluding Remarks	p. 75
Online Support Groups and Therapy	p. 79
Introduction	p. 79
Telemedicine	p. 80
Child and Adolescent Telepsychiatry Service (CATS)	p. 81
Telemental Healthcare for Military Populations	p. 82
Telemedicine for Depression and OCD	p. 82
Online Support Groups	p. 83
Internet Support for Eating Disorders	p. 83
Internet Support for Anxiety Disorders	p. 84
Internet Support for Depression	p. 86
Internet Support for Depression, Anxiety, and Work-Related Stress	p. 87
Internet Support for Problem Drinking	p. 88
Internet Support for Miscellaneous Mental Health and Medical Issues	p. 88
An Innovative Use of Online Technology in Mental Health	p. 89
Quality Assurance	p. 92
Conclusions	p. 93
Various Web-Based Self-Help and Informational Resources	p. 95
Resources for Alcoholism, Problem Drinking, and Substance Abuse and Dependence	p. 95
Resources for Anxiety Disorders	p. 95
Resources for Bipolar Disorders	p. 96
Resources for Cognitive Disorders	p. 97
Resources for Depression	p. 97
Resources for Eating Disorders	p. 98
Resources for Personality Disorders	p. 98
Resources for Schizophrenia	p. 98
Resources for Suicide	p. 99
Manuals for Practitioners	p. 101
Brief Description of Selected Empirically Supported Treatment Manuals	p. 102
Additional Manuals for Empirically Supported Treatments	p. 106
The Argument for and Against Treatment Manuals	p. 107
Manuals are Useful Clinical Tools	p. 107
Manuals are Problematic and Limiting	p. 108
The Present Status of Manualized Treatments	p. 110
A Uniquely Formulated Treatment Manual	p. 111
Prescriptive Psychotherapy (PT)	p. 112
Concluding Remarks	p. 114
Self-Help and Self-Change Approaches for Specific Conditions: Initiated, Administered, Guided, Maintained, and Monitored by Professionals
Anxiety Disorders	p. 119
Self-Administered Treatments for Anxiety	p. 119
Shyness	p. 121
Workbooks	p. 121
Treating Social Phobia at a Distance	p. 124
Virtual Reality Therapy	p. 124
Specific Phobias	p. 125
Self-Administered Treatments	p. 125
Predominantly SH	p. 126
Minimal Contact Treatments	p. 127
Panic Disorder	p. 128
SA Treatment for Panic Disorder	p. 129
PSH Treatments for Panic Disorder	p. 129
MC Treatments for Panic Disorder	p. 129
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder	p. 130
SA treatments for OCD	p. 130
PSH Treatments for OCD	p. 131
MC Treatments for OCD	p. 131
PTA Treatments for OCD	p. 131
Generalized Anxiety Disorder	p. 132
Social Phobia	p. 132
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder	p. 132
A Naturalistic Design Investigation	p. 134
Conclusion	p. 135
Available Resources	p. 135
Associations and Agencies and Web Sites	p. 135
Books	p. 136
Support Groups and Hotlines	p. 136
Mood Disorders	p. 137
Introduction	p. 137
Self-Help for Depression	p. 139
Self-Administered Treatments for Depression	p. 139
Bibliotherapy as Self-Help Treatment for Depression	p. 141
Computer-Administered Treatments for Depression	p. 144
Bipolar Disorder	p. 145
Medical Co-morbidity	p. 145
Discussion	p. 146
Conclusion	p. 147
Self-Help Resources for Mood Disorders	p. 147
Associations and Agencies	p. 147
Books	p. 147
Support Groups and Hotlines	p. 148
Video and Audio	p. 148
Web Sites	p. 148
Eating Disorders: Anorexia, Bulimia, and Obesity	p. 149
The Importance of Diets in Eating Disorders	p. 152
The Importance of Exercise in Eating Disorders	p. 153
Anorexia Nervosa	p. 154
Binge Eating Behavior	p. 157
Body-Image Disturbances	p. 159
Bulimia Nervosa	p. 160
Obesity	p. 163
Prevention and Treatment of Overweight Children and Their Families	p. 166
Night-Eating Syndrome	p. 167
Concluding Remarks	p. 168
Addictive Behaviors	p. 173
Destructive Addictive Behaviors	p. 175
Alcohol Abuse	p. 175
Spontaneous Recovery from Problem Drinking	p. 176
Mutual SH Groups for Problem Drinking	p. 177
General Substance Abuse	p. 181
Methamphetamine/Amphetamine Abuse	p. 182
Cocaine	p. 182
Spontaneous Recovery from General Substance Abuse	p. 183
Self-Help Groups for Substance Abuse	p. 183
Tobacco Abuse	p. 185
Spontaneous Recovery from Tobacco Abuse	p. 187
Domestic Violence and Crime	p. 187
Spontaneous Recovery	p. 189
Sexual Abuses and Offenses	p. 190
Sex Addiction	p. 191
Socially Based Addictive Behaviors	p. 191
Codependency	p. 192
Excessive Spending	p. 193
Gambling	p. 193
Spontaneous Recovery	p. 194
Interpersonal and Love Relationships	p. 195
Spontaneous Recovery	p. 196
Religious Fanaticism	p. 196
Spontaneous Remission	p. 197
Workaholism	p. 197
Spontaneous Remission	p. 198
Concluding Remarks	p. 198
Additional Self-Help Resources for Addictions	p. 199
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Resources	p. 199
Smoking Cessation	p. 199
Excessive Exercise	p. 200
Excessive Spending	p. 200
Compulsive Gambling	p. 200
Interpersonal and Love Relationships	p. 200
Workaholics	p. 200
Sex Addiction	p. 201
Domestic Violence	p. 201
Personality Disorders	p. 203
Introduction	p. 203
Self-Help Treatment for Personality Disorders	p. 204
Treatment Utilization and response	p. 204
Borderline Inpatients	p. 206
Manualized Supportive-Expressive Psychotherapy	p. 207
Dialectical Behavior Therapy	p. 207
Modified Forms of DBT	p. 208
DBT for PPD and OCPD	p. 208
DBT for Adolescents	p. 209
DBT for Opioid Dependency Among Women Diagnosed with BPD	p. 210
Guided Self-Help for Binge Eating Disorder and Co-morbid Personality Disorder	p. 211
Social Problem-Solving Plus Psychoeducation	p. 212
Are Personality Disorders Truly resistant to Change?	p. 213
Concluding Remarks	p. 215
Severe Psychopathology	p. 217
Introduction	p. 217
Self-Help Treatments	p. 218
Bipolar Disorder	p. 218
Specific Internet-Based Resources for Bipolar Disorder	p. 220
The Dually Diagnosed-Mental Health and Substance Abuse	p. 221
Schizophrenia-Self-Help Internet Forums	p. 223
Self-Help for Smoking Cessation/Tobacco Use	p. 226
Concluding Remarks	p. 229
Medical Conditions	p. 231
Introduction	p. 231
A Brief Sample of Medical Conditions That Have Self-Help Resources Available	p. 233
Traumatic Brain Injury	p. 234
Cognitive Impairment	p. 234
Cardiac Diseases	p. 236
Sickle Cell Diseases	p. 237
Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder	p. 237
Pain, Headache, Breast Cancer, Tinnitus, Physical Disabilities, and Pediatric Brain Injury	p. 238
Diabetes	p. 240
Obesity	p. 241
Aftercase Self-Help Interventions	p. 241
Self-Help Groups	p. 242
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)	p. 242
Non-specific Self-Help (Complementary Therapy)	p. 243
Current Investigations	p. 245
Diabetes	p. 245
Chronic Pain	p. 245
Conclusions and Prospects
Who Benefits by Self-Help and Why?	p. 249
A Theory of Relational Competence for Self-Help in Mental Health	p. 250
Definition of Terms	p. 250
Requirements of Relational Competence Theory	p. 251
Models of the Theory Relevant to SH	p. 252
Identifying Basic Processes and Contents	p. 254
Models Derived from Basic Factors, Processes, and Contents	p. 256
Applications of Previous Models	p. 257
Back to Reality	p. 259
Conclusion	p. 260
Appendix	p. 263
References	p. 265
Index	p. 305
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