In psychodynamic therapy, psychologists need to understand the conflicts and the needs of the addicted person, and also need to locate the defects of their ego and defense mechanisms. Using this approach alone has proven to be ineffective in solving addiction problems. Cognitive and behavioral techniques should be integrated with psychodynamic approaches to achieve effective treatment for substance related disorders. Cognitive treatment requires psychologists to think deeply about what is happening in the brain of an addicted person. Cognitive psychologists should zoom in to neural functions of the brain and understand that drugs have been manipulating the dopamine reward center of the brain. From this particular state of thinking, cognitive psychologists need to find ways to change the thought process of the addicted person. Cognitive approach
There are two routes typically applied to a cognitive approach to substance abuse: tracking the thoughts that pull patients to addiction and tracking the thoughts that prevent them from relapsing. Behavioral techniques have the widest application in treating substance related disorders. Behavioral psychologists can use the techniques of "aversion therapy", based on the findings of Pavlovs classical conditioning. It uses the principle of pairing abused substances with unpleasant stimuli or conditions; for example, pairing pain, electrical shock, or nausea with alcohol consumption. The use of medications may also be used in this approach, such as using disulfiram to pair unpleasant effects with the thought of alcohol use. Psychologists tend to use an integration of all these approaches to produce reliable and effective treatment.
Aggressive therapy may be used to combat the disease, but even this puts the life expectancy at only around 14 months. It is recommended to put the dog to sleep at around 12 months, to prevent unnecessary suffering that comes from the disease. Some dogs have lived for many years with the disease, with one female boxer even living for 11 years. Without treatment, survival is around 3 months. The disease progresses rapidly without treatment, but this option arguably comes with less suffering. The dog begins to realize it is ill during the late stages. Some dogs have even appeared to be combating the disease on their own, walking on their own and doing exercise. The record survival without treatment is 14 years. Sources
External links
"How to Care for a Dog with Degenerative Myelopathy Video". Retrieved 2013-07-19. "Degenerative Myelopathy Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment Video". Retrieved 2011-06-18. "Degenerative myelopathy in Canis familiaris". Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA). Retrieved 2008-07-25. "Degenerative Myelopathy". Canine Genetic Diseases Network. University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Retrieved 2007-07-02. "DM of the German Shepherd Dog". Retrieved 2013-07-12.