Mental Health and Addiction (Midterm)

Question 1

What is the difference between mental health and mental illness?

Answer 1

Often used simultaneously but are not the same. Mental health refers to a state of well-being. It emphasizes overall well-being and the ability to cope with everyday challenges.

Mental illness refers to specific diagnosable conditions that affect an individual’s mood, thinking, or behaviour. These conditions can significantly interfere with a person’s ability to function in daily life

Question 2

How do we assess mental health?

Answer 2

It is difficult to identify someone’s mental health. The best measure we have is self-reported mental health which can be difficult and limited.

Look at overall behavior, speech, body language.
Use psychological tests and mental status exams, but results may not give a complete picture because mental health changes constantly.

Question 3

What is considered good mental health?

Answer 3

Ability to cope with emotions and contribute meaningfully to life without being overwhelmed by distress.

Question 4

Why is mental health a bigger issue now?

Answer 4

It is because of our aging population, longer lifespans mean people may deal with mental health issues for a longer time, leading to an expected rise in cases

Question 5

What are the different diagnostic categories?

Answer 5

Psychotic disorder
Mood disorders
Anxiety disorder (phobias)
OCD
Stress related disorders (PTSD)
Eating disorders
Personality disorders (Narcissism)

Question 6

What is the spectrum of addiction and substance use?

Answer 6

Not All Use Is Harmful
Potentially Harmful Use
Substance Use Disorder
Dependence

Question 7

What are some psychoactive substances?

Answer 7

Opioids, stimulants, nicotine, cannabis

Question 8

Explain why not all use is harmful?

Answer 8

Some substances can be helpful and will not have negative effects.
Example: Medication after surgery can help relieve pain

Question 9

Explain potentially harmful substance use

Answer 9

Recreational overuse or using substances to escape life
Example: smoking cannabis or drinking to escape your problems or relieve some stress

Question 10

Explain substance use disorder?

Answer 10

A pattern of substance use that harms you or others.
Example: drinking and driving

Question 11

Explain what dependency is

Answer 11

A state where you need a substance to function or feel happy. Linked to withdrawal and tolerance.

Question 12

What is tolerance?

Answer 12

Over time, a person needs a higher dose of a drug to achieve the same effect they once felt with a smaller amount.

Question 13

What parts of your brain or functions can be effected by substance use?

Answer 13

Wakefulness/Arousal
Sensation/Perception
Movement
Thought/Emotion/Memory

Question 14

What is The Brain Disease Paradigm

Answer 14

Addiction is now seen as a brain disease, meaning people lose control over substance use.

Brain scans show differences in the brains of people with addictions compared to those without

This view has helped reduce judgment and increase understanding of addiction

Question 15

What is mental health?

Answer 15

Strengths-oriented; focuses on well-being, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning.
Often short-term responses to difficult situations (e.g., low self-esteem, burnout). Do not meet the criteria for mental illness if they resolve quickly.

Question 16

What is mental illness?

Answer 16

Deficit-oriented; refers to clinically significant patterns of behavior or emotional functioning associated with distress or impairment.

Question 17

What are the limitations of assessing mental health?

Answer 17

May not fully capture mental health as they focus on a brief point in time.

Question 18

What are the systems of diagnostic categories?

Answer 18

ICD- International Classification of Diseases, Mental Health Section.
DSM-5- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Question 19

Why is the DSM-5 controversial?

Answer 19

Controversial due to broader criteria for mental illness, potentially leading to overdiagnosis.

Question 20

Explain how genetics are related to mental health/addiction

Answer 20

Mental health traits are inherited through genes. But just because you inherit the gene does not mean it will be expressed.

Question 21

Explain epigenetics and how it relates to mental health/addiction

Answer 21

Environmental factors can influence whether predisposed mental health traits manifest.

Question 22

What is social constructionism?

Answer 22

Mental health concepts are shaped by societal norms, and these norms vary culturally.

Question 23

What do the social sciences discuss when it comes to mental health?

Answer 23

Individual and Group Behaviour Theories
Developmental Theories
Social Constructionism
Social Determinants of Health

Question 24

What are the individual and group behaviour theories ?

Answer 24

Psychoanalysis (Freud)
Behavioral Therapy
Erikson’s Stages of Identity Development
Kohlberg’s Moral Development

Question 25

What is psychoanalysis?

Answer 25

Focuses on unconscious conflict between instinctual desires (id) and societal norms (superego).

Question 26

What is behavioural therapy?

Answer 26

Focuses on learned maladaptive behaviours through classical and instrumental conditioning.

Question 27

What are social determinants of health?

Answer 27

Race
Disability
Food Security
Housing
Gender

Question 28

What are bi-directional relationships ?

Answer 28

Poverty can lead to mental illness
Mental illness can lead to poverty
Poverty can lead to addiction
Addiction can lead to poverty

Question 29

How can poverty lead to mental illness?

Answer 29

Constantly stressing about supporting yourself and your family will lead to decreased mental health.
Also always needing to work to create an income will lead to a lack of time to get the support you need. Usually living in poverty means you do not live in the safest neighbourhood which will also add to the stress you feel.

Question 30

How can mental illness lead to poverty?

Answer 30

Mental health can disrupt multiple aspects of your life including education, relationships, work, and finances which will lead to a life of inconsistency and a deeper level of poverty.

All this disruption can lead to a person feeling even more isolated and beaten down which might lead to a worsened mental state

Question 31

How can poverty can lead to addiction

Answer 31

Stress from financial hardship increases the likelihood of using substances to cope, heightening the risk of developing substance use disorders.

Question 32

How can addiction lead to poverty

Answer 32

Addiction can cause job loss, disrupt personal finances, and lead to deeper poverty, thus creating a cycle of financial instability and addiction.

Question 33

Discuss indigenous homelessness and why it is so common?

Answer 33

Particularly prevalent due to historical and systemic discrimination rooted in colonialism, policies like the Indian Act, and ongoing marginalization.

Indigenous people are overrepresented in homelessness populations because of the long-term effects of land dispossession, forced assimilation, and residential schools, which have contributed to cycles of poverty, trauma, and mental health issues.

Question 34

Why is homelessness more likely to impact indigenous women?

Answer 34

Higher levels of violence
Loss of Indigenous status
Intersectional challenges

Question 35

Discuss loss of indigenous status for women ?

Answer 35

Historically, Indigenous women who married non-Indigenous men lost their legal status as Indigenous, which further isolated them from community supports and cultural identity, contributing to housing instability

Question 36

What is acculturation?

Answer 36

The process by which individuals or groups from a minority culture adopt elements of a dominant culture, such as language, customs, values, or behaviours, often while trying to maintain aspects of their own cultural identity.

It commonly occurs when immigrants or minority groups come into contact with a new culture

Question 37

What is acculturative stress?

Answer 37

refers to the psychological and emotional challenges that arise during the process of acculturation. It can result from the difficulties of adapting to a new culture, including language barriers, cultural differences, loss of social support, and changes in identity.

Question 38

Why is immagrants/refugees mental health bad?

Answer 38

Racial discrimination
Acculturative stress
Loss of social support
Professional and social barriers

Question 39

Why are immagrants/refugees not as likely to receive help?

Answer 39

Cultural stigma
Limited access to culturally sensitive services
Language barriers

Question 40

What is the health immigrant effect?

Answer 40

When immigrants/refugees arrive in better health compared to the general population, but over time, their health, including mental health, can deteriorate due to various stressors

Question 41

Why are women more likely to get diagnosed?

Answer 41

Women are more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness due to hormonal fluctuations (e.g., menstruation, pregnancy, menopause) that contribute to mood disorders, anxiety, and depression. Societal expectations encourage women to express emotions more openly, leading to higher reporting and potential diagnostic bias. Stress from caregiving, body image, and work-life pressures, along with a greater vulnerability to trauma like gender-based violence, also contribute to mental health issues. Additionally, women may face diagnostic bias, while men’s distress may be under diagnosed or linked to other issues like substance use

Question 42

Why are men less likely to be diagnosed with mental illness?

Answer 42

Gender norms and stereotypes
Reluctance to seek help
Different coping mechanisms
Diagnostic bias