Area 3: mental health

Question 1

how does the ABC model explain depression?

Answer 1

depression is a result of irrational thinking and how we perceive events.
We have 2 or 3 irrational beliefs
A- Activating event
B- Belief (rational or irrational)
C- Consequence of belief
This becomes habitual behaviour which is hard to break leading to depression

Question 2

how does beck explain depression?

Answer 2

Beck negative triad- depression results from systematic negative bias in thinking processes.
The self- ‘I am hopeless’
The word- ‘the world is a dark, cold place’
The future- ‘things will never improve’
Try to change one other may change. They try to find evidence to confirm their negative thoughts (negative bias)

Question 3

how does the cognitive explanation explain schizophrenia?

Answer 3

Frith- deficit theory

Question 4

what is frith’s deficit theory?

Answer 4

People with schizophrenia are more aware of many cognitive processes that are usually out of awareness for ‘normal’ people. Thoughts that are normally filtered are no longer filtered increasing the amount of processing leading to a sensory overload as to much information is being processed. Healthy people- cognitive processes occur outside of our conscious awareness.

Question 5

how does the cognitive explanation explain phobias?

Answer 5

beck’s attention and negative appraisal bias

Question 6

what is attentional bias?

Answer 6

Attentional bias- individual with a phobia focuses on threat and pay extreme attention to situations that produce fear and anxiety. Hyper vigilant as they are constantly scanning for the phobic stimulus before its detected.

Question 7

what is negative appraisal bias?

Answer 7

people who develop a phobia, interpret harmless situations and objects as dangerous. They exaggerate the extent of risk of danger and underestimate their own ability to cope. Negative appraisals are the result of irrational beliefs and thoughts that are maladaptive. Over generalisation of the danger.

Question 8

how does social learning theory explain depression?

Answer 8

The individual observes a role model who is someone they identify with display depressive behaviour. They see their role model get a reward for this such as attention and want this for themselves (vicarious reinforcement), or they display depressive symptoms to get the reward (direct reinforcement). This then becomes internalised over time and part of their natural behaviour.

Question 9

how does operant conditioning explain depression?

Answer 9

Lewisohn depression occurs when positive reinforcers from environment are removed. For example, when a person loses their job they lose the positive reinforcer of interactions with other colleagues.

Question 10

how does learned helplessness explain depression?

Answer 10

Depression is learned helplessness.
Maier put dogs in a cage where they received a shock after hearing a tone. He later placed them into another cage which had separate compartments separated by a low wall which they could jump over. They found dogs who had learned it wasn’t possible to escape didn’t try to when given the opportunity. Early experience- lack of control means that layer in life when similarity occurs people response with passivity.

Question 11

what evidence supports classical conditioning explaining phobias?

Answer 11

Watson and Rayner demonstrated how Little Albert associated the fear caused by a loud bang with a white rat. He was exposed to a white rat (NS), producing no response. When paired with the loud bang (UCS), this produced the UCR of fear. Through several repetitions, Albert made the association between the rat (CS) and fear (CR). This conditioning then generalised to other objects e.g. white fluffy Santa Claus hats

Question 12

how does classical conditioning explain phobias?

Answer 12

phobias are LEARNED through classical conditioning with fear ASSOCIATED with stimulus.
UCS- unconditional stimulus- natural
UCR- unconditional response
NS- neutral stimulus
CS- conditional stimulus
CR- conditioned response

Question 13

how does operant conditioning explain phobias?

Answer 13

+ve reinforcement= people who produce an emotional reaction often receive reward such as attention. -ve reinforcement= avoiding the object reduces fear this reinforces the avoidance as it reduces the unpleasant feeling

Question 14

how does the psychodynamic approach explain depression?

Answer 14

The ID wants to lash out due to childhood trauma such as cruel and cold parenting, the superego says why not, therefore the go has to repress this rage into the subconscious turning it into self hatred, which can lead to levels of lowered self-esteem which is one of the symptoms of depression.

Question 15

how does the psychodynamic approach explain phobias?

Answer 15

Due to conflict in childhood. The ID has a fear response when the ego is threatened so displaces initial conflict onto a neutral stimulus such as a spider this then represents the initial feared reaction.

Question 16

how does the psychodynamic approach explain schizophrenia?

Answer 16

Regression to primary narcissism
Adults have experienced harsh environments in childhood e.g. cold and rejecting parents. So, regress to earlier state of development called primary narcissism, which is state before the ego develops. They can no longer distinguish between fantasy and reality. This infantile state could be detected in symptoms such as delusions. The ego tries to regain control by regaining contact with reality however this results in other symptoms such as hallucinations e.g. thought disturbances

Question 17

how does taking responsibility explain depression?

Answer 17

It is only when a person takes responsibility (self determination) that personal growth becomes possible
Depression occurs because external factors inhibit personal growth of an individual. As long as a person remains controlled by other people or things, they cannot take responsibility for their behaviour and therefore cannot begin to change it or the outcome is depression

Question 18

how does reduced self esteem explain depression?

Answer 18

It an individual fails to live up to their ideal self, they feel under constant threat, which reduces their self esteem. To protect themselves they use defense mechanisms such as distortion, when a person perceives a threat to their self concept, they distort their perception of the threat until it fits their self concept.
This then becomes self defeating because it reduces the perception of the threat not the threat itself.

Question 19

how does humanism explain schizophrenia?

Answer 19

it is one possible dysfunctional outcome of lack of unconditional positive regard from parents towards their children. Harsh, abusive and neglectful parenting or parenting that makes love conditional on behaviour can drastically low the child’s self esteem, causing greater vulnerability to schizophrenia in adulthood.

Question 20

what are the key points of szasz?

Answer 20

challenged the medical model
mental patients are active players not passive victims.
political agenda
mental health is a social construct
mental health is a myth

Question 21

what is flooding therpay?

Answer 21

extreme therapy based upon the principles of classical conditioning and forming new associations
This deals with anxiety which they believe is energy and as an individual we don’t have unlimited amount of energy
The patient is the immersed in their most fearful situation with no chance of escape

As anxiety levels increase they will eventually run out of energy and peak and start to fall, this is where they begin to form new associations.

Question 22

how does flooding therapy work?

Answer 22

As anxiety levels increase they will eventually run out of energy and peak and start to fall, this is where they begin to form new associations as they have no energy to be anxious towards the phobic object

Question 23

what is systematic desensitization?

Answer 23

gradual exposure therapy
Based upon the principles of classical conditioning to overcome phobias and other anxiety disorders
Patients are taught to form new responses of relaxation instead of fear to the phobic stimuli.

Question 24

what are the 4 main stages of systematic desensitization?

Answer 24

functional analysis
construction of anxiety hierarchy
relaxation training
gradual exposure

Question 25

what is functional analysis?

Answer 25

discussion between the therapist and patient to discover reasons for the phobia, how they reacts and which scenarios they are actually fearful of

Question 26

what is construction of anxiety hierarchy?

Answer 26

The therapist and patient work together to develop a hierarchy of phobic situations in order from the least feaful to the most fearful. For example they may rate ‘saying spider’ as one on a scale of fear reactions but ‘holding a spider’ as 10.

Question 27

what is relaxation training?

Answer 27

therapist will teach the patient relaxation techniques. The include self hypnosis, breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation.

Question 28

what is gradual exposure?

Answer 28

They start with the least threatening thought
They then experience a fear reaction where the therapist teaches a relaxation technique at the same time as facing their fear
When they report no anxiety at one stage they move onto the next until the patient is able to experience the most frightening item on the hierarchy without anxiety.

Question 29

what is psychoanalysis?

Answer 29

patients are encouraged to express thoughts exactly how they occur not matter how irrelevant or unimportant. Talking freely.
All about making links or associations as their express their thoughts and that they are determined by unconscious factors
dream analysis can also be used

Question 30

what does the therapist try and do in psychoanalysis?

Answer 30

attempts to trace the unconscious memories to childhood events such as real or symbolic loss of a parent of cold and rejecting parents.
The therapist then helps the parent deal with these newly recalled memories.

Question 31

what is humanistic counselling?

Answer 31

Should be client centered as they dictate the direction and content of the sessions.
the counsellor acts as an Empathetic, Non Judgmental, Active Listener who shows Shows unconditional positive regard to increase the congruence between the self concept and the ideal self.

Question 32

what is cognitive behaviour therapy?

Answer 32

D and E to his original model.
The D stands for ‘disputing’ or questioning the person‘s irrational beliefs. This is a role a therapist takes. eg discussing with the client why these beliefs may not be true.
e for effect -‘effect’ of changing the person’s interpretation of an event. If therapy is effective then the person will be able to view events in a less irrational way

Question 33

how does CBT work?

Answer 33

the client will meet with their therapist every week or fortnight
short term treatment that can last between five and twenty sessions.
sometimes the client can be seen on a one to one basis with the therapist or in groups sessions.
CBT can now also be accessed to the client online