Mental health topic 3

Question 1

What is the classical conditioning explanation of phobias?

Answer 1

The pairing of an unconventional stimulus with a conditional response leads to conditioned response - Associate a bad thing with the phobic item
Watson and Rayner - made little albert afraid of rats, despite previously having no fear of them y repeated pairings of a loud noise with a white rat.

Question 2

Outline the positive reinforcement explanation for phobias

Answer 2

The comfort or attention received when slight fear is shown reinforces the behaviour, and worsens the fear

Question 3

Outline the negative reinforcement explanation for phobias

Answer 3

Someone with a fear avoids the item, this reduces the anxiety and this reinforces the fear, turning it into a phobia.

Question 4

Outline the social learning theory explanation for phobias

Answer 4

Behaviours such as OCD could be seen by a child in the parents and imitated, leading to the child deal with challenges in unhealthy, ineffective ways.

Question 5

Outline albert Ellis’ proposal of faulty cognitions

Answer 5

He proposed that irrational thoughts could have and sustain mental disorders and behaved that faulty cognitions can be summarised as:
- I must be outstandingly competent, or I am worthless
- Others must treat me considerately, or they are absolutely rotten
- The world should always give me happiness, or I will die

Question 6

Outline the cognitive explanation of mental illness

Answer 6

Mental illness arises from irrational thinking - suggests there are maladaptive thinking patterns in childhood as we acquire information about the world

Question 7

What is dichotomous reasoning in terms of faulty thinking?

Answer 7

All or nothing thinking, the world is viewed as black of white

Question 8

what is overgeneralisation in terms of faulty thinking?

Answer 8

viewing unfortunate events as part of a new ending defeat or struggle

Question 9

What is filtering in terms of faulty thinking?

Answer 9

Gaining greater considerations to negative aspects, while ignoring or downplaying positive ones.

Question 10

What is catastrophization in terms of faulty thinking?

Answer 10

Feeling that a situation/outcome is/will be far worse than it actually is or turns out to be.

Question 11

According to Beck, what are the three main dysfunctional beliefs in people with depression which form a cognitive triad?

Answer 11

I am worthless or flawed
Everything I do results in failure
The future is hopeless

Question 12

Outside of the cognitive triad, summarise Beck’s explanation for mental illness

Answer 12

Early experience forms dysfunctional beliefs which may then be triggered by adverse life incidents and which advocate the underlying assumptions; From then on, incoming information is processed with a negative bias, resulting in all the emotional, cognitive and behavioural symptoms of depression

Question 13

Outline the treatment of the psychodynamic explanation of mental illness

Answer 13

aims to bring unconscious conflict and emotions into the conscious mind so that they can be resolved, for example through dream analysis, free association, projective tests

Question 14

Outline the Ego defence mechanism and how it relates to mental health

Answer 14

used to prevent our conflicts from damaging us by overuse or inappropriate use can lead to disturbed behaviour
Denial can result in depression or anxiety
Repression may cause a person to act unconsciously motivated by the repressed memory

Question 15

Outline the psychodynamic explanation of mental illness in terms of the three aspects of personality

Answer 15

Conflicts between the id, ego and superego can create anxiety or guilt depending on whether we satisfy the id’s demands or not
A weak or ineffective ego could result in the Id not being controlled. May lead to loss of contact with reality as the person is unable to identify where their desires end and reality begins
An overly strong superego can lead to damaged relationships, depression or suicide

Question 16

How does the research by Szaz relate to reductionism-holism?

Answer 16

Holistic - more so than the medical model because it looks at all the different factors that influence mental illness - critical of the medical model for being reductionist

Question 17

How does the research by Szaz relate to social sensitivity?

Answer 17

Highly controversial view - could be quite unsettling for people with the illness to hear it described as a myth
stigmatises people with mental health issues and makes them seem like they are making it up
Doesn’t take into account that many people who have the illnesses have gotten better from drugs.

Question 18

How does the research by Szaz relate to ethnocentrism?

Answer 18

Focuses on the US healthcare system, so this may not apply to different healthcare systems
Says that mental illness is a social construct because it is based on society’s expectations of behaviour
Doesn’t take into account other cultures where the medical model doesn’t exist
But because it is a theory, not a study it could apply to any country with a medical model

Question 19

How does the research by Szaz relate to usefulness?

Answer 19

Useful - looks at a broader view of mental illness - broader range of explanations - empowering people with mental illnesses - makes them think that they have more control over their illness
Focuses on the whole person as an individual rather than just their illness.
Encourages people to seek out alternative treatments
Not useful - No empirical evidence as it is just his theory
Could make people feel invalidated and could discourage people from getting treatments that might help them
Governments may not have the funds to support alternative treatments

Question 20

What is Aversion therapy?

Answer 20

The creation of an unpleasant association like nausea in alcohol addiction
A drug called am amatiz can be used to make people sick
repeated pairings will result in a learned response of aversion to alcohol

Question 21

What is flooding?

Answer 21

Present large quantities of the feared object directly - the immediate fear response caused by adrenaline is not sustainable and will eventually calm down by itself. The feeling of calm will then be associated with the feared object

Question 22

What is a problem with flooding as a method of treating phobias?

Answer 22

It can cause panic and reinforce the phobia rather than extinguish it, especially if the person is allowed to leave the situation before their adrenaline levels have naturally reduced.

Question 23

Outline the research by McGrath - Lucy

Answer 23

Lucy was a 10 year old girl with a phobia of loud noise, balloons and party poppers
By teaching her to imagine herself playing with her toys at home, over the course of 10 sessions she gradually reduced her fear from a self rating of 7/10 down to 3/10 for balloons popping

Question 24

Outline systematic desentisation (not the stages)

Answer 24

The process teaches a person to gradually confront their fear, it is carried out in stages and the patient practices relaxation techniques at each stage to calm themselves down after an anxiety inducing stimulus is introduced.

Question 25

What are the three stages of systematic desensitisation?

Answer 25

1. Patient builds a hierarchy of stimuli which cause anxiety e.g look at picture, hold picture, see real item
2. PAtient is taught deep muscle relaxation or to imagine themselves somewhere pleasant
3. Therapist takes patient step-by-step through their hierarchy - relaxation techniques are used until patient does not feel anxious, then they move to the next stage.

Question 26

What is Rational Emotive Therapy?

Answer 26

Client helped to understand how irrational and unhelpful beliefs are contributing to their illness, and helped to identify an alternative way of processing a situation which should in turn change their behaviour.

Question 27

Outline the ABCDE of RET

Answer 27

A - Activating event (the phobic stimulus)
B - Beliefs (About the Stimulus)
C - Consequences (the actions to avoid stimulus)
In therapy the aim is to add:
D - Disputing (questioning the irrational beliefs)
E - Effects (Reconstructed thoughts hopefully helping the person to cope)

Question 28

Outline the usefulness of flooding

Answer 28

Quicker than other methods and has been shown to be effective
However, it avoids looking at the causes of the behaviour in the first place
May cause more harm than good - could reinforce the Phobia

Question 29

Outline the usefulness of RET

Answer 29

Long, expensive process, but shown to be effective

Question 30

Outline the usefulness of aversion therapy

Answer 30

Quick and works in some cases but could easily be misused (e.g. conversion therapy)

Question 31

How do the Behavioural applications link to ethics?

Answer 31

All cause some harm - but for the patients own good? - They all have informed consent, no deception, competence - not really looking at the cause of the negative behaviour
Flooding the only one with no withdrawal as this would ruin the treatment

Question 32

How does RET link to Ethics?

Answer 32

Can withdraw by just not going - not harmful, no deception, no issues with consent, hope there was competence

Question 33

Outline The behaviourist explanation for mental health in terms of Psychology as a science

Answer 33

Is quite scientific - Because tends to use controlled lab experiments - can control cause and effect - can observe the behaviour makes it more objective, reliable and falsifiable

Question 33

Outline The behaviourist explanation for mental health in terms of Psychology as a science

Answer 33

Is quite scientific - Because tends to use controlled lab experiments - con control cause and effect - can observe the behaviour makes it more objective, reliable and falsifiable

Question 34

Outline The behaviourist explanation for mental health in terms of reductionism - holism

Answer 34

reductionist - says everything is learnt - reducing mental illness to a stimulus response

Question 35

Outline The behaviourist explanation for mental health in terms of free-will - determinism

Answer 35

Determinism - environment - don’t have a choice of who you’re around and how they act when younger
Free-will - some choice in what parents can do for their children and what environment you put yourself in

Question 36

How do the Alternative explanations of mental illness relate to Usefulness

Answer 36

All have effective treatments that work
But behaviourist is reductionist
Cognitive is less scientific
Psychodynamic has no evidence the treatments work - subjective interpretation

Question 37

Outline The Cognitive explanation for mental health in terms of Psychology as a science

Answer 37

Can’t measure people’s thoughts - can’t be objective or falsified - irrational thoughts - difficult to measure scientifically as you have to rely on self report

Question 38

Outline The psychodynamic explanation for mental health in terms of Psychology as a science

Answer 38

very subjective - Freud not at all scientific
Subjective interpretation of what patients say
Difficult to falsify as the unconscious mind isn’t observable
Couldn’t do in an experiment setting - no replicability or reliability

Question 39

Outline The cognitive explanation for mental health in terms of reductionism-holism

Answer 39

Reductionist - reduces behaviour to information processing systems as key factor
Holistic - Beck doesn’t discard genetics - stress diathesis

Question 40

Outline The psychodynamic explanation for mental health in terms of reductionism-holism

Answer 40

Holistic - all aspects of mind and talks about interaction of biological factors and environmental factors
Reductionist - only focuses on the unconscious mind

Question 41

Outline The cognitive explanation for mental health in terms of free-will - determinism

Answer 41

Determinist - thoughts caused by childhood experiences and genetic aspects
Free-will choice of how your thought affect you
treatment focuses on retraining yourself to think differently

Question 42

Outline The psychodynamic explanation for mental health in terms of free-will - determinism

Answer 42

Determinist - early experiences affect your behaviour - oedipus complex
Behaviour is determined by the unconscious mind, which you’re not aware of - more difficult to exercise free will
Free-will - treatment is your choice - the type and whether to get it

Question 43

What were the conclusions of szasz’ research?

Answer 43

The medicalisation and politicisation of psychiatry over the past 50 years has led to a dehumanised model of care
mental illness should be regarded as a metaphor; a fiction
The moral legitimacy of psychiatry should be rejected as it involves violating human liberty

Question 44

Give a brief outline Of the research by Szasz

Answer 44

In 1960s, Szasz published a book ‘The myth of Mental illness’, challenging the medical model - he rejected the image of patients as passive victims of biological events, and believed that psychiatry was coercive and involved a denial of human rights.

Question 45

Outline Szasz’ challenge of the use of insanity defence in court

Answer 45

Believes that assuming all people are inherently good, and that bad actions only occur due to mental illness, has implications for human freedom. This denies them the responsibility for wrong foing and liberty from oppression by the mental health system
the person as the sufferer loses their importance - it is the illness that is to be treated

Question 46

Outline Szasz’ Opinion of psychiatrists

Answer 46

They become like jailers - imprisoning people in a system and denying them their right to seek, accept and reject medical diagnosis and treatment - they have too much power - alone are qualified to categorise, label and treat the person

Question 47

Outline szasz’ opinion on the relationship of mental and physical illness

Answer 47

Mental illnesses that have a physical cause are just undiagnosed physical illness. - ‘mental illness’ is the judgement of some people about the socially unacceptable behaviour of others