issues in menta health Flashcards
what is a neurotransmitter?
chemical messengers that allow neurones to communicate with one another at the synapse
what is a neuron?
nerve cells that transmit nerve signals to and from the brain at up to 200mph
what are the components of a neuron?
dendrite
nucleus
myelin sheaf
axon
receptors
what is the enzyme that hydrolyses neurotransmitters?
monoamine oxidase
what is the biochemical explanation?
there is an imbalance of neurotransmitters within the brain
what did Lazenberger et al research?
the binding potential of serotonin in social phobia
what did Lazenberger et al find?
lower binding potential of serotonin receptors in social phobics than the control group
particularly in the amygdala
describe the dopamine hypothesis
high levels of dopamine in the Parietal Lobe - which is associated with sensory information - if too high patients experience hallucinations
low levels of dopamine in the Pre-Frontal Cortex - which is the control centre of the brain - if too low patients experience lack of concentration and attention
three good things about the biochemical explanation
useful -> drug production
evidence -> Lazenberger
reliability -> standardised and easy to test
three bad things about the biochemical explanation
ethical implications -> people may be distressed because they can’t control it on their own
might be the MI that causes the imbalance
reductionist -> doesn’t take nurture into account
what is the genetic explanation?
individuals inherit a gene(s) which makes them have a predisposition to MI
how could we study the genetic explanation?
compare concordance rates of MI with mono and dizygotic twins
define concordance
chance of an individual having a certain trait if another does
three good things about the genetic explanation
quantitive -> easy to establish MH trends
useful -> genetic counselling
holistic -> says environment triggers gene(s)
three bad things about the genetic explanation
ethical implications -> may cause distress as people cannot change their DNA
quantitive -> removes depth of experiences
socially sensitive
what biochemical causes anxiety?
serotonin (low)
what biochemicals cause depression?
dopamine (low)
serotonin (low)
norepinephrine (low)
what biochemical causes schizophrenia?
dopamine (high and low)
what is the brain abnormality explanation?
activity levels or structure that are different from the norm are what causes MI
what part of the brain is linked to anxiety/social phobia?
amygdala
name a study that supports the brain abnormality explanation
Pine et al
three good things about the brain abnormality explanation
falsifiable -> PET scans to measure activity
useful -> brain training
evidence -> Pine and Hariri
three bad things about the brain abnormality explanation
reductionist -> only looks at biology
deterministic -> could have high activity and not anxiety
we don’t know is anxiety caused the brain abnormality through neuroplasticity
GOTTESMAN
what was the aim?
to conduct a large-scale study into the inheritance of serve mental i’ll as to establish if there is a genetic component to MH
GOTTESMAN
what was the method?
cohort analysis
GOTTESMAN
what was the sample?
2.6 million from Denmark off of the Civil Registration System
GOTTESMAN
what was the procedure?
data was gathered on offspring and both parents
any diagnoses of bi-polar/uni-polar depression or schizophrenia were recorded
this data was then categorised
GOTTESMAN
what were the categorises?
two parents with a diagnosis
one parent with a diagnosis
neither parent with a diagnosis
general population
GOTTESMAN
what were the results?
incidence of MI increased if one parent had a diagnosis vs neither
two vs zero -> 31.7 times greater
two vs one -> 3.9 times greater
GOTTESMAN
what was the conclusion?
this large-scale study provides strong evidence for a genetic link in MI
they cannot rule out environment having an additional impact
what were the historical beliefs about causes of mental illness in ancient history and middle ages?
Egypt and Greece -> influence of evil spirits
Rome -> divine punishment
Middle Ages -> moral issues and demonic possession
what is the behaviourist alternate explanation to mental health?
we learn via consequences and association
they state that mental illnesses can be learnt through classical conditioning, whereby an individual may, associate a negative experience with a particular object/situation and develop a phobia
what is the cognitive alternate explanation to mental health?
explains mental illness such as depression by the faulty thinking patterns of the individual, however they may be caused
what is the psychodynamic alternate explanation to mental health?
there is an imbalance with the ID, Ego and Super Ego that causes different types of disorders
PSYCHODYNAMIC
“the ID is too strong and took over the psyche”
what would the person experience and what disorder type would they have?
impulsive and anti-social behaviour
psychotic disorder
PSYCHODYNAMIC
“the Super Ego is too strong and took over the psyche”
what would the person experience and what disorder type would they have?
perfectionism and feelings of being unfulfilled
anxiety disorders
PSYCHODYNAMIC
“the person has an ID and an Ego but no a Super Ego”
what would the person experience and what disorder type would they have?
impulsive and immature behaviour
psychopathic disorders
COGNITIVE
describe the ABC model of depression
(brief overview)
people can go through the same experiences but come out of them either mentally healthy or ill
our thinking patterns are what leads to mental illness
rational and irrational thinking is the basis of the ABC model
COGNITIVE
describe ‘activating events’ of the ABC model of depression
an activating event is a situation which triggers the individual to potentially have an irrational thought
e.g. you call out to a friend on the street and they blank you
COGNITIVE
describe ‘beliefs’ of the ABC model of depression
this is how the event is interpreted by the individual and acts as a bridge between A and C
e.g.
rational thought = they didn’t hear you
irrational thought = think you did something wrong or they hate you and no longer wish to speak to you
COGNITIVE
describe ‘consequences’ of the ABC model of depression
this can be what you do or how you feel and this constant irrationality is what can lead to depression as its an ongoing cycle
e.g.
rational thought would lead to it being a joke later or not thinking further on the event
irrational thought would lead to upset, worry, loneliness, etc
COGNITIVE
name and describe the features of Beck’s Cognitive Triad
negative views about the world -> “everyone is against me”
negative views about the future -> “i’ll never be good at anything”
negative views about oneself -> “i’m worthless and inadequate”
what are Szasz key ideas on “mental health is a myth”?
(five)
for something to be an ‘illness’ there must be a physical cause but there is no proven physical cause
if there is a physical cause for ‘mental illness’ then it was a wrongly diagnosed physical illness
‘mental illness’ is medicalising a social construct e.g. ADHD and Autism
if, and only if, the individual wants to change their behaviour they could go to therapy and this is the way to treat their behaviour - IF THEY WANT TO
if what the DSM classes as a mental illness has to be voted on than it is not an objective fact and therefore not a medical issue
what is good about what Szasz said?
useful -> we can develop a better system and evolve society -> Alan Turing’s case
backed by Rosenhan’s study
ethical implications - lower distress because it would remove any stigma as there would be no diagnostic system
what is bad about what Szasz said?
invalidates those who are mentally ill
medicine is proved to help and his point of view is discredited by hundreds of studies
cuts off biological treatments that people have found helpful
