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Mental health! Flashcards

1
Q

What is mental health?

A

“a state of well-being where own potential realized, cope with the normal stressors of life, work productively & fruitfully, and make a contribution to her/his community” - WHO

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2
Q

What is mental illness?

A

Wide range of mental health conditions (disorders) characterised by PSYCHOLOGICAL DYSFUNCTION and ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR

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3
Q

What is psychopathology?

A

Scientific study of mental disorders (origin, development, manifestations)

basically mental illness

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4
Q

History of mental illness

A
  1. Craniotomy (stone age) –> trepanation: drill holes in skull, extracting the stone of madness
  2. Demonology –> possessed/born as demons
  3. Somatogenesis –> attributed to bodily causes (Hippocrates)
  4. Renaissance –> illness directly linked to body (physiology & pathology)
  5. Mental asylum
  6. Modern treatment –> humanistic approach
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5
Q

What is abnormality defined as?

A
  1. Statistical Deviance
  2. Social Norm Deviance
  3. Subjective Discomfort
  4. Inability to function normally
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6
Q

What is statistical deviance (abnormality definition)?

A

Rare/infrequent behaviour/thinking that deviates from the average or majority (e.g. gifted person/genius)

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7
Q

What is social norm deviance (abnormality definition)?

A

Deviance from social norms/cultures (e.g. dress code, personal space)
(e.g. behaviour harmful to others)

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8
Q

What is subjective discomfort (abnormality definition)?

A

Emotional distress (e.g. depression, anxiety) that has a significant impact on person’s functioning

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9
Q

What is the inability to function normally (abnormality definition)?

A

When a person is unable to adapt to stressors and everyday demands of life (maladaptive thinking/behaviour)

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10
Q

Definition of psychological disorders based on:

A

Atypical behaviour & thinking that is significantly distressing, harmful to oneself or others & disruptive to daily life functioning

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11
Q

Causes of mental disorders

A
  1. Biological (medical) model: psycho disorders have bio/medical causes
  2. Psycho perspectives: psycho disorders have psycho causes (emo, behavioural, cognitive)
    - Psychodynamic: repressed conflicts, unconscious motivations, childhood exp
    - Behaviourtist: abnormal behaviour learned (classical/operant conditioning, social learning theory)
    - Cognitive: abnormal behaviour the result of irrational thinking & errors in logic
  3. Sociocultural perspective: psycho disorders product of family, social & cultural influences (SES, race, etc)
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12
Q

What is psychological disorder?

A

Syndrome (collection of symptoms) characterized by clinically significant disturbance in indiv’s cognition, emotional regulation, behaviour
- reflects a dysfunction in psychological, biological, developmental processes underlying mental functioning

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13
Q

What is psychological disorders usually associated with?

A
  • Significant distress/disability in social, occupational, other important activities
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14
Q

What are NOT considered mental disorders?

A
  • An expectable or culturally approved response to common stressor/loss (e.g death of loved one)
  • Socially deviant behaviour & conflicts are NOT mental disorders UNLESS result from dysfunction (e.g. political, religious, sexual)
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15
Q

How are mental disorders classified?

A

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition) –> bible for diagnosing mental disorders - American Psychiatric Association

DSM facts:
1st DSM (1952): 86 pages, 100 disorders
DSM-IV-TR (2000): 900 pages, 365 disorders
DSM-5 (2013): 947 pages & over 400 disorders

International Classification of Diseases (10th edition) - WHO (1992)

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16
Q

DSM-5

A

Replaced multiaxial (Axis I-V) & categorical classification of mental disorders of previous DSMs with a dimensional approach
- Disorders viewed & ranked on a continuum vs present/absent
- Dimensions: spectrum of related psychological & behavioural characteristics that occur tgt

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17
Q

What are the pros and cons of using diagnostic labels?

A

Pros:
- Common language for professionals
- Facilitates diagnosis & standardises treatment

Cons:
- Over-diagnosing (e.g. caffeine intoxication)
- Prejudicial (e.g. premenstrual dysphoric disorder; may results in discrimination)
- “psychology student’s syndrome” (symptoms ≠ disorder)

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18
Q

What are anxiety disorders?

A

Characterized by excessive/unrealistic worry & fearfulness & dysfunctional related behaviours

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19
Q

Categories for anxiety-related disorders (DSM-5)

A
  1. Anxiety Disorders
  2. Obsessive-Compulsive & related disorders
  3. Trauma- & Stressor-related disorders
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20
Q

What are phobias?

A

Irrational, persistent fear & avoidance of an object/situation/activity

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21
Q

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social phobia)

A

Fear of being in social situations that could lead to a negative evaluation of oneself

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22
Q

Agoraphobia

A

Fear of any place where escape might be difficult –> incl. open spaces, crowds, public transportation

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23
Q

Claustrophobia

A

Fear of enclosed spaces

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24
Q

Nyctophobia
Ceraunophobia
Brontophobia
Pyrophobia

A

Nyctophobia: darkness
Ceraunophobia: Lightning
Brontophobia: Thunder
Pyrophobia: Fire

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Arachnophobia Ophidiophobia Zoophobia
Arachnophobia: spiders Ophidiophobia: snakes Zoophobia: animals
26
Xenophobia Mysophobia/Germophobia Acrophobia
Xenophobia: foreigners, strangers Mysophobia/Germophobia: germs, contamination Acrophobia: heights
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Hematophobia Algophobia Trypanophobia Nosophobia
Hematophobia: blood Algophobia: pain Trypanophobia: injections, needles Nosophobia: disease
28
What is a panic disorder?
Repeated & unexpected panic attacks, persistent worry about future plans, and/or related maladaptive behaviour
29
What is a panic attack?
Sudden rush of intense & disabling anxiety & fear with multiple physical symptoms (min of 4 required) E.g. of physical symptoms --> Heart palpitations, Trembling, Breathlessness, jelly-like legs, mind racing, etc
29
What is a generalised anxiety disorder?
Excessive anxiety & worry occurring more days than not for ≥ 6 months about number of events/activities
29
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Characterized by presence of obsessions and/or compulsions Obsessions: intrusive, unwanted recurrent thoughts, urges, images that create anxiety Compulsions: Repetitive, ritualistic, persistent behaviours (e.g. hand-washing) or mental acts (e.g. counting) driven by obsessions aimed at reducing anxiety
30
The OCD cycle
Obsessions lead to anxiety Anxiety leads to compulsions Compulsions lead to relief Temporary relief followed by obsessions again Obsession --> Anxiety --> Compulsion --> Relief --> Obsession (repeats)
31
What is acute stress disorder (ASD)?
Anxiety resulting from exposure to major & traumatic stressor, lasting 3 days to 1 month
32
Symptoms of acute stress disorder (ASD)
- Recurrent distressing memories, nightmares, flashbacks - Difficulty experiencing positive emotions - Difficulty remembering details of event - Avoidant behaviours - Sleep disturbance - Hypervigilance - Concentration problems
33
What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
Similar symptoms as ASD, lasting ≥ 1 month (can last throughout lifetime) - Late onset, develop ≥ 6 months after trauma
34
What are the causes of anxiety disorders?
1. Psychodynamic 2. Behavioural 3. Cognitive 4. Biological
35
Psychodynamic cause of anxiety disorders
Anxiety created by repressed urges & desires trying to surface from the unconscious (Freud) - E.g. fear of knives = fear or own aggressive tendencies
36
Behavioural cause of anxiety disorders
Anxious behavioural rxns are learned through conditioning/reinforcement - E.g. phobia = classically conditioned feared response ("little Albert")
37
Cognitive cause of anxiety disorders
Anxiety stems from illogical, irrational thinking process - Heart palpitations = I am having a heart attack --> I am dying
38
Biological cause of anxiety disorders
Chemical imbalance in NS (e.g. serotonin, GABA dysfunction) Genetic bases (e.g. GAD, OCD, Panic disorder) Inc activity in amygdala & limbic system (regulate emotions)
39
What are mood disorders?
Characterized by significant disturbance (elevation/lowering) in mood/emotion
40
What are the categories for mood disorders (DSM-5)?
1. Depressive Disorders 2. Bipolar & Related Disorders
41
What are the 2 most prevalent mood disorders?
- Major Depressive Disorder - Bipolar Disorder I and II
42
What is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)?
Pervasive & significantly low mood involving one or more major depressive episodes - w/o mania & hypomania - Most prevalent + assoc. with high mortality Major depressive episode --> severely depressed mood, lasting ≥ 2 weeks
43
What is Bipolar I disorder?
Presence of one or more manic episodes, with or w/o episodes depression Manic episode: pervasive & significant elation/irritability ≥ 1 week
44
What is Bipolar II disorder?
Presence of at least one hypomanic episode and at least one depressive episode Hypomanic episode: pervasive & significant elation/irritability ≥ 4 consecutive days (like mania but milder)
45
What are the causes of mood disorders?
1. Psychodynamic - depression is repressed anger turned against self 2. Behavioural - depression assoc. with learned helplessness 3. Cognitive - depression stems from distorted & illogical thoughts - Mental filter: focus on -ve points & filter out +ve aspects - Personalization: seeing self as responsible for -ve events 4. Biological - Chemical imbalance in brain (serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine) --> too high/too low - Genes & heritability (e.g. MDD, Bipolar)
46
What are eating disorders?
Characterized by persistent disturbances of eating behaviours that significantly impair physical health & social functioning
47
What are the most prevalent DSM-5 Feeding & Eating disorders?
1. Anorexia Nervosa 2. Bulimia Nervosa 3. Binge-eating disorder
48
What is anorexia nervosa?
Severe diet restriction resulting in significantly low body weight based on age, gender, developmental course & physical health - Significantly low weight based on body mass index (BMI) - BMI = weight (kg) / height (m2)
49
What is bulimia nervosa?
Recurrent episodes of binge eating & unhealthy behaviours to avoid weight gain (e.g. vomiting, laxatives, extreme exercising) Binge eating episodes: uncontrolled overeating of excessive amount of food within 2 hour period
50
What is binge-eating disorder?
Recurrent episodes of binge eating (≥ 1 per week for 3 months) w/o attempts to avoid weight gain
51
Who is at a greater risk of eating disorders?
Adolescent or young female Western cultures (less common in non-Western cultures)
52
Causes for eating disorders
1. Psychodynamic: disturbances in parent-child r/s resulting in ego deficiencies - food = symbol of mother-daughter conflict --> binging represents hate & love of mother 2. Behavioural: maladaptive eating behaviours learned through conditioning & reinforcement 3. Cognitive: disordered eating stems from significant cognitive disturbance (e.g. overvalued ideas of weight & body image, self-identity issues) 4. Biological: evidence of genetic factors, though specific genes not yet identified (causes of anorexia & bulimia nervosa not yet fully understood)
53
What is schizophrenia?
Most prevalent psychotic disorder from DSM 5 category of Schizophrenia spectrum & psychotic disorders Severe brain disorder characterized by abnormal interpretation of reality --> involves disordered thinking (delusions), perceptual disturbance (hallucinations), bizarre behaviours & emotional dysfunction
54
What are psychotic disorders?
Mental disorders in which a person loses touch with reality & their personality is severely confused
55
What are symptoms of schizophrenia?
1. Delusions 2. Hallucinations 3. Disorganised thinking (speech) 4. Disorganised behaviour 5. Negative symptoms
56
What are delusions (symptoms of schizophrenia)?
False & fixed beliefs, despite conflicting evidence - Persecutory --> belief that one is going to be attacked/harassed by others (conspiracy against oneself) - Grandiose --> belief that one has exceptional abilities, wealth, fame
57
What are hallucinations (symptoms of schizophrenia)?
Internal sensory perception that isn't actually present, involving any of the 5 senses - auditory (hearing voices/sounds) & visual most common
58
What are disorganised thinking (speech) (symptoms of schizophrenia)?
Disordered thinking evidenced by one's speech - derailment --> loose associations; switching from one topic to another - incoherence --> word salad; confused & unintelligible mixture of words
59
What are disorganised behaviour and negative symptoms (symptoms of schizophrenia)?
Disorganised behaviour --> ranging from immobility to excessive movement & odd gesturing Negative symptoms --> diminished emotional expression (flat affect)
60
What are the causes of schizophrenia?
Biological Environmental
61
Biological cause of schizophrenia
- Chemical imbalances (dopamine, GABA, glutamate, etc) - Structural defects in brain (frontal lobe, lower amts of white matter) - Genetic & hereditary factors supported by twin & adoption studies - Prenatal factors (viral infections)
62
Environmental causes of schizophrenia
Stress-vulnerability model - Genetic predisposition (vulnerability) interacts with environmental stressors (e.g. living circumstances, social stressors, trauma) to produce the disorder
63
What are personality disorders?
Maladaptive thinking & behaviours defined by 3 Ps: - Persistent: longstanding, relatively stable over time (from mid-adolescence onwards) - Pervasive: affect entire life adjustment (e.g. emotional functioning, social interactions, employment, etc - Problematic: disturbed thinking & behaviour that deviates markedly from social norms --> causing significant distress to self and/or others
64
What are the 3 clusters of personality disorders (DSM-5)?
Cluster A: odd/eccentric (paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal) Cluster B: dramatic/emotional/erratic (antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic) Cluster C: anxious/fearful (avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive)
65
What is the antisocial personality disorder?
Pervasive pattern of disregard & violation of rights of others - Lack of conscience & remorse - Manipulative & deceptive - Aggressive (repeated physical fights/assaults) AKA psychopaths ! or sociopaths
66
What is borderline personality disorder?
Pervasive pattern of instability in moods, interpersonal r/s, self-image & marked impulsivity - Self-destructive (incl. self-mutilation, suicide attempts) - Impulsive behaviours (substance abuse, binge-eating, overspending) - Unstable & intense r/s - Difficulty controlling anger (inc. outbursts)
67
Causes of personality disorders
1. Cognitive-Behavioural: personality disorders stem from learned behaviours & assoc. beliefs through reinforcement, shaping, modelling 2. Biological: evidence of genetic factors (e.g. antisocial, borderline) 3. Environmental: disturbances in family r/s, childhood abuse, extreme parenting styles (overprotectiveness, rejectionm neglect)

Psych (7 decks)

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