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Current Controversies in Clinical Psychology

APSARA KATUWAL DANGOL

This article includes a brief description related to current controversies, challenges, problems and debates going on in the field of Clinical Psychology. Clinical Psychology deals with the treatment of mental illness, abnormal behavior and psychiatric problem, these current controversies create meaning in updating this concerned field.
Prescription Privilege Movement
The first prescription privilege movement was introduced in Hawaii in 1985, where a psychologist was seeking bill for prescription authority. The only thing that differentiated psychiatrist and psychologist were degree and prescription authority. But now even psychologists are able to prescribe medicines for a patient with 2 years of post doctoral training or clinical psychopharmacology.  Former President of American Psychological Association, Patrick H. DeLeon & Morgan T. Sammons (expert in psychopharmacology) took part in the first experimental pilot program of psychologist prescribing medication (Dittman, 2003). New Mexico (2002) and Louisiana (2004) have granted prescription privileges to a trained psychologist. And still, the debate is going on to find why or why not to give prescriptive authority.

Evidence Based Practice and Manualized Therapy
Evidence Based Practice is crucial in clinical practices as it is about healing human where negligence cannot be done. Hans Eysenck's (1952) said that psychotherapy has no positive outcome after he did research with patients and he was proved wrong by Smith and Glass (1977) and Smith, Glass and Miller(1980). Every therapy has its own importance, to some extent some may work and some won't as the psychology of human being also matters. Usually, evidence-based practices have to be carried out than non-empirical therapy. Manualize therapy has been working towards target disorder. For example Exposure plus response therapy works for behavior therapy and Specific cognitive therapy works for depression.  These manualized therapy has been showing effectiveness which has been included in the journal as well.
Mental Illness- Overdiagnosed
Mental Illness has been overdiagnosed because of which every person falls in minor or major mental illness diagnosis. Usually, people have been identified having mood disorder which acts as common these days. Though DSM has tried to simplify and eliminate some disorders, still it is overdiagnosed.Many criticisms were made as it was declared that even normal life experiences fall on mental illness and none could escape from this mental illness category. Cosgrove et. al (2006)found that 170 panels of DSM IV, 95 of them, 57% had ties with ties with major pharmaceutical companies. Still, research is going on to know how pharmaceuticals are encouraging for over-diagnosing mental illness.

Payment methods: Third party payment vs Self-payment

 Earlier the client used to pay directly to a clinical psychologist.But health companies knowing the worth of clinical psychologist has included them as their co-worker. Due to this third-party involvement, there can be effect in therapy. Murphy et al (1998) did a survey where it was found that psychologist was having a negative effect due to third party involvement (managed care) as they used to make clinical practices decision and there was some lacking point in the quality of therapy. There was also effect on diagnosis and also confidentiality though maintained has to be shared with insurance companies. So, somehow, ethical concern was harmed.

Cybertherapy
Clinical Psychology has been touched by technology these days. Therapy, these days can conduct via computer these days. Video conferencing through skype to take the interview and treat a client, different questionnaire in apps for identifying the disorder, awareness sites, online psychotherapy programs, etc is all about cybertherapy. As it is approaching, there are less or more advantages according to client perception. Reger and Gahm (2009) found that cognitive behavioral treatment related to anxiety disorder shows same effective whether by person or computer. But major complications or disorders were not benefitted so far.

About Writer

Apsara Katuwal Dangol, is writer, educator, and psychosocial counselor. She writes articles which covers topics related to general and developmental psychology. She teaches to MA Clinical Psychology students as Developmental Psychology Mentor at Tri-Chandra College, and General Psychology at Shubhashree College of Management.








References

Current Controversies in Clinical Psychology
https://uk.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/58621_Chapter_3__Pomerantz_(Clinical)_I_Proof_(Low_Res)_3.pdf

A brief history of RxP
http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct03/rxp.aspx

Prescriptive authority for psychologists movement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescriptive_authority_for_psychologists_movement

What is clinical psychology?
https://www.verywell.com/what-is-clinical-psychology-2795000











Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 12, 2018 at 3:21 AM

    Clinical psychology is defined in the word clinic, which is the treatment of sick patients. According to experts forum, popular psychology publishers and psychologist websites There, a patient who sees a clinical psychologist is ill and needs psychological evaluation and help. These professionals work with people suffering from mental disorders and diseases such as sociopathy, multiple personalities and schizophrenia. The idea is to address the condition with the theory and scientific evidence of what has helped patients with these similar conditions. Clinical psychology focuses on the unconscious of a person and uses psychoanalysis as a treatment option for patients. Using an assessment and evaluation, a psychologist can determine the severity of the mental illness and what they believe can help the person lead a normal life as possible. Sometimes that is through institutional life and sometimes it is through prescription drugs under the supervision of the doctor. Clinical psychologists treat their patients through a referral from a doctor or criminal justice system.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Apsara Katuwal DangolJuly 19, 2018 at 4:22 AM

      :-) Actually, what is clinical psychology is title of an article. Anyway, it's good you defined it well.

      Delete

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