Mental Wellbeing

Question 1

defining mental wellbeing

Answer 1

Mental wellbeing involves our state of mind, our enjoyment of life and our ability to cope with the normal stresses of everyday life and develop to our potential.

Question 2

levels of functioning

Answer 2

How effectively we engage in the different domains of our lives including
Daily living skills (personal hygiene, dressing, eating, self-medicating)
Interpersonal relationships
Emotions (self-regulation)

Question 3

high level functioning vs low level functioning

Answer 3

High
Behaviour is primarily adaptive allowing them to adjust to the environment effectively.
Carry our basic everyday tasks
Be independent

Low level functioning
Behaviour is maladaptive behaviour which interferes with ability to successfully adapt to environment
Struggle to carry out basic task
Lack of direction

Question 4

resilience to life stressors

Answer 4

Resilience is the ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty.
Bouncing back from adversity or difficult experiences.
People who are mentally healthy tend to be more resilient than those who are mentally unwell.
Having the resources to cope

Question 5

5 characteristics of someone with high level resilience

Answer 5

Strong belief in their abilities to accomplish tasks and succeed
High self esteem
Approach adversity with a sense of optimism/opportunity for challenge
Adaptable and flexible
Organised

Question 6

what is a mental health PROBLEM

Answer 6

Affects how we think feel and behave but to a lesser extent and shorter duration
If our thoughts and feelings are interfering with our daily life we may experience a mental health problem. Common, not severe and short term, but may develop into a mental disorder.

Question 7

what is a mental health DISORDER

Answer 7

A psychological dysfunction that affects the function of the mind
Interferes with emotions, perceptions and behaviours as well as cognitive, social and emotional abilities. Experiences are different for everyone.

Question 8

3 biological factors contributing to susceptibility to mental health disorders

Answer 8

Gender
Age
Neurotransmitter functioning

Question 9

3 psychological factors contributing to susceptibility to mental health disorders

Answer 9

Thoughts
beliefs/attitudes
Perception
Emotions

Question 10

3 social factors contributing to susceptibility to mental health disorders

Answer 10

Relationships
Stressors
Social stigma

Question 11

stress

Answer 11

Psychological and physiological tensions.
Everyone experiences stress - it is a normal part of life and a state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors. There may be eustress, distress, acute or chronic stress.

Question 12

anxiety

Answer 12

State of physiological arousal, feelings of apprehension, worry or uneasiness. Feeling that something is wrong or something unpleasant is about to happen.

Question 13

adaptive responses to anxiety

Answer 13

Useful in short term threatening/dangerous situations however if it does not subside but can reduce the ability to concentrate, learn, think and judge.
Severe anxiety has intense physiological sensations
Breathlessness, sweating, trembling, nausea, dizziness, feelings of impending doom
It is unwanted, persistent and not adaptive, affecting how a person thinks, feels and behaves.

Question 14

anxiety disorders

Answer 14

Describes a group of mental health disorders
Chronic feelings of worry, distress, excessive apprehension or fear about the future, with an overall negative effect on someone’s life.

Question 15

phobias

Answer 15

Persistent, irrational and intense fear
Causes significant distress or interferes with everyday functioning out of proportion to actual danger.

Question 16

2 biological factors contributing to specific phobias

Answer 16

GABA dysfunction
As GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter and calms the stress response, a dysfunction can cause individuals to be more susceptible to developing anxiety disorders and their FFF response is more easily triggered.
GABA dysfunction can be due to genetic inheritance, CNS damage, exposure to prolonged stress, nutritional deficiencies in vitamin b6 and citric acid, and high caffeine intake.
Long term potentiation
Phobias can be learned through experience so LTP contributes to development and maintenance of phobia that is experience based.
Strengthens synaptic connections and association between phobic stimulus and fear.

Question 17

4 psychological factors contributing to specific phobias

Answer 17

Precipitation through Classical Conditioning
Phobia may be precipitated through CC due to the repeated pairing of the NS and UCS.

Perpetuation through Operant Conditioning
Avoidance of phobic stimuli acts as a negative reinforcer so the phobia may be perpetuated through OC.
.
Cognitive biases
Automatic tendency to thinking in a way that produces systematic errors of judgement and faulty decision making.
Systematic error as it is flawed thinning attributable to the person and often leads to inaccurate decision making

Catastrophic thinking
Involves overestimating, exaggerating or magnifying an object or situation
Predicting the worst possible outcome

Question 18

memory biases

Answer 18

Memory bias: Distorted influence of presents knowledge beliefs and feelings based on recollection of previous experiences

Question 19

consistency bias

Answer 19

memories of past experiences are distorted through reconstruction in way that incorporates fears

Question 20

change bias

Answer 20

recall past experience and exaggerate the difference between what we knew or felt them and what we are currently thinking. Leads to phobic feats to grow out of proportion to reality so memory of phobic stimulus focuses on negative experiences more than positive ones
This memory bias strengthens the fear response

Question 21

social factors - specific environmental triggers

Answer 21

Specific environmental triggers
Direct confrontation
Observational learning
Initial fear response becomes conditioned fear response

Question 22

social factors - stigma
2 types

Answer 22

Negative perceptions about mental illness which limits ability to be willing to tell family/friends or see a doctor.
Individuals may feel embarrassed about phobias based on fears that are irrational
Social stigma: negative attitudes held in wider community
Self stigma: individuals accepts the negative views and actions of others and apply to themselves, so less likely to seek treatment

Question 23

biological protective factors

Answer 23

• Adequate nutritional intake and hydration
  Evidence - role of diet and hydration in mental health disorder ADHD, depression, etc.
  It won’t cause or prevent illness but it provides sufficient energy for needs, promotes good mental health and contributes to resilience.
• Adequate sleep
  Keep mind/body functioning at optimal level
  Adequate NREM and REM - repair/replenish/refresh
  Helps you cope with stress
  Diet and hydration
• Balanced diet
  No drugs - control alcohol
  Protects against diet related diseases
  Affects physical and cognitive functions, and lessens vulnerability to stress.
  Human body can only last a few days without water (made up of 50-75% water)
  Forms basis of blood, digestive juices
  Contained in muscles/fat/bones
  Needed to make neurotransmitters and hormones
  Mild dehydration can cause irritability and affect mental performance

Question 24

2 psychological protective factors

Answer 24

• mindfulness meditation
  type of meditation where a person focuses attention on their breathing and accepts their thoughts and feelings
• cognitive behavioural strategies
  Recognise the way we think (cognitive) and act (behaviour) and how faulty thinking patterns can affect mental wellbeing. promotes resilience

Question 25

social protective factor

Answer 25

Support from family, friends and community that is authentic and energising
Close relationships help with morale/good health, it cushions stressful events as isolation causes stress

Question 26

7 domains of SEWB framework

Answer 26

Body and behaviours
Mind and emotions
Family and kinship
Community
Culture
Country
Ancestors

Question 27

What is the SEWB framework

Answer 27

Holistic and multidimensional view of health, connection to country, culture, spirituality ancestry, family and community

Reflects understand and needs of aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communtiies

Question 28

What is the SEWB framework

Answer 28

Holistic and multidimensional view of health, connection to country, culture, spirituality ancestry, family and community

Reflects understand and needs of aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communtiies

Question 29

Cultural continuity

Answer 29

Passing of knowledge through generations

Question 30

Self determination

Answer 30

Ability to determine our own future

Cultural continuity cannot be supported and nourished

Question 31

Three determinants of SEWB

Answer 31

Social- ses and impact of poverty, unemployment, housing and exposure to violence and racial discrimination
Historical - impact of past gov policies and historical oppressions
Political - unresolved issues of land, control of resources and right to self determination