Monitor on Psychology - November 2011 - (Page 45)

to problems such as addiction. Reinout Wiers, PhD, of the University of Amsterdam and colleagues developed a CBM technique that involves moving a joystick to zoom in or out to approach or avoid images on a screen. Initially he found that alcoholics zoomed toward images of alcoholic beverages faster than did people without that addiction. In four 15-minute sessions, Wiers and his team trained recovering alcoholics to “push away” the virtual images of alcohol. A year later, 46 percent of the CBM-trained group had relapsed, in contrast to 59 percent of the control subjects (Psychological Science, Vol. 22, No. 4). No insight required A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, and to Holmes it makes sense to tap into the visual system that humans rely on so heavily. “When we do therapy, people usually just focus on the words,” she says. Yet our brains process words and images very differently. In a 2009 study, she found that healthy volunteers who created mental images of positive events felt better, while those who thought about the same events verbally actually felt worse (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol. 118, No. 1). Images — such as those presented in CBM training — “can be very powerful,” she says. A definite buzz is emerging around CBM. Still, it’s not yet known how CBM stacks up against current treatments or Kirsten Weir is a writer in Minneapolis. how best to deliver it as therapy. So far, most of the training programs are just modified versions of the dot-probe test — a format originally designed for assessment, not intervention. “It’s almost certain that we’re not training attention as effectively as we could do,” MacLeod says. “A lot of the work will be refinements of the training methodology.” Another big unknown, MacLeod says, Helper software delivers: is how CBM should be integrated with existing treatments, such as cognitive• Easy-to-use billing and scheduling features designed for behavioral therapy (CBT), which has psychologists in private or small group practice a wealth of data demonstrating its • Quicker reimbursements with electronic claims effectiveness. He suggests that the two • Comprehensive Electronic Medical Record approaches might be more beneficial together than either therapy is on its own. While CBT excels at teaching patients to deal with negative thoughts as they arise, CBM could target the basis of such negative thoughts earlier in the cognitive process, at a more subconscious level. “The delivery of the intervention requires nothing in the way of insight,” he says. In fact, adds Schmidt, CBM usually doesn’t feel like therapy at all. In his studies of CBM, “almost no one who has been in active treatment thinks they’ve • Access to discounted online Continuing Education Units gotten active treatment,” he says. “I don’t think any patient enjoys doing cognitive behavioral therapy. They enjoy getting better but the treatment itself is hard.” Targeting automatic biases instead may be a good option for patients who don’t comply with CBT protocols. CBM could also be useful for patients in underserved areas. Offering bias modification programs on the Web or even through smartphones could be inexpensive or even free, and could reach people in remote areas where mental health care is lacking, Schmidt says. Phil Enock, a doctoral candidate at Harvard University in the lab of psychologist Richard McNally, PhD, is studying attention bias modification to treat social anxiety and worry via the iPhone and Android phones. Meanwhile, Bar-Haim is launching an international collaboration with researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health that will investigate CBM for anxiety disorders. The project will encompass randomized controlled studies at mental health treatment centers around the globe. “[CBM] sounds very promising, but we still have to do the work,” he says. No one expects CBM to replace existing treatments. But if the research pans out, mental health professionals will have good cause for celebration. As Bar-Haim says, “It’s not often that a new therapy like this comes around.” n and less time with paperwork! Spend more time helping people Visit www.helper.com/APA for a special APA Monitor promotional price! Call us at: 1.800.343.5737 O er expires December 31, 2011 n ov e M b e r 2 0 1 1 • M o n i to r o n p s yc h o l o g y APA_Monitor_ad_7_11.indd 1 7/25/2011 12:18:49 PM 45 http://www.helper.com/APA http://www.helper.com/APA

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - November 2011

Monitor on Psychology - November 2011
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
Guest Column
‘Grand Challenges’ offers blueprint for mental health research
Documentary seeks to reach parents of LGBT kids
Treating veterans will cost at least $5 billion by 2020
Selfless volunteering might lengthen your life
Combat and stress up among U.S. military in Afghanistan
South Africa to host international psychology conference
Study uncovers a reason behind sex differences in mental illness
Navy psychologist gives a voice to combat trauma
In Brief
Psychologist suicide
On Your Behalf
Journey back to Heart Mountain
Psychology is key to pain management, report finds
ACT goes international
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Science Watch
Behavior change in 15-minute sessions?
Health-care reform 2.0
Perspective on Practice
Giving a heads up on concussion
Practice Profile
Searching for meaning
Inspiring young researchers
Aging, with grace
Public Interest
Thank you!
APA News
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
The man who gave Head Start a start
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - November 2011