MENTAL HEALTH Flashcards
Internal factors that influence our mental health?
- genetic pre-disposition
- hormone/neurotransmitters imbalance
- self esteem
- IQ
- Physical health
External factors that affect our mental health
- school/education
- traumatic events
- relationships
- diet
- exercise
- sleep
- abuse
- poverty
- divorce
What are the three levels that make up the mental health continuum ?
- Mentally healthy
- Mental health problems
- Mental health disorders
Describe mentally healthy
- functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment
- able to cope with stressors
- able to manage feelings and emotions
- few sleep difficulties
Describe the state of having mental health problems
- disruption to an individuals usual level of social and emotional wellbeing
- mild-moderate stress
- temporary impairment
- difficulties in coping
- changes in appetite
- changes in sleep patterns
Describe metal health disorders on the continuum
- emotion difficulties that lead to emotional or behavioural impairment
- psychological dysfunction
- excessive anxiety
- ongoing impairment
- withdrawal and avoidance of social interactions
- significant changes in sleep patterns
What are the characteristics of a mentally healthy person?
- high level of functioning
- social and emotional wellbeing
- resilience of life stressors
Explain high level of functioning
- demonstrated through being able to interact and evolve oneself in society and to undertake averted activities
- coping with everyday stressors
- shopping,hygeine,food preparation
Explain social and emotional wellbeing
- wellbeing is a positive state related to the enjoyment of life, the ability to deal with challenges and having strong purpose and sense of self control
- control emotions
- life satisfaction
- high self efficacy
Explain resilience of life stressors
- the ability fro a person to cope and adapt with adversity
- a resilient person is able to cope with life challenges, such as negative events and be able to better maintain social and emotional wellbeing
Define mental health
the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment however we can not function at optimal level all times.
Define metal health problems
a disruption to an individuals usual level go social and emotional wellbeing. including when their abilities are negatively affected
Define mental disorder
the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioural problems. seriousness enough to require psychiatric interventions
What is the primary difference between a mental health disorder and mental health?
everyone has some level of metal health all the time, whereas it is possible to be without a mental illness
What are the main ethical implications of mental health research?
- the place effect/ informed consent/deception
- principle of beneficence
Explain the ethical principle of beneficence
states that the researchers should maximise the benefits of the participant while minimising any risk f harm to them.This risk may be higher to those with mental disorders who may lack the capacity to understand the procedure.
Describe the placebo effect
changes in behaviour caused by participants belief that they have been exposed to treatment that will effect them in some way. this is a form of deception that may deprive participants of their usual treatment
What should researchers do if they have exposed participants to a placebo and why?
debrief participants therefore negating deception
Define risk factors
risk factors are factors that impede or have a negative impact on the health of an individual
What are the four P’s?
Predisposing factors
Precipitating factors
Perpetuating factors
Protective factors
Define predisposing factors
factors that increase vulnerability to developing mental health problems
Define precipitating factors
Factors that trigger the onset or exacerbation of mental health problems
Define perpetuating risk factors
factors that prolong the course of the mental health problem or inhibit the recovery from the mental health problem
Define protective factors
factors that enhance or have a positive effect on the heath of an individual
List some predisposing risk factors
- inherited traits
- physical illness
- environmental exposure before birth
- neglect,abuse,trauma
- poor self efficacy
- disorganised attachment
List some precipitating risk factors
- poor sleep
- stressful life situations
- traumatic experieice
- substance abuse
- losing job
List some perpetuating risk factors
-medical condition
-lack of social support and resources
-rumination
relationship problems
-unemployment
List some protective factors
- good health/exercise
- hormonal balance
- resilience
- strong social support
Define biopsychsocial model
an approach that proposes that health and illness outcomes are determines by the interaction and contribution of biological,psychological and social factors
Main biological risk factors that influence the development of mental health disorders?
- Genetic vulnerability
- poor response to medication
- poor sleep
How does genetic vulnerability influence the development of mental health disorders?
- an increased likelihood of developing a particular disease based on genes
- family studies and adoption studies have shown the link between genetics and the development of mental health disorders
- a person with a parent that has schizophrenia apron a 10% chance of developing the disorder
How does poor response to medication influence the development of a mental health disorder?
- 80% of people who receive prescription medications don’t take drugs as directed
- sometimes medication is a reminder of their disorder or side effect may effect lifestyle
- can be expensive
How does poor sleep influence the development of a mental disorder?
- sleep is important for restoring physical and mental health and increases the ability to deal with the demands of a busy life
- therefore lack of sleep can cause us to be less able to deal with everyday stressors and may increase or negative mood meaning there is an increase negative outlook on life
Main psychological risk factors that influence the development of mental health disorders?
- Rumination
- Impaired reasoning and memory
- Stress
- Poor self-efficacy
Define rumination
The compulsively focused attention on the symptoms of ones distress, and on its possible causes and consequences opposed to its solutions
How does rumination influence the development of a mental disorder?
-increases stress levels because it involves a person continuously thinking about various aspects of an upsetting situation
-it has been associated with many mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety
-
How does impaired reasoning and memory influence the development of mental health disorders?
- If our ability to retrieve memory is impaired,our ability to think in a reasoned manner will also be impaired/
- Impairments in reasoning and memory are prevalent among people diagnosed with schizophrenia
- causes difficulties in everyday functioning, including verbal fluency, language processing, and interpretation of social situations
How does stress influence the development of mental health disorders?
- If prolonged heightened levels of arousal produced my sympatheticNS results in chronic stress which may cause the heart to beat faster and cause damage to the heart.cortisol can cause immune system to weaken
- emotional-increased levels. of frustration, anxiety, anger and depression
- Behavioural- change in sleeping pattern
- cognitive- thoughts dominated by stressor
- chronic stress may lead to long term changes that may make a person more susceptible to mood disorders
Define self-efficacy
an individuals belief in their capacity to execute behaviours to produce specific performance attainments
How does self efficacy influence the development of mental disorders
- high self efficacy can help people to manage themselves when they are exposed to stressful situations
- poor self efficacy prevents people from effectively dealing with stressful situations
Social risk factors that may influence the development of a mental disorder
- Disorganised attachment
- loss of significant relationship
- stigma
Describe disorganised attachment as an influence on the development of mental disorders
disorganised attachment is if there is instability in the caregiving relationship between parent and child
-it increases the risk of children displaying behaviour problems and development of mental illness later in life such as low self esteem, difficulty trusting and managing their feelings
Describe the loss of significant relationship as an influence on the development of a mental disorder
- positive relationships can promote self esteem and development of social skills
- however the loss of a significant relationship can result in strong emotional responses such as anger, mood swings and feelings of rejection
Define stigma
refers to social disapproval of an individuals personal characteristics or beliefs or social disapproval of a behaviour
Describe stigma as an influence on the development of a mental disorder
- mentally ill are incorrectly stereotypes as being violent, unpredictable or scary.
- these are derogatory terms
- 20%-50% don’t seek treatment
- impairs help seeking behaviours, medication adherence, overall recovery, self esteem
Define cumulative risk
the accumulation of and exposure to multiple risk factors that increase susceptible to developing a mental disorder or perpetuates an existing mental disorder. older people due to cumulation of numerous risk factors
Difference between stress anxiety and phobia
Stress is a state of mental or physical tension that occurs when an individual must adjust or adapt to their environment but they do not feel they have the capacity to
- anxiety refers to feelings of apprehension, dread or uneasiness and is a response to an ambiguous threat
- phobia is an intense irrational fear and avoidance of a particular thing, activity or situation
How long must symptoms be present for phobia and anxiety need to be diagnosed?
p-6 monts
a-4 weeks
similarities between anxiety, stress and phobia
stress response
Define anxiety disorder
a mental disorder that involves feelings of extreme anxiety, accompanied by physical and psychological symptoms which prevents a sufferer from normal functioning
What are the four stages of anxiety that are on the continuum?
- appropriate anxiety=we all feel
- threatening anxiety=feel in dangerous situation
- extreme anxiety= maladaptive symptoms
- anxiety disorders=diagnosis
Define phobia
anxiety disorder that refers to a persistent, irrational and intense fear of an object, activity or situation
Define specific phobia
intense irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object activity or situation
What are the 4 types of specific phobias?
-animal, blood/injection, environmental, situational
What are the biological factors that contribute to the development of a specific phobia?
- Role of GABA
- Role of stress response
- Role of LTP
Describe the role of the neurotransmitter GABA in the development of a specific phobia
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that calms or slows down the central nervous system there calming the bod. therefore a if there is a lack of GABA a person experiences increased anxiety levels therefore increasing development of phobia
Describe the role of the stress response in the development of a specific phobia
- stress response activates sympathetic NS resulting in physiological responses.
- research ahas shown that people with anxiety show ANS of people with anxiety disorder show an increases stress response
- suffers are slower to adapt to stressors
- susceptible to more frequent stressors
What is the role of LTP in the development of a specific phobia?
- fear=learnt response
- . after memory is formed of free stimulus.exposure to the fear stimulus will strengthen the memory circuit and via communication with the amygdala will activate multiple brain regions that then produce a variety of symptoms of fear and anxiety
What are the psychological factors that are involved in the development of a specific phobia?
- behavioural models
- cognitive bias
- memory bias
- catastrophic thinking
Define cognitive model
a psychological perspective that is interested in investigating internal mental processes, thoughts and memories and their influence on behaviour
Define cognitive bias
a type of error in thinking that occurs when people are interpreting information
Define memory bias
a type of error in thinning that may either enhance or impair the recall of memory, or alter content of memory. tend to remember negative threatening information about phobic stimuli
Define catastrophic thinking
occurs when an individual repeatedly overestimates the potential dangers and assumes the worst of an objet or event
What are the social factors that contribute to the development of a specific phobia?
- environmental triggers
- stigma
What are environmental triggers that contribute to the development of a specific phobia?
- direct exposure to a traumatic event
- witnessing other people experiencing a traumatic event
- reading or hearing about a traumatic event
- social learning theory-behaviour is learnt from observational learning
What are evidence based interventions?
treatments that have been proven effective based on clinical research and expertise aimed at changing behaviour
Biological treatments
- medication-benzodiazipines
- breathing re training
- exercise
How is medication used as a treatment for phobias?
- short acting
- Agnostics=stimulates the GABA receptors and enhances the effect of GABA,
- Anti anxiety and sleep inducing
- slow CNS induced drowsiness and can be highly addictive
Define breathing re training
slow breathing technique to manage effects of hyperventilation
-calms nervous systen and lowers anxiety
How does exercise help treat phobias?
- lowers stress by depleting stress hormones
- produces beta endorphins and dopamine and serotonin which improves mood and lowers anxiety
Psychological treatments for phobias
- CBT- uses combination of verbal and behaviour techniques to help change irrational patterns of thinking that create phobias to more rational positive thoughts.
e. g. systematic desensitisation
Social treatments of phobia
- psychoeducation=the education about a mental illness such as the nature of illness, its treatment and management strategies
- discourage avoidance behaviours and challenge unrealistic thoughts
What are the stages of the trans-theroectical model ?
- Pre contemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
Define pre contemplation stage
the individual has no intention to take cation within the next 6 months and is generally unaware or under aware of the problem
Define contemplation stage
the individual intends to take action in the next 6 months. he or she is aware that a problem exists but not yet made commitment
Define preparation
the individual intends to take action in the next 30 days and has takes some behavioural steps
Define Action
the individual changes his or her behaviour for less than 6 months
Define maintenance
the individual changes his or her behaviour for more than 6 months and works to prevent relapse and consolidate attained gains
Weaknesses of trans theoretical model
- lack of research focusing on variables that influence each step
- doesn’t account for cognitive steps
Strengths for trans theoretical model
- emphasises behaviour change as a process
- allows for setbacks and relapses
