Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of psychological techniques to treat impulse control disorders. You should include a conclusion in your answer.
Marks: Question requires discussion; always plural of each argument, and always requires conclusion.
1 mark for each advantage/disadvantage up to 4 max.
1 mark for conclusion.
Most likely answer (other appropriate responses to be credited):
Advantages
· once trained, techniques can be applied at home by the client; applied any time, any place, anywhere.
· there are no drugs to take and so side effects and no addiction to the drugs.
· the technique can be applied to a wide range of different disorders: gambling, sexual paraphilia, trihotillomania, kleptomania, compulsive buying, explosive aggression and compulsive eating behaviour.
Disadvantages
· Time with a therapist is initially much more than that given by a medical practitioner prescribing drugs.
· A person may decide to withdraw from treatment to engage in the impulsive behaviour.
· Any psychological therapy takes more time than taking a drug at the same time every day.
Conclusion: any appropriate conclusion drawn from the discussion that has been presented.