Mental Health Flashcards
What two key elements is wellbeing made up of?
- Feeling good
- Functioning well
What is the WHO definition of wellbeing?
A state of mind in which an individual is able to realise his or her own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
How is an individual’s mental capital and mental wellbeing linked?
They are vitally important for the healthy functioning of families, communities and society.
Define resilience.
The ability to cope with life’s challenges and to adapt to adversity.
Why is resilience important?
It can help to protect against the development of some mental health problems.
What are good levels of wellbeing associated with?
- Improved learning and academic achievement
- Reduced absence from work due to sickness
- Reductions in risk-taking behaviours like smoking
- Improved physical health
- Reduced mortality
- Increased community involvement
List groups that are at higher risk of having a low wellbeing.
- Socially isolated
- From minority ethnic groups
- On low incomes or unemployed
- Living with a long term health condition
List 3 WHO assumptions about mental health.
- Mental health is an integral part of health
- Mental health is more than the absence of illness
- Mental health is intimately connected with physical health and behaviour
Define mental disorder.
A clinically significant behavioural or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress or disability or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability or an important loss of freedom.
How common are mental health problems?
One in four people will experience a mental health problem each year.
Which two mental health problems are the most common?
Anxiety and depression.
List the 3 types of functional mental illnesses.
- Psychosis
- Neurosis
- Personality disorder
What makes up the psychotic scale?
Psychosis, bipolar disorder and severe depression.
What makes up the neurotic scale of disorders?
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Post traumatic stress disorder
- Specific phobia
What are the 3 main causes of mental illnesses?
- Biological Causes
- Environmental Effects
- Interaction of Biology and Environment
What is the role of environment in mental illnesses?
- Some Disorders May Be Learned
- Some Result from Trauma
- Environment Affects the Course of the Disorders
- Stigma
List a few sources of data on population mental health.
- Office of National Statistics
- Health Survey for England
- Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey
- Health and Lifestyle Survey
- Cohort studies
List the main measures of mental health.
- GHQ
- Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS; 14 items)
- Mental Component Summary (MCS) of SF-36
What is the purpose of the Office of National Statistics (ONS)?
Tasked with measuring ‘wellbeing’ of population.
How do the ONS measure the wellbeing’s population?
Through questionnaires where the answers are requested on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 is ‘not at all’ and 10 is ‘completely’.
List a few criticisms of the WEMWBS.
- Only recently been added to HSE so the trends over time are not recognisable
- Longer scales are more reliable
- Limited usefulness at individual level
Why is the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) widely used and validated?
- Repeated data available in several population surveys
- Various versions (4/12/28/30/60 items)
- Balances positive/negative items
What does the GHQ mainly measure?
Symptoms of common mental disorders.
What are the limitations of the GHQ-12?
- Longer measures more reliable
- Positively worded items may create ‘wellbeing’ factor spuriously
- Difficult to separate anxiety from depression
- Panic disorder is a common mental disorder
- Somatic vs. psychological symptoms
How do we distinguish between anxiety and depression?
By using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) which separates items for anxiety and depression.
Why is HADS useful?
- Reliable and valid
- Convergent validity with other measures
- Captures anhedonic symptoms (loss of pleasure)
What are the limitations of HADS?
- Anhedonic items do not distinguish depressed from non-depressed
- Overlap with anxiety
- Does not capture severe clinical depression
