Archive | 2019
Psychotherapy and Neuropsychotherapy
Abstract
The management of problem emotions, behaviors, and thoughts as well as personality changes in people with neurological dysfunction is distinctly different from management of the same issues in patients with psychological disorders. This is because much of the time, in patients who happen to have brain conditions, these are not simply psychological disorders but rather they are distinct syndromes due to disruption of the neural substrate of those functions. Neuropsychotherapy is distinct from conventional psychotherapy in content, technique, and social context. This chapter discusses the core elements of neuropsychotherapy and discusses important questions commonly asked by physicians, such as when to refer for psychotherapy versus neuropsychotherapy; what patterns of neural substrate dysfunction affect behavior, emotional, cognitive, and social functions; what on-label and off-label drug therapies are effective or, more importantly, should be avoided; and how does the collaboration between mental health, medical, and other multidisciplinary team members influence treatment outcomes? This chapter concludes with a clinical case example that demonstrates the use and effectiveness of the neuropsychotherapeutic approach for improving the quality of life of the patient following neurological dysfunction.