Chapter 10: Maintenance of Mental Wellbeing

Question 1

Protective vs risk factor

Answer 1

• Protective – promotes / helps protect mental WB
  
  • ↓ the likelihood of experiencing mental ill-health
• Risk – can exacerbate existing mental health difficulties
  
  • ↑ the likelihood of experiencing mental ill-health

Question 2

How is the biopsychosocial model a holistic approach to mental wellbeing?

Answer 2

• Doesn’t look at biological, psychological or social determinants of mental WB in isolation from one another
• Explains how they interact and influence mental WB

Question 3

Adequate nutrition and hydration

Biological protective factor

Answer 3

• Consuming a variety of foods and drinking enough water to meet our physical needs
• Don’t skip breakfast and eat regularly throughout the day
• Don’t rely on V / M supplements (real food = best source)
• Avoid heavily processed foods w excess salt, sugar or fat
• Don’t rely on drugs and alcohol

Question 4

Adequate sleep

Biological protective factor

Answer 4

• Allows us to feel rested, refreshed & ready for the day
• Promotes affective, behavioural and cognitive functioning
• ↑ likelihood that we feel 👍🏻 about ourselves & our abilities

Question 5

Bidirectional relationship between mental wellbeing and biological factors

Answer 5

• Nutrition & hydration are protective factors for depression
• However, depression can impair appetite, making it challenging to have adequate nutrition and hydration

Question 6

Cognitive restructuring / reframing

Psychological protective factor

Answer 6

• Core component of CBT
• Helps people identify, challenge and modify negative, irrational thoughts, making them adaptive and reasonable

Question 7

Behaviour activation / activity scheduling

Psychological protective factor

Answer 7

• CBT technique that involves identifying and scheduling activities that promote enjoyment or ↓ stress

Question 8

Mindfulness meditation

Psychological protective factor

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Answer 8

• Meditation that focuses on present experience (e.g. breathing, current feelings, thoughts, and surroundings)
• Promotes feelings of calm and peace, reducing stress
• Improves emotional reactivity and memory
• ↓ likelihood of rumination (repeated negative thoughts)

NOTE: It cannot treat mental ill-health alone and should not be relied upon to do so.

Question 9

Support

Social protective factor

Answer 9

• Authentic and energising help provided by family, friends & community
  
  • Authentic – genuine, down-to-earth, real
  • Energising – provides vitality, enthusiasm
• Aims to promote mental wellbeing
• Creating an environment that is likely to ↑ mental WB
• Involves legitimate and effective advice

Question 10

Cultural determinants

Answer 10

• Factors that help maintain strong connections to culture, strengthen cultural identity & enhance resilience
• E.g. cultural continuity, self-determination, connection to Country, kinship, etc.

Question 11

Cultural continuity

Answer 11

• Preservation of culture over time and the sense of history, identity, connection and belonging this provides

Question 12

Self-determination

Answer 12

• Human right to freely control one’s political status and pursue one’s cultural, social and economic development