Mental Health Flashcards
Explain the views on mental health during the prehistoric era (6500BC)
- Mental illness was believed to be caused by possession of the devil
- Trepanation was performed to release the demons.
Explain the Hippocrates’ views of mental health (500BC)
He was the first to recognise that mental health was a biological phenomenon.
He believed there were 4 ‘humours’ (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile). An imbalance in these would lead to mental illness. e.g an excess of black bile would cause depression.
Treatments included blood letting, laxatives and diets to help rebalance the humours.
How did views of mental health change in the 17th century?
Some ‘enlightened thinkers’ suggested disorders resulted from emotions and stressors in the environment.
Treatments became more humane e.g. going for walks and decorating hospital wards.
Explain how ‘statistical infrequency’ can define abnormality
Behaviour is considered abnormal if it is statistically rare/ falls more than 2 standard deviations from the mean. E.g. only 1% of the population suffers from schizophrenia.
Give strengths and weaknesses of using statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality
Strength - Objective and easy to calculate
Weaknesses - Different cultures may have different means, Not all rare behaviours are abnormal or bad
Explain ‘Deviation from social norms’ as an explanation for abnormalities
Every society has rules about what behaviours are accepted and expected. Behaviour is considered abnormal if it deviates from these social norms e.g going out in public with no clothes on.
Give strengths/weaknesses for ‘deviation from social norms’ as a definition for abnormality
STrength:
Easy to identify abnormal behaviour
Weaknesses:
Social norms different between cultures and change over time
Many people will break social norms naturally
Explain ‘Failure to function adequately’ as a definition for abnormality
Behaviour is considered dysfunctional if it is counter productive to the individual e.g not getting out of bed, skipping meals
Give strengths/weaknesses of ‘failure to function adequately’ as a definition of abnormality
Strengths:
Takes into account how someone’s behaviour may affect other people
Weaknesses:
Subjective
Many people may experience this eg grieving
Cultural differences
Explain ‘deviation from ideal mental health’ as a definition of abnormality and give 6 features of ‘ideal mental health’
Dysfunctional behaviour is defined as behaviour that affects a persons mental well-being.
1) A positive attitude to oneself
2) Opportunity to self actualise (recognise own potential)
3) Ability to resist stress
4) independence
5) Accurate perception of reality
6) Ability to adapt to environments
Give strengths/weaknesses of ‘deviation from ideal mental health’ as a definition of mental health
Strengths:
Attempts to define normal
Weaknesses:
Demanding criteria, few people would tick all criteria at the same time
What is the DSM and what is it’s function?
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders - a CATEGORISATION tool to diagnose mental disorders
- Contains descriptions and symptoms
- Provides a ‘common’ language for medical professionals
- Reliable and consistent diagnoses
Give 4 Strengths and 4 Weaknesses as the DSM as a categorisation tool
STRENGTHS:
- Standardises diagnosis
- Guides professionals to provide appropriate treatments
- Aids research
- Some people may find comfort in a label
WEAKNESSES:
- Over simplifies behaviour
- Risk of over-diagnosis
- Doesn’t provide treatments
- Could lead to labelling and stigmatisation
