Willingness of patient crucial for behavioural therapy to be effective

CHENNAI: In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Deputy Inspector General of Police V Balakrishnan stated that 80 personnel in Tiruchy range would be removed due to reports of aggressive behaviour and will undergo cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Local mental health experts talk on the effectiveness of such therapy and its usage.

“CBT is an evidence-based therapy that has more research than any other psychological intervention. It helps change your thinking patterns, which affects the connected emotions, and therefore, changes behaviour,” said Dr Vivian Kapil, psychiatrist. Dr Kapil explained that this behavioural therapy helps people become more aware of their thoughts and helps change their behaviour in the long-term.

According to Dr Vasanth Raj, consultant psychiatrist, Fortis Malar Hospital, this therapy form is used most frequently to treat mild to moderate cases of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and can be extended to treat personality disorders like anger management.

However, the effectiveness of the therapy is based on the willingness of the patient, said Dr Raj. “This therapy is based on patient cooperation. The patient comes to understand their own behaviour. They need to recognise the fallacy of their behaviour, as well as their forthcoming to share their emotions,” he said. If patients are unwilling to do so, the therapy will not be as effective, and Dr Kapil added that CBT will be difficult to deal with personality disorders.

The police force is one that suffers from a lot of stress management issues, explained Dr Kapil. “More so than mental health issues like depression, most of the police force have personality disorders. While they are forthcoming to deal with issues like depression and anxiety, they aren’t as forthcoming with personality disorders. This causes some roadblocks to the effectiveness of CBT,” said Dr Kapil.

However, the earlier the intervention, the better the long-term effects will be, said Dr Raj. “Earlier intervention will help members of the force be more open toward the therapy. CBT is something that will be more effective if patients are more exposed to the therapy. Therapy must also be held regularly as a one-off session will not be effective,” he said.