psychological problems Flashcards
what is mental health?
a person’s emotional and psychological well-being - it allows them to cope with the stresses of everyday life and allows them to function in society.
what are the characteristics of mental health
positive engagement with society
copping with challenges and difficulties
not being over overwhelmed with difficult feelings and emotions
being able to make decisions
what are mental health problems
diagnosable condition in which a person’s thoughts, feelings and behavior change making them less able to cope and function well
what are the 2 ways mental health problems are diagnosed
DSM-5
ICD-10
what is stigma
situations, people or characteristics that are disapproved of and seen as shameful by much of society
in wester cultures
mental health problems less stigmatised -> symptoms like intense sadness are seen as signs of mental problems like depression -> people less likely to hide problem.
in eastern cultures
mental health problems are highly stigmatized -> leads to social and legal discrimination - e.g. in japan people with depression can’t get a job -> people more likely to hide problems
treatments for mental health are culture bound
if culture thinks biological cause - treatment is medication
if culture thinks spiritual cause - treatment is exorcism and prayer
if culture cares about sharing problems - treatment is self-help groups and therapy
if culture shames mental health problems - treatment is isolation
what are negative schema’s?
when someone sees themselves and the world in a negative way
what is selective attention?
seeing only the negative parts of a situation and ignoring the good
what are attributions?
this is how people explain the causes of situations and behaviour
what are the two dimensions of attributions?
internal-external and unstable-stable
what is the internal mean in the internal-external attribution?
events and behaviours are caused by themselves (dispositional factors)
what is the external mean in the internal-external attribution?
events and behaviours are caused by situational factors
what does stable mean in the stable-unstable dimension?
events and behaviours are caused by things that cannot change
what does unstable mean in the stable-unstable dimension?
events and behaviours caused by things that can change (temporary)
someone is more like to be depressed if…
they have an internal and stable attribution
what is the first evaluation of the psy explanation of depression?
+it has practical application - understanding negative schema led to treatment like CBT - targets negative thinking and changes it to more positive thinking - reducing depression - theory is useful
what is the second evaluation of the psy explanation of depression?
+ supporting evidence
+ Koster et al asked students o do an attention task where they had to remember positive, negative and neutral words and found that depressed participants remembered more negative words - shows people with depression have selective attention
+ increases validity of explanation
what is the third evaluation of the psy explanation of depression?
- considered reductionist
- only looks at psychological reasons why someone might have depression and doesn’t consider other factors such as biological factors.
- explanation is incomplete
what is aversion therapy?
when a person is made to feel some unpleasantness while they carry the unwanted
they form an association between the substance and the unpleasant feeling
do not want to consume the substance anymore as they do not get pleasure or ‘high’ from it.
what does an emetic do?
emetic given to achieve the ‘unpleasant feeling’
makes addict physically vomit when the addict uses the addictive substance
puts them off the substance.
what is electrical aversion?
safe but painful shock given every time an addict carries out addictive behaviour
associate shock with substance
puts addict off substance
Eval n.o 1 of aversion therapy:
- extremely unpleasant
- taking emetic makes addict physically sick due to unpleasantness many people may drop out of therapy and not complete treatment
- makes treatment less effective
Eval n.o 2 of aversion therapy:
- short term solution
- researchers found aversion therapy more effective and long-lasting when individuals also receive other kinds of support such as counselling
- means aversion therapy on its own may not be a very effective way to treat addiction
- will not be effective unless there are other ways of support available
Eval n.o 3 of aversion therapy:
- considered incomplete
- this is because the therapy only treats the individual’s learnt desire for the substance and does not consider other factors like biological factors which can create genetic vulnerability for addiction
- may not address real cause of addiction which caused addiction in the first place
- therefore may not be an effective treatment for addiction and should be more holistic
what are the self-help programs?
an intervention designed to support and empower individuals so that they can take responsibility for their own choices and behaviour
- they are run by a trained psychologist
- all addicts share common problem - by sharing experiences they feel less isolated
- experienced members of the group are role models - help addict feel less hopeless
what is the 12 step recovery programme?
specific type of self-help programme
- provides steps to overcome addiction
H - addict must give up control to a ‘higher power’ (may not be god) let go of won will
W - addict must admit and accept ‘wrongdoings’ to the group
C - addict must stay in ‘contact’ with group for support - especially if temped or have a relapse
Eval n.o 1 of self help programs:
+ help treat a range of issues that could cause addiction
+ for example the 12 step recovery programmes help a person deal with their emotions and feelings of guilt and deal with issues from from their past, present and future. as it deals with causes of addictive behaviour it is seen as a more holistic treatment
+ can be seen as effective treatment
Eval n.o 2 of self help programs:
- it is difficult to measure effectiveness
- since groups are stricl=tly anonymous, it is difficult to find people who have attended these groups to ask them to take part in studies. also may be difficult for them to bring up sensitive addiction-related matters with them due to ethical reasons
- we cannot check if treatment actually works -> reduces usefulness in treating addiction
Eval n.o 3 of self help programs:
- only works for certain type of people
- there may be certain people who are unwilling to share their emotions or experiences and others who may find the programmes too demanding. this may mean they are more likely to drop out and not complete the programme
- limits the effectiveness of such treatments
