Lecture 8- Abnormal Development

Question 1

What causes mental health problems during puberty?

Answer 1

interactions between puberty, environment, and genetics

Question 2

How does Child poverty affect mental health?

Answer 2

• poor maturation of memory and amygdala (contributes to stress reactivity)
• reduced limbic areas

Question 3

Name Stress types

Answer 3

1) good stress (adaptation)
2) Tolerable stress (negative but remediable)
3) toxic stress- long term physiological and negative behavioural response- allostatic load

Question 4

What are the effects of toxic stress?

Answer 4

• disruption of brain and metabolic systems
• damage to the regulation of these systems
• cause chronic stress-related physical and mental illness

Question 5

What affect does toxic stress have on the brain?

Answer 5

1) Changes in brain volume reduction and disruption of protective myelin growth
2) inhibit neurogenesis of the hippocampus
3) effects on the amygdala, PFC and anterior insula

Question 6

What leads to stress overload?

Answer 6

1) Capacity of resources
2) Toxic stress inhibits hippocampus and contextual learning
3) Difficulties discriminating between dangerous situations and safe ones

Question 7

What are the brain effects pf toxic stress?

Answer 7

1) OFC PFC develops to promote vigilance for danger or threat
2) regulating impulses and mood
3) Poor set of shifting and mentalizing
4) Poor mood regulation and less able to engage in thoughtful planning

Question 8

What is Epigenetics?

Answer 8

Environmental influences that change how genes are expressed

Question 9

What is Exposome?

Answer 9

• the essence of nurture
• it’s the summation and integration of external forces acting upon genome

Question 10

What are the environmental factors that compromise the exposome/

Answer 10

• where they live
• what they eat
• quality of air
• lifestyle choices

Question 11

What can be said about epigenetic modifications?

Answer 11

• it cannot be reversed
• recovery from ealry experience is possible by redirecting gene expression to compensate for what happened
• recovery, redirection, and resilience are possible

Question 12

What is Reciprocal interaction?

Answer 12

1) Immune, metabolic, autonomic, and neuroendocrine systems talk to and affect each other and talk back to the brain

Question 13

What does Allostasis involve?

Answer 13

Turning on physiological response when needed and turning it off when the stressor is over

Question 14

What affect does stress have on chromosome?

Answer 14

1) Telomeres shortened
2) Associated with aging and disease

Question 15

What are the causes for abnormal Infant development?

Answer 15

attachment disruptions

trauma

Question 16

Why is the critical period important for infants?

Answer 16

1) involved in the development of the self and its regulation
2) disturbance causes mental health problems

Question 17

Why are adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems?

Answer 17

1) sensitive period of development
2) Malleability and sensitivity to outside environment
3) Can foster resilience and contribute to the trajectory of poor health

Question 18

What effect does the environment have on mental health problems?

Answer 18

1) expose people to experiences that will produce adaptation in brain processes and physiological processes
2) Environment leads to flourishing or struggling

Question 19

How does anxiety develop/

Answer 19

1) Large levels of stress can induce it
2) young kids- more physiological symptoms
3) puberty allows them to name their feelings and identify anxiety cognitions

Question 20

How does an eating disorder develop in young children?

Answer 20

• more likely to repeat body-related signals of discomfort with the eating of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (AFRID)

Question 21

Why do eating disorders develop in adolescence?

Answer 21

• become more socially and bodily conscious
• as puberty changes the body- body image concerns start to develop

Question 22

How can we prevent abnormal development?

Answer 22

10 Family-based intervention
2) stress reduction
3) Programmes to teach ppl to cope with stress during the transition from primary to middle school
4) Reduce glucocorticoid levels and reduction in depression symptoms in teenagers with higher levels of anger

Question 23

How can we promote well being?

Answer 23

1) mindfulness and empathy sensitizing work
2) programmed that facilitates physical activity and social integration
3) enrichment programs- increase brain changes for academics that be used in low SES areas