Mental Health Test #1 Flashcards
Definition of mental health
State of well-being in which individuals reach their own potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to the community
Definition of mental illness
Refers to all psychiatric disorders that have definable diagnosis. These disorders are manifested in significant dysfunctions that may be related to developmental,biological, or psychological disturbances in mental functioning.
Mental health continuum
continuum between metal health and illness that every person falls somewhere on depending on a variety of factors
Biological
focus on genetic, hormonal, and neuro-chemical explanations of behavior
Psychoanalysis
Innate drives of sex and aggression (nature) Social upbringing during childhood (nurture)
Cognitive psychology
innate mental structures such as schemas, perceptions, and memory and constantly changed by the environment
Humanism
Maslow emphasized basic physical needs, Society influences a person’s self concept
Behaviorism
all behavior is learned from the environment through conditioning
Diathesis
biological predisposition
Human Genome Project
United states department of energy to do the following
Identifies approx. 20,000 - 25,000 human genes in DNA
Determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA
Stores the information in databases
Improve tools for data analysis
Address the ethical, legal, and social issues that may arise from the project
Sigmund Freud
Introduced groundbreaking theory of personality structure, levels of awareness, anxiety, the role of defense mechanism, and the stages of psychosexual development
Sigmund Freud believed
that a vast majority of mental disorders resulted from unresolved issues that originated in childhood
Conscious
Contains all the material a person is aware of at any one time
Perceptions
Memories
Thoughts
Fantasies
Feelings
Preconscious
Contains material that can be retrieved rather easily through conscious effort
Unconscious
Includes all repressed memories, passions, and unacceptable urges lying deep below the surface
Memories and emotions associated with trauma—too painful to deal with
Usually unable to retrieve unconscious material without the assistance of a trained therapist
Id
Totally unconscious and impulsive
Its the source of all drives, instincts, reflexes, and needs
Ego
Resides in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels of awareness
Follows the reality principle—the individual is factoring in reality to implement a plan to decrease tension
Superego
Develops between the ages 3 and 5
Represents the moral component of personality
Internalized standards concerned with right and wrong
If superego is too powerful
The person may be self-critical and suffer from feeling of inferiority
Guilt if behavior falls short of ideal
Pride when behavior is ideal
Defense mechanisms and anxiety
Definition: Ward off anxiety by preventing conscious awareness of threatening feelings
Displacement:
transfer of emotions associated with a particular person, object or situation to one that is non-threatening
Undoing:
a mechanism that is used to make up for an act of communication
Rationalization:
justifying illogical or unreasonable ideas by developing more acceptable explanations
Introjection:
the beliefs and values of another individual are internalized and symbolically become a part of the self, to the extent that the feelings of separateness of distinctness is lost
Identification:
an attempt to increase self-worth by acquiring certain attributes and characteristics of an individual one admires
Regression:
a retreat to an earlier level of development and the comfort measures associated with that level of functioning
Repression:
the involuntary blocking of unpleasant feelings and experiences from one’s awareness
Projection:
feeling or impulses unacceptable to oneself are attributed to another person
Denial:
escaping of unpleasant realities by ignoring their existence
Compensation
covering up a real or perceived weakness by emphasizing a trait one considered more desirable
Interpersonal Theory of Harry Stack Sullivan
Purpose of all behavior is to get needs met through interpersonal interactions and to reduce or avoid anxiety
Self-system
all of the security operations an individual uses to defend against anxiety and ensure self-esteem
Grief and loss:
complicated bereavement after death, divorce, or other loss
Interpersonal disputes:
conflicts with significant other
Role transition:
problematic change in life status or social or vocational role
Hildegard Peplau
Nurse as both participant & observer
Self-awareness helps keep focus on patient
Application of Sullivan’s theory of anxiety to nursing practice
Lithium level
0.8-1.2
Interpersonal Theory of Harry Stack Sullivan
Purpose of all behavior is to get needs met through interpersonal interactions and to reduce or avoid anxiety
Believed that human beings are driven by the need for social interaction
Viewed loneliness as the most painful human condition
Anxiety:
painful feeling or emotion that arises from social insecurity or prevents biological needs from being satisfied
Security operations:
measures the individual uses to reduce anxiety and enhance security
Self-system
all of the security operations an individual uses to defend against anxiety and ensure self-esteem
Grief and loss:
complicated bereavement after death, divorce, or other loss
Interpersonal disputes:
conflicts with significant other
Role transition
problematic change in life status or social or vocational role
Overall Goal—reduce or eliminate psychiatric symptoms (particularly depression) by improving interpersonal functioning and satisfaction with social relationships
Hildegard Peplau
Nurse as both participant & observer
Self-awareness helps keep focus on patient
Application of Sullivan’s theory of anxiety to nursing practice
Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory
Experiment: When a neutral stimulus (a bell) was repeatedly paired with another stimulus (food that triggered salivation), eventually the sound of the bell alone could elicit salivation in the dogs
Human example—Someone gets sick after eating a certain food and feels sick when they even see the food now
An Involuntary response
Watson’s behavioral theory
Watson (1919) contended that personality traits and responses—adaptive and maladaptive—were socially learned through classical conditioning. (Rabbit experiment)
Modeling
therapist provides a role model for specific identified behaviors and the patient learns through imitation
Operant conditioning
the basis for behavior modification that uses positive reinforcement to increase the desired behaviors
Exposure therapy
used for people who experience anxiety due to fears, phobias, or traumatic memories and exposes them to their fears so they can emotionally process them in a safe environment
Aversion therapy—
pairing a target behavior with a negative stimulus in order to extinguish undesirable behavior
Biofeedback
Used for controlling the body’s physiological response to stress and anxiety
Limbic system
plays a crucial role in emotional status and psychological function using norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine as its neurotransmitters
Reticular activating system
regulates sleep wakefulness
Recidivism:
is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of that behavior
Brainstem
The most primitive area of the brain is the brainstem which functions in controlling heart rate, breathing, digestion, and sleeping
Hypothalamus
Controlling basic drives, such as hunger, thirst, and sex
Cerebellum
Regulates skeletal muscle coordination and the maintenance of equilibrium
Cerebrum
Mental activities, conscious perception, emotional status, memory, skeletal muscle purposeful movement, language and communication
ambivalence
simultaneous opposite feelings (love/hate)
apathy
Lack of feeling, concern, interest or emotion
autism
Preoccupation with self without concern for external reality; a self-made private world of schizophrenic
blocking
Interruption of thoughts due to psych factors, loss of thought, unconscious block
catatonia
Immobility due to psychological causes
compulsions
Repetitive actions carried out in a specific manner
delusions
fixed, false beliefs of importance to the person that arent reason or fact
depersonalization
feeling detached from oneself
dissociation
removal from conscious awareness of painful feelings, memories, thoughts, aspects or identity
double bind
Conflicting demands by a significant individual in the pts life; unable to meet both , the pt is doomed to fail
echolalia
Repetition of words heard; often repeats last word heard
echopraxia
Repetitive movements; meaningless
flight of ideas
a continuous steam of talk in which the pt switches rapidly between ideas
hallucinations
a false sensory perception unrelated to external stimuli
ideas of reference
a belief that something has a different meaning like someone laughing at you
illusion
Misinterpretation of a real sensory stimulus
Loose associations
Speaks constantly, shifting between loosely related topics
Milieu therapy
The use of the environment to promote optimal functioning of a group or individual
Mutism
Able to speak but remains silent
Neologism
A word or expression invented by the patient; coins new words or expressions
Obsessions
Intrusive, inappropriate, recurrent, and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are stressful or produce anxiety
Openness
An atmosphere in which people are free to express their thoughts and feelings without fear of ridicule or censure
Paranoia
Extreme suspiciousness of others and their actions
perseveration
Repeats single activity, cannot shift from one topic to another
Pressured Speech
Speech becomes fast, loud. Rushed, and emphatic
Primary Gain
A benefit, primarily relief from emotional conflict and freedom from anxiety, attained from the use of a defense mechanism, or other psychologic process, relief from or expression of anxiety through symptoms of a disorder
religiosity
Preoccupation with religious ideas or content
Secondary gain
An indirect benefit, usually obtained through an illness or debility. Such gains may include monetary and disability benefits, personal attention, support from others, or escape from unpleasant situations and responsibilities
Withdrawal
Behaviors designed to avoid interacting with others
Word Salad
Randomized set of words without logical connection
Autonomy
Respecting the rights of others to make their own decisions. (right to refuse meds)
Beneficence
the duty to act to benefit or promote the health and well being of others (spending extra time to help an anxious pt.)
nonmalefience
doing no harm to pt. (protecting information)
justice
the duty to distribute resources or care equally (treat pts equal)
fidelity
Maintaining loyalty & commitment to the pt & doing no wrong to the pt. (doing no harm through continuous skill development)
Veracity
the duty to comunicate truthfully (telling the side effects of medications)
pharmacogentic testing
DNA testing for antidepressant use to eliminate trial & error
Resilience
Ability and capacity to secure resources needed to support well-being; adjust to stressors of everyday life
Neurons
specialized cells in the CNS that have 3 actions
Rational-emotive therapy (Ellis
How one thinks, determines how someone acts and behaves
automatic thoughts
Rapid , unthinking responses
Circadian rhythms
Function fluctuation of various psychological and behavioral patterns over a 24 hour cycle
Cerebrum
Mental activities
Conscious sense of being
Emotional status
Memory
Control of skeletal muscles—movement
Language and communication
Norepinephrine
Level in brain affects mood
Attention and arousal
Stimulates sympathetic branch of ANS for “fight or flight” in response to stress
Serotonin
Serotonin
Glutamate
Amino Acid
Excitatory
AMPA plays a role in learning and memory
Action of Psychotropic Medications
Relieve mental disturbance without inducing side effects—but many do
Alcohol withdrawal
reduce the neuronal overexcitation of alcohol withdrawal
Antidepressant Drugs
Increasing neurotransmitters by antidepressants results in down-regulation (desensitization) of key neurotransmitter receptors
Why it takes 4-8 weeks for antidepressants to work
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
Block the reuptake of serotonin
Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Sertraline (Zoloft)
Paroxetine (Paxil)
Citalopram (Celexa
Norepinephrine and Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor
Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
Novel antidepressant
Zyban—FDA approved smoking cessation
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)
Widely used treatment before the development of SSRIs—no longer first line due to side effects and greater lethality in overdose
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors
Considered last-line agents due to multiple interaction and dietary restriction
Lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid)
GOLD STANDARD among mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder
Mechanism of action is not fully understood
Lithium
Caffeine decreases lithium levels
