Mental Health- Alternatives to the medical model

Question 1

Behaviourist Explanation

Which kind of disorder can you apply behaviourism to?

Affective, Psychotic, Anxiety?

Answer 1

Anxiety disorders (phobias)

Question 2

Behaviourist Explanation

What are the DSM symptoms of anxiety disorders?

Answer 2

• Person recognises it is ridiculous/ excessive
• Stimulus triggers immediate repsonse
• Avoiding stimulus affects every day routine

If under 18, have to have had consistent symptoms for 6 months

Question 3

Behaviourist Explanation

What is Mowrer’s Two Process theory?

Answer 3

Used behaviourism to identify the initiation of phobias and their maintenance

Question 4

Behaviourist Explanation

How does initiation of a phobia occur due to classical conditioning?

Answer 4

• Neutral stimulus is associated with unpleasant experience- fear elicits conditional response

Question 5

Behaviourist Explanation

How does maintenance of a phobia occur due to operant conditioning?

Answer 5

They’re maintained through negative reinforcement- stay away from object= a drop in anxiety levels

Question 6

Behaviourist Explanation

How can the social learning theory be used to explain phobias?

Answer 6

Observing a role model who is acting scared= vicarious reinforcement
* adult may get attention from acting scared (positive outcome)= more likely to imitate anxious repsonse and gain attention

Question 7

Cognitive Explanation

Which disorder does the cognitive explanation apply to?

Answer 7

Affective disorders (depression)

Question 8

Cognitive Explanation

What is Beck’s cognitive triad?

Answer 8

Patients with depression make a series of cognitive errors- a pessimistic and irrational view that the patients hold about:
* The self- worthlessness feelings
* The future- negative future
* The world- negative situation

Question 9

Cognitive Explanation

What is over-generalisation?

Answer 9

Viewing one unfortunate event as part of a never-ending defeat/ struggle

Question 10

Cognitive Explanation

What is filtering?

Answer 10

Giving greater consideration and focus to negative aspects- ignoring positive ones

Question 11

Cognitive Explanation

What is catastrophisation?

Answer 11

Make mountains out of mole hills- situation is worse than it actually is

Question 12

Cognitive Explanation

What is dichotomous thinking?

Answer 12

All-or-nothing thinking- world viewed in black and white

Question 13

Humanist Explanation

What are the assumptions of the humanist approach?

Answer 13

• Individuals have freewill to determine their own good mental health through positive thinking/ self-actualisation
• It rejects the reductionist ideas mental health problems are down to purely one factor

Question 14

Humanist Explanation

What is Maslow’s Hierarchy?

Answer 14

A theory of what factors stimulate us to behave the way we do day to day- needs must be met for adequate function

Question 15

Humanist Approach

Who is Carl Rogers?

Answer 15

Founder of the Humanist Approach

Question 16

Humanist Approach

What is Carl Rogers most famous for agreeing with?

Answer 16

Maslow’s Hierarchy and self-actualisation

Question 17

Humanist Approach

What does self-actualisation mean?

Answer 17

Fulfillment of one’s potential - needing a supportive environment to reach

Question 18

Humanist Approach

What does self-conceptualisation?

Answer 18

How you view yourself

Question 19

Humanist Approach

How can Carl Roger’s theory be explained in relation to mental illness?

Answer 19

Someone who has a negative self-conceptualisation (depression) fails to reach self-actualisation

Question 20

Szasz

What is the general aim of Szasz’s research?

Answer 20

To challenge the concept of mental illness and reject the image of helpless patients, in terms of restricting their lives

Question 21

Humanist Approach

What Szasz claim about mental health as a medical or legal concept?

Answer 21

Regular changes in what constitutes a mental illness demonstartes that mental illness is just a made-up conceptthat can be changed when society deems it necessary to redefine ‘abnormal behaviour’

e.g. homosexuality

Question 22

Humanist Approach

What did Szasz argue about how mental illness is a metaphor?

Answer 22

‘Mental Health’ conditions are being used to explain symptoms/ behaviours that are likely due to other medical (bodily) illnesses that have been missed

Question 23

Humanist Approach

What did Szasz say about how having an illness should not make someone a patient (helpless)?

Answer 23

The creation of the label of ‘schizophrenia’ has justified negative conceptualisation, enabling suicide as opposed to self-actualisation

Question 24

Humanist Approach- BSD

Which of the behaviourist theories of learning does Systematic Desensitisation rely on?

Answer 24

Classical Conditioning (unconditioned response, stimulus, conditioned response)

Question 25

Humanist Approach- BSD

What is meant by counter conditioning?

Answer 25

Patient is taught a new association that runs counter (opposite) to original one- they’re taught through classical conditioning to associate phobic stimulus with new response

Question 26

Humanist Approach- BSD

What are the 4 stages of Systematic Desensitisation?

Answer 26

• Functional Analysis- patient and therapist discuss to discover reasons for, how and which phobias they’re scared of
• Construction of an Anxiety Hierarchy- Therapist and patient develop hierarchy of phobic situations together
• Relaxation Training- Teach patient relaxation techniques- self hypnosis, breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation
• Gradual Exposure- patient is gradually exposed to fear, starting with least threatening thought, followed by teaching how to relax around the fear