8b Flashcards
Mental well-being continuum
A tool to track fluctuating mental well-being
High mid low continuum characteristics
A person with high levels of mental wellbeing is:
• able to function independently within their everyday life
• able to cope with every day demands without showing an excessive level of distress and dysfunction
• still may experience stress, sadness, and anger, however, have high levels of mental wellbeing due to their ability to cope with these experiences, regulate emotions, and express them appropriately.
An individual with moderate levels of mental wellbeing:
• is not functioning at an optimal level
• experiences a temporary or moderate impact on mental wellbeing
• experiences amplified emotions and high levels of stress
• has difficulty concentrating
• is more likely to experience irrational thought patterns.
Compared to experiencing extremely low levels of mental wellbeing, the causes and impacts of being in the middle of the continuum tend to be less severe and more temporary in nature.
An individual with extremely low levels of mental wellbeing:
• shows high levels of distress
• is unable to independently
complete tasks and meet the
demands of their environment
• is impacted for an extended period of time (more than two weeks or in
line with advice from mental health
professionals)
• may be diagnosed by a mental
health professional and may be treated through psychotherapy or medication.
Internal factors
Eg. Stress response
• Thought patterns
• Genetic predisposition
Lead to high lvl
If a person has naturally optimistic thought patterns, they may be more likely to view difficult situations positively and thus protect their mental wellbeing.
Lead to low lvl
If a person has a genetic predisposition (family history) to
a mental health disorder, they may be more likely to develop one than someone who does not have the same genetic predisposition, leading to a greater likelihood of having low levels of mental wellbeing.
External factor
Eg. Loss of a significant relationship
• Level of education
• Experiencing difficulty within
certain environments, such as
at work or school
• Access to support services,
such as medical and psychological treatment
Lead to high lvl.
A person who has adequate access to support systems, like friends, family, or professional support, will have greater access to help when needed. This will help them maintain high levels of mental wellbeing, even in difficult circumstances.
Lead to low lvl.
The loss of a significant relationship can negatively impact mental wellbeing if not adequately addressed, which involves low levels of mental wellbeing.
Stress
stress is a psychological and physiological experience that occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and/or efforts to cope. Importantly:
• stress is a normal part of life, and is not necessarily a sign of low levels of mental wellbeing.
• distress occurs, however, when an individual does not feel as though they have adequate resources to cope with a stressor. In these cases, it can lower an individual’s level of mental wellbeing.
• stress is usually in response to a known cause, which differentiates it from anxiety
Anxiety
anxiety is a psychological and physiological response that involves feelings of worry and apprehension about a perceived threat. It can involve cautiousness regarding a potential threat, danger, or other negative events.
• While stress can involve both positive (eustress) and negative (distress) feelings, anxiety typically only involves negative feelings (distress).
• Anxiety is broader than stress and may be due to an unknown stimulus.
• Anxiety is usually future-oriented, meaning that it involves worrying about events that may happen in the future.
Stress and anxiety similarity and difference
Both stress and anxiety are on the moderate to high part of the mental wellbeing continuum. They are similar because:
• people will experience both stress and anxiety from time to time, and it is an expected part of daily life.
• they usually don’t interrupt daily functioning and are not always a sign of low mental wellbeing.
• some stress and anxiety can be adaptive for functioning as they can motivate people to take action, such as preparing for a SAC instead of avoiding it.
However, when anxiety is excessive, persistent over a long period of time, and disrupts aspects of daily functioning, an individual may experience lower levels of mental wellbeing. This may mean that at that particular point in time, the individual could be placed towards the ‘low levels of mental wellbeing’ side of the continuum.
Specific phobia
specific phobia is a type of diagnosable anxiety disorder that is categorised by excessive and disproportionate fear when encountering or anticipating the encounter of a particular stimulus (such as heights, spiders, or small spaces). Specific phobias
are associated with:
• an individual going to great lengths to avoid their phobic stimulus
• significant disruption to an individual’s daily functioning either at work, home, in their social life, or with family (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
• low levels of mental wellbeing when encountering or attempting to avoid the phobic stimulus.
People who have a specific phobia are often aware that their level of fear and anxiety is disproportionate to the phobic stimulus, but are unable to control these feelings. This is due to the fact that the sympathetic nervous system is dominant when an individual is exposed to their phobic stimulus, which can result in physiological stress responses including:
• increased heart rate
• rapid breathing
• increased perspiration
• dilated pupils.
Specific phobia characteristics
The phobia is excessive
The sympathetic nervous system is dominant
Avoidance of the phobic stimulus
Distressing for the individual
The phobia is irrational
Fear of phobic stimulus affects daily functioning
Diagnosable mental disorder
The response is to a known stimulus
The phobia is persistent
The feeling of fear is predominant
Sim and dif bw all
Refer to table
