AOS 4 - Mental health Flashcards
mental health
a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises his or her own abilities can cope with the normal stresses of life can work productively, & is able to make a contribution to his or her community
mentally healthy
means being in a generally positive state of mental wellbeing, having the ability to cope with & manage life’s challenges, working productively, striving to fulfill one’s goals and potential
mental health problem
adversely affects the way a person thinks, feels, and/or behaves, but typically to a lesser extent & of a shorter duration than a mental disorder
mental disorder
a mental health state that involves a combination of thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors which are usually associated with significant personal distress & impair the ability to function effectively in everyday life
characteristics of a mental disorder
- significantly impairs functioning in everyday life
- disorder occurs within the individual
- clinically diagnosable dysfunction
- actions atypical of a person
biopsychosocial model
a way of describing how biological, psychological & social factors combine & interact to influence a person’s mental health
biological
- genes
- gender
- NS activity
- immune system
- hormones
- substance use
psychological
- thoughts
- belies & attitudes
- personality traits
- perceptions
- emotions
social
- interpersonal relationships
- social support
- lifestyle
- social stigma
- access to health care
makes someone mentally healthy - high levels of functioning
- interpersonal relationships (can interact & get along with others)
- social/occupation settings
- leisure activities
-daily living skills - cognitive skills
- emotions
functioning
refers to how well an individual independently performs in their environment
makes someone mentally healthy - high-level of social wellbeing
- develop & maintain healthy relationships
- socially interact with others appropriately
- respect others
- competently resolve conflicts with others
- feel self-confident around others
social wellbeing
is based on the ability to have satisfying relationships & interactions with others
makes someone mentally healthy - high level of emotional wellbeing
- develop an awareness of emotions
- regulate emotions & exceed control
- express a range of emotions
- identify emotions in others
emotional wellbeing
is based on their ability to control emotions & express them appropriately & comfortably
resilience
the ability to cope with & adapt well to life stressors & restore positive functioning
ethical implications - informed consent
many mental disorders are associated with one or more impairments that can adversely affect the ability to provide informed consent. This is as the presence of mental health disorders can interfere as may prevent them from fully understanding
ethical implications - use of placebos
placebos raise the ethical issue of their having been knowingly & intentionally denied access to treatment that they are likely to need & from which they could benefit & are therefore allowed to remain unwell
4P factor model
describes 4 types of influences that contribute to the development & progression of mental health disorders
risk factor
any characteristic or event that increases the likelihood of the development of or progression of a mental disorder
protective factor
any characteristic or event that reduces the likelihood of the occurrence or recurrence of a mental disorder either on its own or when risk factors are present
bio - adequate sleep & diet
psycho - self esteem,
social - support from family
predisposing risk factor
increases susceptibility to a specific mental disorder & increases the likelihood of the development of the disorder
bio - genetic vulnerability
psycho- personality traits
- social - surrounded by toxic friendships
precipitating risk factors
increases susceptibility to & contributes to the occurrence of specific mental disorder
bio - poor sleep
psycho - stress
social - loss of a significant relationship
perpetuating risk factor
maintains the occurrence of a specific mental disorder & inhibits recovery
bio - poor response to medication
psycho - unsupportive work environment
social - lives alone
biological risk factor - genetic vulnerability
means having. risk for developing a specific mental disorder due to 1 or more factors associated with genetic inheritance
schizophrenia = large gentic vulnerability
biological risk factor - poor response to medication
means having little to no reduction in the number or severity of symptoms despite taking medication prescribed
biological risk factor - poor sleep
- a significant number of ppl report poor sleep prior or following the onset of a mental disorder
- relationship is bi-directional as poor sleep may contribute to mental disorder, or mental disorder may cause poor sleep
biological risk factor - substance use
refers to the legal or illegal consumption of drugs or other products
- bi-directional does substance use cause mental disorder or does a mental disorder cause substance use
psychological risk factors
either originate or develop within their mind which means there’s often the potential to extert some control over their occurrence or influence
psychological risk factors - rumination
repeatedly thinking about or dwelling on undesirable thoughts & feelings such as problems or bad moods without acting to change them
psychological risk factors - impaired reasoning
involves goal directed thinking in which the inferences are made are assumed facts or pieces of information
- as ppl with mental disorders suffer form delusions they struggle to probabilistically reason & thus jump to conclusions
psychological risk factors - impaired memory
- people with schizophrenia usually have some degree of both STM & LTM loss
- episodic memory impairment contributes to key symptoms of schizophrenia such as disorganised behaviour & impairments in day to day functioning
psychological risk factors - stress
the risk of developing a disorder varies in relation to the combined effects of individuals level of vulnerability the levels of stress experiences & ability to cope
psychological risk factors - poor self-efficacy
individual’s belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to succeed in a specific situation
ppl with poor SE
- believes stressors are unmanageable
- shy away from complex tasks
- more likely to dwell on personal deficiencies
social risk factors
for mental disorders originate in the external enviroment & interact with biological & psychological factors in influencing our mental health state
social risk factors - disorganized attachement
characterised by inconsistent or contradictory behaviour patterns in the presence of a primary caregiver
- disorganised attachment can result in anxiety & inner turmoil that becomes a risk factor, people with DA may struggle to form relationships, have trust issues
social risk factors - loss of significant relationship
loss of relationships that contain elements such as attachment, love, interdependence can have serious consequences for a person experiencing that loss, loss of significant relationship amongst vulnerable ppl can lead to depression
social risk factors - stigma
means a mark or sign of shame typically associated with a particular characteristic that sets someone apart
- can act as a barrier to treatment
social risk factors - social stigma
refers to any aspect of an individual’s identity that’s devalued in a social context, involving any attitudes, beliefs & behaviour that motivate people to exclude & reject ppl with a mental disorder
social risk factors - self-stigma
refers to the stigmatising views that individuals hold about themselves. people with mental disorders accept negative attitudes held by others & internalise it
cumulative risk
the aggreagate ( increasing) risk to mental health from the combined effects of exposure to multiple biological, psychological and social risk factors
stress
is a state of psychological & physiological arousal produced by internal or external stressors that are perceived by the individual as challenging or exceeding their ability or resources to cope
anxiety
a state of physiological arousal associated with feelings of apprehension, worry, or uneasiness that something bad is going to happen
phobia
is characterised by excessive or unreasonable fear or a particular object or situation
(p) bio contributing factor - gaba dysfunction
the failure to produce, release or receive the correct amount of GABA needed to regulate neurotransmission in the brain
- if GABA production significantly lower than required than the excitatory activity of glutamate & other neurotransmitters that contribute to anxiety & excessive flight fight sympathetic NS cannot be counterbalanced
(p) bio contributing factor - role of the stress response
because there’s a percieved threat or impending harm @ the sight/thought of phobia stimulus, the FFF response is activated, heart rate increases, adrenaline surges
- these types of reactions account for many of symptoms caused by phobia anxiety
(p) bio contributing factor -long-term potentiation
the long lasting strengthening of synaptic ocnnection, resulting in more effective neurotransmission
- LTP can neurologically strengthen the association between a phobic stimulus & a fear or anxiety response through its activity at the synapse
(p) psychological behavioural contributing factor - precipitation by classical conditioning
the development of phobias through CC is essentially when a stimulus with no particular significance (NS or UCS) becomes by association a sign of impending danger/threat (CR) thus naturally occurring UCR become a conditioned fear response
(p) psychological behavioural contributing factor - perpetuation by operant conditioning
after acquisition through CC phobia can be maintained through operant
- begin to avoid phobic stimulus, avoidance reduces or removes the unpleasant feelings of fear so it’s negatively reinforced
- any avoidance response to any phobic stimulus will continue to be reinforced through operant conditioning
(p) psychological cognitive contributing factor - memory bias
refers to the distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs & feelings on the recollection of previous experiences
focus on the negative threatening info not the positive or neutral
(p) psychological behavioral contributing factor - catastrophic thinking
a thinking style that involves overestimating or exaggerating or magnifying an object or situation & predicting the worst possible outcome
(p) social contributing factor - specific environmental triggers
many ppl with a phobia report having a direct negative experience with a particular phobic stimulus in their past which they attribute as ‘cause’ of phobia
(p) social contributing factor - stigma around seeking treatment
all specific phobias are based on fears that are by definition, irrational, this is 1 reason why it can be difficult to understand or empathise with ppl who have them
- failure to seek treatment can perpetuate a phobia
(p) biological intervening factor - use of benzodiazepines
a group of drugs that work on the CNS acting selectively on GABA receptors in the brain to increase GABA’s inhibitory effects
- relieve symptoms of anxiety by reducing physiological arousal & promoting relaxation
- agonists
(p) biological intervening factor - relaxation, excercise
- promotes relaxation
- distraction from far/anxiety stimulus
- coping with stress & associated physical reactions
- promotes release of endorphins
(p) psychological intervening factor - cognitive behavioral therapy
changes thouhgts & behaviours that perpetuate the phobia & improves coping skills
cognitive. = individuals are encouraged. tolook @ facts & evidence about phobic stimulus
behavioural - could include breathing retraining, exercise
(p) psychological intervening factor - systematic intervention
a kind of behaviour therapy that aims to replace an anxiety response with a relaxation response when an individual with a specific phobia encounters a fear stimulus.
(p) psychological intervening factor - systematic intervention steps
- teach individual relaxation techniques
- breaking down stimulus into least to most axniety producing
- systematic,, gradual pairing of items in hierarchy with relaxation working through hierarchy one step @ a time
(p) social intervening factor - family psychoeducation
the production & explanation of info about a mental disorder to individuals diagnosed with the disorder to increase understanding of their disorder & how to great it
what makes someone resilient
- ability to achieve positive results in adverse situations
- ability to function competently in situations of acute or chronic stress
- ability to recover from trauma
protective factors
maintain or improve mental health
biological protective factor - adequate diet
important to proper body fucntioning, reduces risk of physical health problems, but can also help with sleep, mood energy & mental health
biological protective factor - adequate sleep
tends to be more about waking up feeling rested, refreshed & ready for day & feeling positive about ourselves & ability
inadequate - irritable, slower to react, over react
psychological protective factor - CB strategies
receiving a low mark (event) - this was a difficult task i know i can do better (thought) - disappointed, more optimistic (feelings) - try harder (behavior)
social protective factor - support from family/friends/community
the assistance, care or empathy provided by ppl to each other
transtheoretical model
a stage-based model. behavior change that describes & explains how people intentionally change their behavior to achieve health-related goals
transtheoretical model - pre-contemplation (1)
not ready for change, has no intention to take action within the next 6 months
transtheoretical model - contemplation (2)
getting ready for change considering pros & cons, intends to take action within next 6 months
transtheoretical model - preparation (3)
ready for change, intends to take action within the next 30 days & has done some behavioral steps towards this
transtheoretical model - action (4)
making change, has changed overt behavior for less than 6 months
transtheoretical model - maintenance (5)
maintaining change, has changed overt behaviour for more than 6 months
transtheoretical model - strengths
- can be used for simple behaviors (nail biting) or complex behaviors (addiction)
- change is a process not just 1 step
- allows for setbacks
transtheoretical model - limitations
- because everyone transitions through stages differently it’s hard to use as a model for treatment
- lack of research to justify the relevance or validity of time frames specified in model
cumulative risk models
additive models - number of risk factors increase corresponding increase to developing a mental disorder
threshold models - risk of developing mental disorder is much more likely after exposure to a number of simultaneously occurring risk factors