Lesson 4 - The study of psychological and behavioural dysfunction occurring in mental illness or in social disorganisation

Question 1

How many people in England meet the criteria for a mental health problem (anxiety/ depression)

Answer 1

1 / 6

Question 2

Ancient civilisations considered psychopathology or mental illness as a manifestation of supernatural forces, such as?

Answer 2

Spirits, deities, devils, witchcraft.

Required things such as exorcism to force the demon out. People were tortured, flogging, or starved.

Question 3

up until the 18th century what was a common explanation for psychopathology?

Answer 3

Witchcraft and demon possessions

Question 4

Who was Hippocrates?

Answer 4

Father of medicine. First person to think of mental illness as caused by four humours.
If the four humours weren’t balanced, mental illness would develop. eg too much black bile leads to depression

Question 5

Who was Jean Descartes?

Answer 5

Mind and body as being separate, thought the mind was able to be deceased.

Question 6

Who was Emil Kraepelin?

Answer 6

mental illness on the basis of patterns and symptoms

Question 7

What is the biological approach to explaining psychopathology?

Answer 7

Neurochemical function - SSRIs . Depression was to do w the imbalance of serotonin

Acquired lesions to brain structures - changes in biological function of the brain. Henry C - when the body uses too much cortisol , leading to depression.

Question 8

What is the psychodynamic approach to explaining psychopathology?

Answer 8

Memories from childhood - Freud

Question 9

cog approach to explaining psychopathology?

Answer 9

Beck - thought mental illness rose from dysfunctional thinking - from cognitive processes.

Question 10

What is the biopsychosocial approach to explain psychopathology?

Answer 10

Genetics (vulnerability to mental disorders)
+ social factor (env stress)
leads to a change in biology - psychopathology

Diathesis stress model

Question 11

Define Psychopathology in statistical approach?

Answer 11

Having an attribute or displaying a behaviour that deviates substantially from the statistical norm.

Offers from objectivity and measurability, e.g , IQ to assess learning disabilities.

Question 12

Define psychopathology from the functional approach?

Answer 12

Based on the notion that someone who is unable to function may be maladaptive or impaired in some way. If they can’t function in society, e.g feed themselves, look after their hygiene, hold down a job, pay bills, establish and maintain relationships etc. may be considered to be abnormal or have psychopathology.

Question 13

Define the distress - based approach?

Answer 13

Based on an individuals distress or inability to cope with their experiences or problems

Not based on the persons conformity to societal norms, but their own perspective on what is normal or abnormal.

Question 14

Problems of statistical approach definition?

Answer 14

measurement error
extreme values do not imply extreme problems
where do you draw the cut off

Question 15

Problems of functional approach?

Answer 15

Assumes universal needs
Maladaptive behaviour doesnt always indicate mental illness

Question 16

Problems with distress- based approach?

Answer 16

Doesnt provide standards by which we should judge the behaviour itself
Risk of medicalising normal reactions to adverse circumstances

Question 17

How many students in 2022 reported a mental health issue and how many reported a diagnosed mental health condition?

Answer 17

57% reported a mental health issue
27% reported a diagnosed mental health condition

Question 18

In 2020, how many students said their mental health was worse than it was before the pandemic?

Answer 18

50%

Question 19

What is stigma and what are the 2 types of stigma?

Answer 19

Stigma - a set of negative or unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something.

Internal stigma - thinking about what other people will think about you

External stigma - the viewpoints people have of in this case, mental illness

There is mental health related stigma (self and public) that has a negative effect on help seeking (Vogel and Wade 2009)

Question 20

How do we reduce mental health stigma?

Answer 20

Targeted approach - BBC FOI (freedom on information request )to 100 unis revealed that 31% of students attending the university counselling services were male.

Despite 44% of students in the uk being male.

Birkbeck university in London was the first uni to explore this gap.

Aim - to give men confidence to come forward
There was a rise (6%) of men approaching the counselling service

Question 21

What is The ‘p’ factor?

Caspi et al 2014.

Question 22

How are some disorders linked ?

Answer 22

Through co-morbidity
The simultaneous presence of two or more medical conditions in a patient
eg depression and anxiety

Question 23

What is the network theory?

Answer 23

Conceptualises mental health disorders as a network of symptoms
There are correlations between the items within depression and anxiety symptoms. Some of these correlations are stronger between depression and anxiety than the correlations within the disorders themselves
Focus on the components of the conditions and their relationship to each other