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Psychotherapy In Toronto
Psychotherapy
Find a Psychotherapist in Toronto
The therapeutic relationship
Psychotherapy and Medication
The unconscious in psychotherapy

Helpful Information
Depression
Psychotherapy for Depression
Anxiety
Psychotherapy for Anxiety
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder(OCD)
Psychotherapy for OCD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PSTD)
Psychotherapy for PTSD
ADHD
Psychotherapy for ADHD
Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Psychotherapy for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse


Practical Information
The Brain
The Mind
Neuroplasticity (the brains ability to change)
Behaviour

Couples Therapy

Bereavement Counselling

Phone Therapy


Psychotherapy and Medication

In today's world, the identification of stressors, differentiating real from imagined stressors, understanding one's personality style, and developing coping and management skills, is vital for sound mental and physical health.

Mental health impacts family life, work life and one's ability to remain physically healthy. What psychotherapy provides, that pharmacotherapy cannot, is a supportive therapeutic relationship; one that offers examination of maladaptive attitudes and patterns that impede one's life.

Psychotherapy can assist the client to develop a more balanced life-style, reduce stress, understand and manage anxiety, depression, and hostility. Psychotherapy reduces residual psychosocial impairment and improves psychosocial function.

The client in therapy learns coping techniques and problem-solving skills. The effectiveness of therapy depends on the active participation of both therapist and client. It requires time, effort and regularity.

Pharmacotherapy can be helpful in reducing symptomatology and works effectively in combination with psychotherapy. Given the side effects, any use of medication requires close monitoring by the physician who prescribes the drugs.

Like any medication, psychotherapeutic medications do not produce the same effect in everyone. Some people may respond better to one medication than another. Some may need larger dosages than others do. Some have side effects, and others do not. Age, sex, body size, body chemistry, physical illnesses and their treatments, diet, and habits such as smoking are some of the factors that can influence a medication's effect.

 


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Psychiatric Medications
Mental illnesses are among the most common conditions affecting health today. A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical or psychotropic medication is a chemical substance that crosses the blood-brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior. Medications may be necessary for OCD, PTST, and ADHD.

Psychiatric drugs operate by temporarily affecting a person's neurochemistry, which in turn causes changes in a person's mood, cognition, perception and behavior. There are many ways in which psychoactive drugs can affect the brain. Each drug has a specific action on one or more neurotransmitter or neuroreceptor in the brain. Sometime medication is an adjunct to psychotherapy in Toronto.

How long someone must take a psychotherapeutic medication depends on the individual and the disorder. Many depressed and anxious people may need medication for a single period—perhaps for several months—and then never need it again. People with conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive illness), or those whose depression or anxiety is chronic or recurrent, may have to take medication indefinitely.

Like any medication, psychotherapeutic medications do not produce the same effect in everyone. Some people may respond better to one medication than another. Some may need larger dosages than others do. Some have side effects, and others do not. Age, sex, body size, body chemistry, physical illnesses and their treatments, diet, and habits such as smoking are some of the factors that can influence a medication's effect. A psychotherapist in Toronto is helpful in retraining the mind(link to mind) please see our section in Choosing a psychotherapist in Toronto.


Psychotherapy for Depression in Toronto

Depressed people will seem sad, or "down," or may be unable to enjoy their normal activities. They may have no appetite and lose weight (although some people eat more and gain weight when depressed). They may sleep too much or too little, have difficulty going to sleep, sleep restlessly, or awaken very early in the morning. They may speak of feeling guilty, worthless, or hopeless; they may lack energy or be jumpy and agitated. Many people need treatment for Depression (link to page on Depression) and many people resort to psychiatric medications or antidepressants. One must be mindful of the neuroplasticity of the brain and how the psychotherapy can help.

Psychotherapy and Antidepressants

One should seek out psychotherapy for depression . Antidepressants are used most often for serious depressions, but they can also be helpful for some milder depressions. Antidepressants are not "uppers" or stimulants, but rather take away or reduce the symptoms of depression and help depressed people feel the way they did before they became depressed. The doctor chooses an antidepressant based on the individual's symptoms. Some people notice improvement in the first couple of weeks; but usually the medication must be taken regularly for at least 6 weeks and, in some cases, as many as 8 weeks before the full therapeutic effect occurs. If there is little or no change in symptoms after 6 or 8 weeks, the doctor may prescribe a different medication.


Side Effects of Antidepressant Medications

Antidepressants may cause mild, and often temporary, side effects (sometimes referred to as adverse effects) in some people. Typically, these are not serious. However, any reactions or side effects that are unusual, annoying, or that interfere with functioning should be reported to the doctor immediately. The most common side effects of tricyclic antidepressants, and ways to deal with them, are as follows:

 List of antidepressant side effects
· • Dry mouth —it is helpful to drink sips of water; chew sugarless gum; brush teeth daily.
· • Constipation —bran cereals, prunes, fruit, and vegetables should be in the diet.
· • Bladder problems —emptying the bladder completely may be difficult, and the urine stream may not be as strong as usual. Older men with enlarged prostate conditions may be at     particular risk for this problem. The doctor should be notified if there is any pain.
· • Sexual problems —sexual functioning may be impaired; if this is worrisome, it should be discussed with the doctor.
· • Blurred vision —this is usually temporary and will not necessitate new glasses. Glaucoma patients should report any change in vision to the doctor.
· • Dizziness —rising from the bed or chair slowly is helpful.
· • Drowsiness as a daytime problem —this usually passes soon. A person who feels drowsy or sedated should not drive or operate heavy equipment. The more sedating     antidepressants are generally taken at bedtime to help sleep and to minimize daytime drowsiness.
· • Increased heart rate —pulse rate is often elevated. Older patients should have an electrocardiogram (EKG) befo

Antianxiety Medications

Both antidepressants and antianxiety medications are used to treat anxiety disorders. The broad-spectrum activity of most antidepressants provides effectiveness in anxiety disorders as well as depression. Antianxiety medications include the benzodiazepines, which can relieve symptoms within a short time. Common side effects are drowsiness and loss of coordination are most common; fatigue and mental slowing or confusion can also occur.


What are the side effects of Antianxiety Medications

The most common side effects for benzodiazepines are drowsiness and dizziness. Other possible side effects include:

· • Upset stomach
· • Blurred vision
· • Headache
· • Confusion
· • Grogginess
· • Nightmares


Benzodiazepines

Side-effects make it dangerous for people taking benzodiazepines to drive or operate some machinery. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines is very difficult and a very long process. Years in fact. It is easy to become physiologically and psychologically addicted. People taking benzodiazepines for weeks or months may develop tolerance for and dependence on these drugs. Abuse and withdrawal reactions are also possible. For these reasons, the medications are generally prescribed for brief periods of time—days or weeks—and sometimes just for stressful situations or anxiety attacks.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

It is essential to talk with the doctor before discontinuing a benzodiazepine. A withdrawal reaction may occur if the treatment is stopped abruptly. Symptoms may include anxiety, shakiness, headache, dizziness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, or in extreme cases, seizures. A withdrawal reaction may be mistaken for a return of the anxiety because many of the symptoms are similar. After a person has taken benzodiazepines for an extended period, the dosage is gradually reduced before it is stopped completely. Commonly used benzodiazepines include clonazepam (Klonopin), alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan).