issues in mental health topic 3- alternatives to the medical model

Question 1

background: behaviourist explanation
classical conditioning

Answer 1

watson+raynor little albert case phobia of rats by repeated pairings of loud noise with a white rat.
this was generalised to other white things like rabbits or santas beard

Question 2

background:behaviourist explanation
operant conditioning

Answer 2

requires reinforcement (rewards or punishment) to shape behaviour
so reinforcers could explain phobias
positive reinforcement: parents give attention when showing fear as a reward of this behaviour
negative reinforcement: removal of unpleasant experience encourages fears

Question 3

background: behaviourist explanation
social learning theory

Answer 3

if a child sees a significant adult with a phobia of something they might imitate this behaviour

Question 4

background: cognitive explanation
aaron beck and the negative cognitive triad

Answer 4

cognitive explanations explain that the individual is suffering from faulty, irrational or unhelpful thought patterns
3 main dysfunctional beliefs in people with depressive which form a cognitive triad: i am worthless or flawed, everything i do results in failure and the future is hopeless.
we acquire these in childhood loss of a loved one create a negative bias that sticks with us and becomes triggered by another event

Question 5

background: cognitive explanation
albert ellis and faulty cognitions

Answer 5

cognitive explanations for a disorder is that the individual is suffering from faulty, irrational or unhelpful thought patterns
faulty cognitions can be summarised by 3 points:
-awfulising/catastrophizing
-can’t stand its
-musterbating
they are unrealistic expectations to have and can lead to feeling of failure and depression when not attainted

Question 6

background: psychodynamic explanation of mental illness

Answer 6

emphasises role of unconscious processes and conflicts between parts of the psyche
-repressed memories, traumas and unresolved conflicts in the unconscious
-an inbalanced personality with the id, ego and superego
-psychosexual stages:conflict in stages of development can result in fixation and later psychological problems
-overuse of defence mechanisms
treatment- free association, dream analysis

Question 7

key research: szasz- the myth of mental illness: 50 years later

Answer 7

challenges the medical model of mental illness by rejecting the image of patients as passive victims of biological events and argued psychiatry was coercive and involved denial of human rights.
mental illness is a metaphor. caused by undiagnosed physical illnesses. is the judgement of people about socially unacceptable behaviour they label mentally ill.
psychiatrists are jailers who are qualified to categorise, label and treat people deemed disturbed by society

Question 8

key research: szasz conclusions

Answer 8

1. the medicalisation and politicisation of psychiatry over 50 years has led to a dehumanised model of care
2. mental illness should be regarded as a metaphor; a fiction
3. the moral legitimacy of psychiatry should be rejected as it involves violating human liberty

Question 9

application: biological treatment of disorders- behaviourist
systematic desensitisation

Answer 9

therapy based on classical conditioning that helps overcome fears by forming new associations between a feared stimulus and a state of relaxation
gradually exposing individual to feared stimulus whilst teaching relaxation techniques to ensure calmness.
McGrath demonstrated this with lucy who had a fear of loud noises such as balloons and party poppers by gaining control over when the noises were made and reducing stress

Question 10

application: biological treatment of disorders- behaviourist
flooding

Answer 10

making treatment quicker by presenting the feared object directly
the immediate fear response caused by adrenaline is not sustainable and will eventually calm down by itself
the feeling of calm can then be associated with the feared object
this can cause panic+reinforcement of the phobia if the person leaves the situation before adrenaline reduces

Question 11

application: biological treatment of disorders- behaviourist
aversion therapy

Answer 11

can be used to produce an unpleasant association like nausea in alcohol addiction
a drug called an emetic can be used to make people sick
repeated pairings will result in a learned response of aversion to alcohol

Question 12

application: non- biological treatment of a disorder- cognitive
rational emotive therapy

Answer 12

assumes disorders can result from cognitive appraisals that are based on misperceptions or irrational beliefs
process of cognitive restructuring stress provoking thoughts or beliefs are replaced with constructive or realistic ones
Activating event
Beliefs
Consequences
Disputing
Effects