mh1 Flashcards
prevalence of mh disorders in world
13%
interventions to improve mental health can include
- providing treatment or support to those with mental health difficulties
AND - reducing risk of mental health difficulties, building psychological resilience, establishing supportive environments
The spectrum of interventions model includes
- preventative intervention
- early intervention
- Treatment
- Long term care (include relapse retention)
Barriers to proffessional help-seeking and access to mental health care
Structural barriers
- Externa and systematic factors preventing access to care.
e.g. financial costs, low resources, inequities in access (language, discrimination).
Perceived barriers
- what indivs think and feel that stop them from seeking care
e.g. attitudes, self efficacy, past negative experience, unaware a service exists
stigma vs discrimination
someone views the indiv with mental health issues negatively because of it.
discrimination is when they treat them in a negative way because of it.
self-stigma
how does this influence interaction with mental health services
emotionally and cognitively absorbing the negative beliefs about the self from society, largely based on shame, accepting stereotypes, and alienating oneself from others, affecting self esteem
Perceived stigma stops many from engaging in mental health interventions / services. Anti-stigma campaigns / interventions can help promote more positive attitudes to help-seeking.
what is psychotherapy
A collaborative approach where a trained individual applies clinical methods to identify and modify an individual’s thoughts, behaviours, and emotions, often focusing on specific issues through dialogue.
approaches to psychotherapy
Various modalities exist to support different psychological needs and concerns.
Key Elements of Effective Psychotherapy:
✅ Therapeutic Alliance: Trust, collaboration, and a positive working relationship.
✅ Empathy & Validation: Creating a safe environment where individuals feel heard and understood.
✅ Goal Setting: Collaborative setting of clear, achievable goals to provide direction.
Clinical psychologists focus directly on
psychological processes underlying specific mental health difficulties
What are key characteristics of RCTs in mental health research?
Random assignment to intervention or comparison arm
Large sample, often with a specific mental health condition
Sometimes includes severity/chronicity and specific population
Some standardisation in therapeutic process
What is a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT)?
A study where participants are randomly assigned to an intervention or comparison arm.
What are Evidence-Based Interventions (EBIs)?
Psychotherapeutic modalities and other approaches that have been shown to be effective in well-controlled scientific studies.
What is a meta-analysis in the context of RCTs?
A statistical technique that examines whether there are significant effects (and their strength) across many RCT studies.
What do systematic reviews do in relation to RCTs?
They summarise RCT studies (and other types of studies) narratively, sometimes including a meta-analysis.
Which organisations set recommended clinical guidance in the UK and USA?
UK: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
USA: National Institute of Mental Health (NIH)
What is Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)?
A time-limited therapy (12–16 sessions) focusing on current relationships and issues to improve interpersonal functioning and social support.
Psychological issues are understood as a response to everyday relationship difficulties and communication problems.
reccomended for Mild to moderate depression.
What did Cuijpers et al. (2016) find about IPT’s effectiveness?
- Moderate-to-large effect sizes for acute depression (IPT vs control in 32 studies).
- IPT was as effective as antidepressant medication.
- IPT + medication was more effective than either alone.
- No significant difference between IPT and other psychotherapies.
- IPT helped prevent the onset of major depression in subthreshold cases.
- IPT may help prevent relapse.
What is Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and how is it recognised in clinical practice?
- CFT is an integrative cognitive behavioural therapy that emphasises mindfulness, acceptance, and meta-cognition (through compassionate skills training) to address high self-criticism and shame. It is recognised as having therapeutic value by organisations like the APA and BPS and is used in the NHS.
What did Millard et al. (2023) find in their meta-analysis of CFT studies, and what was the overall conclusion
- A review of 15 studies (6 RCTs) in clinical populations found improvements in:
- Self-compassion, self-criticism/self-reassurance, and fears of compassion.
- Depression scores (no meta-analysis due to heterogeneous measures; only 3 samples diagnosed with depression).
- Eating disorder symptoms.
- Overall, the evidence is promising, but further high-quality research with large samples is needed.
What are key limitations of RCTs due to standardisation?
- Co-occurring (comorbid) conditions are usually not included.
- Suits time-limited and more specific interventions.
- Little space to recognise individual needs or allow cultural adaptations.
How do studies vary in RCTs for mental health interventions?
- Comparison/control group (e.g., interventions are often more effective when compared to waitlist control rather than active comparisons).
- Level of risk of bias (e.g., assessors not masked).
What are common sources of bias in RCTs testing mental health interventions?
- Representation (e.g., participants excluded if they lack sufficient English fluency).
- Sample attrition (e.g., high drop-out rates can falsely enhance outcomes).
What is evidence-based practice (EBP)?
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the integration of:
Evidence-based interventions
Clinical expertise
Client preferences
