Issues in mental health: Topic Two

Question 1

What is topic two?

Answer 1

The medical model

Question 2

Which neurotransmitter has been linked to low mood?

Answer 2

Serotonin

Question 3

What is it thought that low levels of serotonin can cause?

Answer 3

Depression

Question 4

What types of drugs are given for depression as a result of low levels of serotonin?

Answer 4

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Question 5

Describe the role of serotonin from the pre synaptic to the post synaptic cell

Answer 5

Serotonin plays a role in transmitting messages across the synapse, once the post synaptic cell has been stimulated the serotonin is taken back (reuptake) into the presynaptic cell to await the next message

Question 6

What do SSRIs do?

Answer 6

They prevent the reuptake of serotonin so there is more of the serotonin available in the synapse to carry future messages and therefore reducing symptoms of depression

Question 7

Why might genetics play a role in mental illness?

Answer 7

As the mental illness can be passed from parent to child

Question 8

What is believed about the passing on of a mental illness from parent to child in terms of how a child will be more likely to inherit such illnesses?

Answer 8

That the child might have a predisposition to the disorder but would need an environmental trigger for the disorder to be displayed within the child

Question 9

What did Gottesmann find in terms of identical twins having mental disorders?

Answer 9

That if one twin had a mental illness, there was a 58% chance that the other twin would have it

Question 10

Describe the evolutionary theory of mental illness

Answer 10

Behaviours that have a positive effect on our survival are likely to become inherited traits as people with these traits initially survived to mate and pass them on

Question 11

What format of treatment is in it’s early stages of research in terms of genetics causing disorders?

Answer 11

Genetic manipulation which may be able to reduce mental illness

Question 12

What did Weinberger look into?

Answer 12

Brain differences in people with schizophrenia

Question 13

What did Weinberger find?

Answer 13

That non-affected twins showed differences in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus volume compared to affected twins (as shown through MRI scans)

Question 14

What was the aim of Gottesman’s research?

Answer 14

To investigate in a large sample the probability of a child, with two parents with a psychiatric illness, being diagnosed with a mental disorder, in particular, the one that their parents have

Question 15

Describe where the sample came from and from what year?

Answer 15

The population of Denmark alive or born in 1968 and with a clear link to their biological parents was established from the civil registration system

Question 16

From the people found in the civil registration system, which people were included?

Answer 16

Those aged 10 before January 2007

Question 17

Overall, how many couples were studied in Gottesman’s study?

Answer 17

Approx. 1.3 million

Question 18

What was identified from the psychiatric central register in terms of the sample?

Answer 18

Anyone who had ever received a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression

Question 19

Describe group A

Answer 19

2 parents with bipolar or schizophrenia

Question 20

Describe group B

Answer 20

1 parent with bipolar or schizophrenia

Question 21

Describe group C

Answer 21

Neither parent diagnosed

Question 22

Describe group D

Answer 22

‘General public’ (no info on illness)

Question 23

What were the results in terms of children from group A having the same disorder as their parents?

Answer 23

24. 9% Bipolar

27. 3% Schizophrenia

Question 24

What were the results in terms of children from group D having bipolar or schizophrenia?

Answer 24

0. 48% Bipolar

0. 86% Schizophrenia

Question 25

Outline Gottesman’s conclusions in terms of the risk of a child being diagnosed for schizophrenia?

Answer 25

The risk with 2 parents diagnosed is 3.9 times higher than 1 parent diagnosed and 31.7 times higher than neither parent diagnosed

Question 26

Outline Gottesman’s conclusions in terms of the risk of a child being diagnosed with bipolar

Answer 26

The risk of 2 parents diagnosed in 51.7 times higher than neither parent diagnosed

Question 27

What did Gottesman find in terms of parents who were diagnosed with another disorder and the risk of schizophrenia?

Answer 27

If both parents are diagnosed with another disorder, the risk of schizophrenia is higher

Question 28

Outline the advantage of drug therapy over cognitive and behavioural treatments for disorders

Answer 28

Drugs are a quick way of altering the brains biochemistry to treat symptoms of mental illness and research has shown they work faster than cognitive and behavioural treatments

Question 29

Discuss the main disadvantage of drug therapy to treat disorders

Answer 29

Some drugs (e.g. Prozac) has been associated with an increase in suicidal thoughts

Question 30

What did Kahn et al find in terms of drugs increasing suicidal thoughts?

Answer 30

He did not find a significant difference between antidepressants and placebos in the amount of suicidal risk they cause

Question 31

Give an example of a condition better suited to drug therapy

Answer 31

Schizophrenia

Question 32

What does ECT stand for?

Answer 32

Electro-convulsive therapy

Question 33

What does ECT involve?

Answer 33

Electrodes being placed on a patients head and an electric shock passed into the brain for a fraction of a second (under anaesthetic and muscle relaxants)

Question 34

What does ECT induce and what has this been effective at reducing?

Answer 34

ECT induces a seizure and has been effective at quickly reducing the symptoms of depression

Question 35

How long does treatment usually run and with how many treatments of ECT?

Answer 35

Usually runs for 2-3 weeks with 6-12 treatments

Question 36

What possible side effects are there of ECT?

Answer 36

Physical trauma (heart problems), short term memory confusion and longer term memory loss (although this is not common)

Question 37

Annually in the UK how many patients undergo ETC?

Answer 37

4000 patients

Question 38

ECT can ‘turn down’ what?

Answer 38

Overactive connections in the brain as they start to build