Since 1949, the United States has recognized the month of May as Mental Health Awareness Month. If you see a green ribbon, or a hashtag like #4Mind4Body, you are likely seeing someone who is trying to break the stigma around discussing mental health. Mental Health Awareness Month is all about spreading valuable, accurate information about the causes, prevalence, and treatment for mental health issues.

With that in mind, in the midst of Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s get an overview of a few popular mental health treatments, including:

• Psychoanalysis
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Humanistic Therapy
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
  

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis as a treatment method began with Sigmund Freud and a focus on the unconscious. While some of his original theories have come under more scrutiny in contemporary times, many of Freud’s ideas are still usefully incorporated into mental health treatment today, and psychoanalysis itself has evolved to incorporate more modern ideas.

Psychoanalysis is a form of talk therapy with a focus on self-exploration, rooted in the belief that key sources of a person’s psychological issues can be found by delving into the unconscious mind. Psychologists practicing psychoanalysis will try to identify patterns in patients’ thoughts and speech to help the patient better understand and help themselves.

Psychoanalysis dives into the mind of the patient  to identify the roots of behavior

Psychoanalysis is a treatment method that emphasizes fulfilling a person’s understanding of themselves and what drives their decisions.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy is a form of talk therapy, similar to psychoanalysis, but with more of an emphasis placed on a person’s relationship to the external world.

Psychodynamic therapy is typically used to treat conditions like depression, anxiety, addiction, and eating disorders.

The goal of psychodynamic therapy is to help a patient recognize and overcome negative feelings and repressed emotions, with the goal of improving the patient’s interpersonal relationships.

Psychodynamic therapy can help you make and maintain meaningful relationships

Psychodynamic therapy can be a short or long-term treatment, but the ultimate goal is for patients to continue improving self-esteem and capacity for personal relationships beyond the end of treatment.

Humanistic Therapy

Humanistic therapy is a form of psychotherapy that is used to treat many of the same issues as psychodynamic therapy, along with people who feel unfulfilled, or incomplete.

The patient and the therapist are meant to be seen as equal partners in the process, with the therapist creating an environment for the patient to comfortably speak on what they observe about their behavior.

Humanistic therapy focuses on the individual, fulfillment of a person’s internal needs, and self-actualization.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a form of treatment for depression used when other treatment methods have not worked. It is a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain.

TMS is a noninvasive procedure that can be an effective treatment for depression when other methods haven’t worked

The purpose of TMS is to stimulate areas of the brain that have decreased activity in depressed people, with the goal of easing symptoms of depression and improving the mood of the patient.

Treatments are repetitive to increase the effects, typically daily, five days a week, for four to six weeks.

With properly positive effects on the brain’s neurotransmitters, long-term depression relief can be achieved.