mental health

Question 1

what is mental health?

Answer 1

a state of wellbeing where a person
- realises their own abilities
- can cope with normal stressors
- can work productively
- can make a contribution to the community

Question 2

why is mental health represented on a continuum

Answer 2

• no absolute divisions
• a person’s location of a continuum is not fixed
• varies as our circumstances change over time

Question 3

mentally healthy def

Answer 3

• generally positive state of mental well-being
• striving to fulfil goals
• can cope with and manage challenges
• working productively
• potential and having a sense of connections to others and the community

Question 4

what are some characteristics of mentally healthy people?

Answer 4

• positive state of wellbeing
• can use abilities to reach potential
• can work productively
• can contribute constructively to the community

Question 5

what are some distinguishing features of a mentally healthy person?

Answer 5

• tend to be functioning well in everyday life
• tend to have higher levels of emotional and social wellbeing
• unlikely to be experiencing persistent distress

Question 6

what is a mental health problem?

Answer 6

adversely affects the way a person thinks, feels and/or behaves, typically to a lesser extent and shorter duration than a mental disorder
- typically normal, short-term reactions due to difficult situations

Question 7

what are some characteristics of mental health problems?

Answer 7

• may feel worried, tense, despair, irritable (often in response to a stressor)
• may socially withdraw
• may experience a loss of energy and motivation
• may have difficulties concentrating, making decisions and thinking clearly
• some degree of psychological impairment

Question 8

what are distinguishing features of a mental health problem?

Answer 8

• tends to involve less distress and disruption to everyday functioning than a mental disorder
• tends to have a lower level of emotional and/or social wellbeing than mentally healthy but higher than mental disorder
• tends to be temporary➝ pass once stressor passes

Question 9

what is a mental disorder?

Answer 9

a mental health state that involves a combination of thoughts, feelings and/or behaviours which are usually associated with significant personal distress and impair the ability to function in everyday life

Question 10

what are some characteristics of a mental disorder?

Answer 10

• thoughts feelings and/or behaviour are atypical or the person
• thoughts, feelings and/or behaviours are inappropriate within the individual’s culture

Question 11

what are some distinguishing features of a mental disorder?

Answer 11

• disability in everyday functioning
• low levels of social and emotional wellbeing
• causes more distress and disruption to a person’s life
• longer lasting and more serious than a mental health problem

Question 12

what are internal factors and examples?

Answer 12

influences that originate inside or within a person
bio: genetics, sex, levels of neurotransmitters, ns functioning, bodily responses to stress
psych: thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, learning, reconstruction of memory

Question 13

what are external factors and examples?

Answer 13

influences that originate outside a person
social: school, work, relationships, education, income, housing, access to health care, cultural influences

Question 14

what is the biopsychosocial model?

Answer 14

describes how bio, psych and social factors combine and interact to influence mental health
- a ‘whole’ functioning in their unique environment= more likely to gain an accurate picture of a person’s mental health

Question 15

what are biological factors?

Answer 15

physiologically determined influences

Question 16

what are psychological factors?

Answer 16

influences associated with mental processes

Question 17

what are social factors?

Answer 17

influences that originate outside a person

Question 18

what are the 3 typical characteristics mentally healthy people have in common?

Answer 18

• high level of functioning
• high level of social and emotional well being
• resilience to life stressors

Question 19

what is high level of functioning?

Answer 19

• how well an individual independently operates in their environment and adaptively meets the challenges of living across a range of areas
• adaptive behaviour: can adjust to the demands of life

Question 20

what are some examples of high levels of functioning?

Answer 20

• daily living skills: participation in self-care and independent living activities such as personal hygiene, dressing, eating, remembering to take any prescribed medications, fulfilling household responsibilities
• school and work: productive and achieving goals
• leisure/recreational activities: participation in extracurricular activities at school, hobbies/ interests/ free time outside school/ work
• cognitive skills e.g. learning and applying knowledge, logical and clear thinking, planning and decision-making

Question 21

what is social well being?

Answer 21

ability to have satisfying relationships and interactions with others

Question 22

what are some examples of high levels of social wellbeing?

Answer 22

• develop and maintain healthy relationships
• socially interact with others in appropriate ways
• respect and understand others
• competently resolve conflicts
• feel self-confident alone and with others

Question 23

what is emotional well being?

Answer 23

ability to control emotions and express them appropriately and comfortably

Question 24

what are some examples of high emotional well being?

Answer 24

• able to understand, share and regulate emotions in appropriate ways
• can enjoy life despite occasional setbacks and disappointments
• develop awareness and understanding of their own emotions
• identify emotions in others and empathise

Question 25

what is resilience to life stressors?

Answer 25

ability to cope with and adapt well to life stressors and restore positive functioning
- adjusting to or overcoming the stressor

Question 26

what are characteristics of high resilience?

Answer 26

• more likely to perceive a life stressor as an opportunity to excel as they have better resources to cope
• belief in your ability to succeed
• high self-esteem
• sense of optimism/hope
• problem-solving skills

Question 27

what are characteristics of mentally unwell people?

Answer 27

• maladaptive behaviour: interferes with the person’s ability to carry out daily activities
• low levels of social and emotional wellbeing
• low resilience: tend to feel more challenges and overwhelmed

Question 28

what are the ethical implications in mental health study?

Answer 28

• people who suffer from a mental disorder are particularly vulnerable
• hopelessness and desperation may impair the ability to consider the potential risks of a study despite being fully informed by researchers

Question 29

what are the implications around informed consent with mental health patients?

Answer 29

• person must have the competence to give consent: symptoms of mental disorders may affect a person’s cognitive functions= person unable to give consent➝ can be obtained from legal guardian
• mental disorder is temporary/episodic= attempt to get consent should be made when their symptoms don’t impair their cognitive capacity
• mental health may deteriorate: can initially give informed consent but capacity to continue may vary or be lost
• gain ability to give consent during study= provide opportunity to continue or withdraw

Question 30

how would researchers satisfy ethical considerations resulting from the use of a placebo?

Answer 30

• research is justifiable and potential harm to participants is low
• all treatment conditions pose a low and acceptable risk of harm
• all participants have given informed consent

Question 31

what are the ethical concerns for using a placebo?

Answer 31

• intentionally withholding an effective treatment from people who need it= allows them to remain unwell as they are denied their usual ‘real’ treatment
  = symptoms may get worse➝ experience distress & discomfort preventing recovery
• studies tend to be prolonged= increasing likelihood of participant dropouts= no debriefing