PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS Flashcards
Name 2 reasons that mental health issues appear to have increased over time?
- Increased challenges of modern living
- Increased recognition and awareness of mental health
- reduced social stigma
Which aspects of modern life are blamed for mental illness rises?
- Social isolation
- Low income
Name 2 individual effects of MH problems?
- Damage to relationships
- Difficulty coping with day to day life
- Physical illnesses
Name 2 societal effects of MH problems?
- Need for more social care
- Increased crime rates
- Increased costs for the economy
What are the 2 main types of depression?
Unipolar and bipolar
What are the 3 key symptoms of depression?
- Low mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure
- Reduced energy levels
How many symptoms do you need to be diagnosed with moderate depression?
4 symptoms or more (including 2 key symptoms) for more than 2 weeks
Which neuotransmitter is linked to depression?
Low levels of serotonin
What is the negative triad?
Negative views of the self, the future and the world
Seligman suggests depression is the result of negative ………………….. and learned ………………………?
attributions ; helplessness
What 3 types of negative attributions did Seligman suggest cause depression?
internal; stable and global
What is learned helplessness?
When a person can’t escape a negative experience and give up trying to
What RWA is there to both bio and cognitive explanations of depression?
Their therapies work! = Drugs and CBT
Which experiment supports the learned helplessness theory of depression?
Seligman’s ‘electrocuted dogs’ study
What are the name of the drugs used to traet depression?
SSRI = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
A weakness of SSRI therapies for depression?
- Side effects
- They raise serotonin levels straight away but symptoms don’t improve for 3-4 months?
CBT therapists will challenge irrational thoughts and may use b…………………… activation and t………………. diaries as part of their work
behavioural; thought
Who might CBT not be suitable for?
- severely depressed
- patients with learning difficulties
What is it called when patients drop out of therapy?
Participant attrition
Why are drug therapies criticised for being reductionist?
Only treat the biological symptoms of depression and not the psychological causes
Who studied the use of CBT for treatment resistant depression?
Wiles
Who did Wiles study?
469 participants from Bristol, Exeter and Glasgow with treatment resistant depression
Wiles’ study had 2 groups which were?
- Usual care = antidepressants only
- Usual care + CBT (12-18 sessions of 1 hr)
How did Wiles measure improvement in depression in her study?
Using scores on the Beck depression inventory (BDI) questionnaire
What did Wiles’ find?
After 6 months, CBT group had 46.1% of patients who had more than 50% reduction in symptoms = 20% more than control group
What was the problem of Wiles’ using the BDI questionnaire?
Self-report bias = subjective judgements from depressed patients
How did Wiles’ deal with participant variables in her independent groups design CBT study?
Ensured both groups had people with similar BDI scores (severity of depression)
Define addiction?
A mental health problem characterised by psychological dependence, tolerance and withdrawal
What is substance abuse?
Using a drug for a bad purpose
Name 3 out of the 6 clinical characteristics of Addiction
strong desire to use substance; persisting despite harm; difficulty controlling use; higher priority given to substance; withdrawal; tolerance
How many symptoms of addiction are required to be diagnosed?
3 or more present together within the last year
Who did Kaij (1960) study?
310 Male twins from Sweden where at least one was alcoholic
What % of twins were both alcoholic in Kaij’s study?
- MZ?
- DZ?
MZ = 61%
DZ = 39%
How did Kaij collect his data on his participants?
Interviews with the twins and close relatives
How can peers influence addiction?
1. S……………… L……………….. theory
2. S……………… n………..
3. Social I……………. theory
- Social learning
- norms
- Identity
Aversion therapy is based on the principle of c……………………….. c……………………………..?
classical conditioning
What drug is used as the UCS to treat alcoholics?
Antabuse
What name is given to the use of aversion therapy for smokers?
Rapid smoking
Name a weakness of aversion therapy?
- Poor long term effectiveness for gambling (McConaghy, 1991)
- It’s not nice so addicts drop out before treatment is complete
Name an example of a self-management therapy for Addiction
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
AA involves the addict surrendering to a ‘h………….. p…………..’
higher power
Which addiction therapy is recognised as a ‘lifelong process’ where members of the group support each other?
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
AA may not be a viable therapy for addicts who lack m…………………………?
Motivation
Which addiction therapy is seen as more holistic?
- AA or Aversion?
AA (12 step programmes) as they focus on the whole person (feelings and emotions and coping strategies)
