mental wellbeing Flashcards
unit 4 aos 2
mental wellbeing
an individual’s psychological state, including their ability to think, process information, and regulate emotions
different ways to consider mental wellbeing
-levels of functioning
-resilience
-social and emotional wellbeing
functioning
generally referring to how well an individual independently performs or functions in their environment
resilience
the ability to successfully cope with and manage change and uncertainty
social and emotional wellbeing (sewb)
-multidimensional and holistic
-the sewb of an individual is intimately linked to their family, community - can’t be viewed separately - offers collectivist perspective
-four determinants can influence the strength of the domains
-expressions and experiences can change over time due to determinants
domains of sewb
-connection to body - physical health
-connection to mind and emotions - mental health
-connection to family and kinship - central in functioning of first nations societies
-connection to community - can take many forms, provides opportunities for people to connect and support each other
-connection to culture - provides a sense of continuity with past, helps underpin strong identity
-connection to country - underpins identity and sense of belonging
-connection to spirituality and ancestors - provides sense of purpose and meaning
determinants of sewb
-social - the circumstances in which people grow, live, and work, and the systems put in place to deal with illness
-historical - the ongoing influence of events, policies, and trauma on groups of people
-political - political policies that shape the process of distributing resources and power, and create or reinforce social and health inequalities
advantages of a mental wellbeing continuum
-captures how our mental wellbeing fluctuates over time
-allows for early signs of mental health problems to be identified
-can reduce stigma linked to mental wellbeing as everyone can be placed on it
internal factors
factors that arise from within the individual
external factors
factors that arise from an individual’s environment
anxiety
a state of arousal involving feelings of apprehension or uneasiness that something is wrong or something unpleasant is about to happen
stress vs anxiety
-similar physiological response
-stress is in response to a known cause, anxiety is usually future focused
phobia
a persistent and irrational fear of a particular object, activity, or situation, which is consequently endured with marked distress
specific phobia
an anxiety disorder characterised by marked or persistent fear or anxiety about a specific object, situation, or activity
biopsychosocial approach
a way of describing and explaining how biological, psychological, and social factors combine and interact to influence a person’s mental health and wellbeing
biological contributing factors
-gaba dysfunction
-long-term potentiation
psychological contributing factors
-precipitation by classical conditioning
-perpetuation by operant conditioning
-cognitive biases (memory bias, catastrophic thinking)
social contributing factors
-specific environmental triggers
-stigma around seeking treatment
gaba dysfunction
-inhibitory effect counterbalances the excitatory effects of glutamate
-there is a link between low levels of gaba and specific phobia - therefore can impair ability to regulate their flight-or-fight-or-freeze response
- If there are low levels of gaba, the excitatory effect of glutamate can’t be counter balanced - leads to overexcitation
long-term potentiation
-can perpetuate one’s phobia
-the more the connection between one’s phobic stimulus and their fear is activated, the stronger the connection becomes
precipitation by classical conditioning
-classical conditioning the precipitate (cause) the onset of specific phobia
-what becomes a phobic stimulus would initially be ns, through repeated association with ucs that naturally induces fear, ns becomes cs (phobic stimulus), producing a cr (phobic response)
perpetuation by operant conditioning
-operant conditioning can perpetuate (prolong) one’s specific phobia
-one symptom of specific phobia is avoidance of phobic stimulus - while avoidance can provide short-term relief, it can negatively reinforce one’s phobia (removal on unpleasant stimulus-strengthens behaviour)
cognitive bias
an automatic tendency or preference for processing or interpreting information a particular way
memory bias
-a tendency to remember information of one kind at the expense of another kind
-with specific phobia - tendency to recall negative information more readily than positive or neutral
catastrophic thinking
a type of cognitive bias in which a stimulus or event is predicted to be far worse than it actually is
specific environmental triggers
-direct experience with phobic stimulus has led to disorder
-can also acquire a phobia through the observation or others, or through learning
stigma around seeking treatment
stigma: the feeling of shame or disgrace experienced by an individual for a characteristic that differentiates them from others
-because of this, they may refuse to seek treatment, perpetuating their phobia
biological interventions
-benzodiazepines
-breathing retraining
psychological interventions
-cbt (cognitive behavioural therapy)
-systematic desensitisation
social interventions
-psychoeducation for families/supporters
benzodiazepines
a group of medications that are used to treat anxiety disorders like specific phobia
how do benzodiazepines treat specific phobia?
-used when there are low levels of GABA
-doesn’t increase the levels of GABA - enhances its inhibitory effect
-they are GABA agonists - this is because they stimulate neurotransmitters
breathing retraining
the process of identifying incorrect breathing habits and replacing them with correct ones
how does breathing retraining treat specific phobia?
-breathing is often fast and shallow during phobic response - can lead to hyperventilation resulting in an imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide
-breathing retraining consciously slows/control breathing
-reduces physiological arousal, restores balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide
cognitive behaviour therapy
-a type of psychotherapy that combines cognitive and behavioural therapies to treat phobias and other mental health problems and disorders
how does cbt treat specific phobia?
cognitive component
-identifying negative thoughts and feelings about issue
-replacing these negative thoughts and feelings with more positive ones
behavioural component
-identifying negative behaviours relating to issue
-developing and maintaining more positive behaviours relating to issue
systematic desensitisation
a therapeutic technique used to overcome phobias that involve a patient being exposed incrementally to increasingly anxiety-inducing stimuli, combined with the use of relaxation techniques (also known as a graduated response)
how does systematic desensitisation treat specific phobia?
steps:
1 - the learning of relaxation techniques
2 - the development of a fear hierarchy - a list of anxiety inducing experiences relating to phobia
3 - the gradual step-by-step exposure - each item of fear hierarchy is paired with the learnt relaxation techniques
4 -the continuation of this systematic exposure
principles of classical conditioning
-unlearning association between phobic stimulus and fear and anxiety
-reassociating phobic stimulus with feelings of relaxation and safety
psychoeducation for families and supporters
-teaching families and supporters of someone with a mental disorder how to better understand, deal with, and treat their disorder - not a form of therapy
how does psychoeducation help to understand unrealistic and anxious thought characteristics of specific phobia?
families and supporters can encourage the individual to recognise and challenge the thoughts
how does psychoeducation help to understand avoidance behaviours of specific phobia?
this can stop families and supporters from unintentionally reinforcing the behaviour
protective factors
influences that enable an individual to promote and maintain high levels of mental wellbeing
biological protective factors
-adequate nutritional intake and hydration
-adequate sleep
psychological protective factors
-cognitive behaviour strategies
-mindfulness meditation
social protective factors
-support from family, friends, and community
adequate nutritional intake and hydration
-nutrition: having a good variety of different foods that fulfil one’s nutritional needs
-hydration: being adequately hydrated based on one’s individual needs
adequate sleep
-getting quality sleep - feeling rested and refreshed
-can reduce likelihood of suffering from mental health disorders
cognitive behaviour strategies
structured psychological techniques that can be applied to help people recognise how negative or unproductive patterns of thinking and behaviour affects their emotions
examples of cognitive behaviour strategies
-cognitive restructuring: the process of learning to identify, challenge, and modify or replace negative, irrational thoughts with more reasonable and helpful ways of thinking
-behaviour activation: involves identifying and scheduling activities that promote enjoyment and reduce stress - aim is to positively reinforce mood via enhancing activities
mindfulness meditation
-a type of meditation in which a person focuses attention on their breathing, whilst thoughts, feelings, and sensations are experienced freely as they arise
-two parts
aspects of mindfulness meditation
attention
-involves focusing on what’s happening in the present moment (thoughts, feelings, sensations)
acceptance
-involves observing these thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgement (letting them go)
social support
the assistance, care, or comfort provided by people to each other, typically to help them cope with a stressor mental health issue (tangible or intangible)
how can support promote mental wellbeing?
-energising (eg playing a sport)
-authentic (truly listening)
cultural determinants
-protective factors that support the social and emotional wellbeing of aboriginal and torres strait islander peoples that come from connecting to culture, country, and spirituality
-two ones - cultural continuity and self-determination
cultural continuity
the ability to preserve and carry forward aboriginal and torres strait Islander peoples rich heritage, traditions, practices, knowledge, and way of life across generations
self-determination
-the ability for aboriginal and torres strait islander peoples to freely decide and govern their own political, social, cultural, and economic needs and rights
-have always known what is best for themselves and their own communities, however, they haven’t always been involved in the laws and policy decisions that affect them, and have struggled for the right to self-determine their lives
