psych unit 4 AOS 2 Flashcards
mental disorders
severe emotional and/or behavioural impact
mental health problem
disruption to an individuals usual level of social and emotional wellbeing
dual continuum model is determined by
subjective sense of mental wellbeing, whether or not we are living with a mental disorder
flourishing mental state
optimal wellbeing in which a person feels good and functions effectively
languishing mental state
experiencing low levels of positive emotions and low level of psychological and social functioning
resilience
a persons ability to respond adaptively to stressful life events and cope with uncertainty
3 internal factors
genetics, physical fitness, self-esteem
3 external factors
physical environment (unsanitary conditions) , biological environment (maternal stress, drug and alcohol intake), social environment (unhealthy interpersonal relations)
stress
inability to cope with current events, psychological and physiological
anxiety
anticipation of future events, emotional
phobia
intense and irrational fear of specific object, situation, etc
biological contributing factors
GABA dysfunction, LTP
GABA dysfunction
GABA is inhibitory neurotransmitter (decease the likelyhood of post neuron to fire), which calm and slow neural transmission reducing body’s response to stress, therefore low levels may make unable to regulate FFFR, increasing chance of anxiety and phobias
LTP
strengthening of synaptic connections (as the neural pathway is repetitively used) within neural circuits between the neocortex, amygdala and hippocampus, specific phobias are learned and strengthened with experience
psychological contributing factors
classical conditioning, operant conditioning, cognitive biases
cognitive biases
memory bias - tendency to remember certain info over other, catastrophic thinking - overestimating potential dangers and assuming the worst
social contributing factors
specific environmental triggers, stigma around seeking treatment
specific environmental triggers
traumatic event, modelling behaviour
biological interventions
GABA agonists, breathing retraining
GABA agonists
anti-anxiety medications like benzodiapines which facilitate the binding of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA to receptors in the CNS, only a short term solution as does not treat underlying causes of phobia and have serious side effects such as addiction or fatigue
breathing retraining
identifying incorrect breathing habits and replacing with correct ones, controlled breathing causes physiological changes that counteract sympathetic response e.g blood pressure and heart rate
psychological interventions
psychotherapy - CBT, systemic desensitisation
cognitive behavioural therapy
teaches one to apply cognitive behavioural strategies to recognise and change negative and unproductive patterns of thinking and behaving e.g identify issue, identify negative thinking, change way of thinking, learn techniques or skills to alter behaviour
systemic desensitisation
uses counter-conditioning to reduce anxiety, involves learning relaxation technique (breathing, imagery) and practicing while psychologist exposes client to feared stimulus by systematically increasing intensity of experience
social interventions
psychoeducation, not encouraging avoidance behaviours
psychoeducation
individual and family provided with info to understand and manage condition e.g teach skills to adapt to living with person, help families understand illness to reduce stigma, help families challenge unhelpful thoughts
not encouraging avoidance strategies
avoidance strategies prevent exposure to phobic stimulus and are maladaptive because it. is not an attempt to remove fear response, suffers family and supporters should not criticise or encourage behaviour but provide more adaptive alternatives in a supportive environment
biological protective factors
adequate diet (nutrition improves body and brain, lessens emotional impacts of physical conditions caused by unhealthy diet) , adequate hydration (water is needed to make neurotransmitters and homies, dehydration can affect mood), adequate sleep (inadequate sleep caea changes in emotions, difficulty concentrating, etc)
psychological protective factors
cognitive behavioural strategies, mindfulness mediation
cognitive behavioural strategies
help recognise effects of negative or unproductive patterns, if they change the way they think they can change behaviour, helps strengthen resilience, e.g teaching relation or breathing techniques
mindfulness mediation
focusing on breathing with thought, feelings, sensations and experiencing them freely as the arise and without judgment, dial down body’s response to stress
attention: tune in with your experiences to focus on present moment, acceptance: observe feelings and sensations without judgment
social protective factors
seeking support. to avoid isolation is an important method of coping with stress, support should be:
energising: provide you with enthusiasm and determination to complete a task
authentic: someone who truely listens to and connects with others experience
