mental health Flashcards
what are the four p’s
- predisposing
- precipitating
- perpetuating
- protective
what are predisposing factors
- factors that increase vulnerability to developing mental health problems eg. inherited traits, exposure at birth, neglect, illness
what are precipitating factors
factors that trigger the onset or exacerbation of mental health problems eg. poor sleep, losing job, loss of relationship, substance use
what are perpetuating factors
factors that inhibit recovering from mental health problems eg. poor health, no social support, social isolation, substance use, rumination, unemployment
what are protective factors
the factors that prevent the occurrence or reoccurrence of mental health problems eg. good health/sleep/exercise, hormonal balance, resilience, resources and strong social support
biological factors approach to mental health
- genetic vulnerability
- poor response to medication due to genetic factors
- poor sleep
- substance use
psychological factors
approach to mental health
- impaired reasoning and memory
- stress
- poor self efficacy
social risk factors
approach to mental health
- disorganised attachment
- loss of a significant relationship
- stigma
what is cumulative risk
multiple risk factors interacting together to precipitate a mental disorder
what is a high level of functioning
characteristics of a mentally healthy person
- being able to interact and involve oneself in society and to undertake everyday tasks such as personal hygiene, work or eating
what is social and emotional wellbeing
characteristics of a mentally healthy person
- social well-being is a sense of belonging to a community, this can involve having a job or being a member in a sporting team
- emotional wellbeing is the experience of positive relationships such as happiness
the most important ethical considerations on mental health research
- informed consent - as mentally unhealthy people are more vulnerable it is required to gain their consent so they fully agree to the experiment
- placebos -
what is stress
- subjective
- psychological and physiological response to a stressor
- chronic and acute
- helps to avoid danger with the activation of FFF and perform optimally
what is anxiety
- normal emotion
- feelings of apprehension, uneasiness and dread
- ambiguous or unclear threat
- affects daily functioning, ongoing, persistent, out of proportion to the event = disorder
- most common disorder, 1 in 6 ppl
what is a phobia
- 3% of Australians experience
- intense, persistent, irrational fear of a particular object or event
- interrupts daily functioning
- has to be present for 6 months to be diagnosed
- 4 types: animal, situational, blood/injection, natural environment
continuum for phobia
healthy - reacting - injured - disorder
biological factors
development of specific phobia
- > GABA dysfunction - inhibitory role so post synaptic neuron less likely to fire. GABA regulates arousal, anxiety and sleep so if it is low it can mean high levels of anxiety
- > stress response - activated by a perceived threat or impending harm at the sight of a phobic stimulus, role shouldn’t be considered in isolation of other factors
- > LTP - amygdala plays a role in initiating and processing emotional responses such as fear, the hippocampus is responsible for the formation of declarative memories. the fear stimulus will strengthen memory circuit via amygdala producing fear responses
- the development of phobias are influenced by learning and experienced
psychological factors
developing a phobia
-> behavioural model - classical conditioning - the consistent pairing of a neutral stimulus with an unpleasant stimulus will cause a phobic responses. Operant conditioning - likelihood of the behaviour repeating is determined by the consequence of the behaviour
-> cognitive models - cognitive bias - error in thinking when interpreting information can lead to inaccurate judgement .
memory bias - error in thinking that can enhance or impair memory
catastrophic thinking - overestimating the potential dangers of an object or event assuming the worst
social factors
developing a specific phobia
-> specific environment triggers - social learning theory - behaviour is learnt from the environment through observational learning
modelling - learning by observing other peoples behaviour and the consequences
-> stigma - the social disapproval can make it hard for people to empathise with those who have a phobia which can make them feel shameful and stop them from seeking treatment in fear a negative reaction
evidence based treatments
biological interventions
- > benzodiazepine medication - short term treatment that enhances GABA induced inhibition of overexcited neurotransmitters. by stimulating the GABA activity they reduce the physiological arousal
- > breathing retraining - identifies incorrect breathing habits and replaces them with correct ones. this involves learning to breath through the diaphragm rather than chest
- > exercise - burns up stress chemicals of cortisol and adrenalin to relax people
evidence based treatments
psychological interventions
- > psychotherapy - any technique used to facilitate positive changes in personality, behaviour or adjustment \
- > CBT (type of psychotherapy) - helps to change unhealthy and unwanted thoughts, feelings and behaviours and replaces them with realistic thoughts
- > systematic desensitisation - exposure to the fear producing stimulus very slowly, by degrees, under relaxed conditions until the fear response is extinguished, relies on reciprocal inhibition that one emotion is used to block another
evidence based treatments
social interventions
- > psychoeducation - education about mental illness provided to sufferer, families and supporters this aims to help people understand the illness so they can develop strategies to cope
- > challenging unrealistic or anxious thoughts - families and friends can help the phobic person change their unhealthy thoughts by making them consider if it is realistic and the probability fit actually happening
- > not encouraging avoidance behaviour - avoiding phobic stimulus creates negative reinforcement because they avoid the unpleasant fear symptoms associated with it which becomes a reward and increases the avoidance behaviour
resilience
maintenance of mental health -
using skills and strengths to cope which helps to adapt tot the stressor
biological factors
maintenance of mental health
- > diet - adequate diet increases the healthy emotional impact and can help promote good mental health to provide sufficient energy, nutrients etc
- > adequate sleep - getting enough slept function optimally can promote good mental health
psychological factors
maintenance of mental health
-> cognitive behavioural strategies - recognises that a persons way of thinking and acting affects the way they feel. this can include educating patients, helping patients recognise unhealthy thoughts, identifying avoided situations, teaching relaxation techniques and establishing routines
social factors
maintenance of mental health -
-> support from friends and family acts as a cushion to support the impact of stressful events
transtheoretical model
models for behavioural change
- > individuals trying to change behaviour move through stages
1. pre contemplation- not considering change in near future
2. contemplation-intend to change in 6 months
3. preparation - start taking action within 30 days
4. action- made behavioural change within last 6 months
5. maintenance - sustained bahvioural change for 6 month
limitations and strengths of transtheoretical model
strengths - enabled more effective intervention to suit a persons stage readiness for change
limitations - focuses on one behaviour, doesn’t address biopsychosocial issues related to behaviour change
decisional balance and self efficacy
models for behaviour change
- > decisional balance - weighs the pros and cons of decision making and the pros should outweigh the cons
- > self efficacy - peoples beliefs in their capabilities to produce desired effects by their own actions
