Psychological problems Flashcards
What is mental health?
The condition of being mentally and emotionally sound/stable & not having a mental disorder. People with mental health feel comfortable, have positive feelings about others and can meet demands of life
What are some statistics for mental health in the UK?
MIND stated that in 2009:
-2.6 in 100 people were depressed
-4.6 in 100 people suffered from anxiety
-1.6 in 100 people suffered from eating disorders
How is mental health changing?
More people are being diagnosed. In 2007, 24% of adults were accessing treatment for mental health but this rose to 37% in 2014
What are some factors which affect the change in mental health?
-Modern life - such as cost of living and poverty, leading to mental health issues. Social isolation also leads to issues particularly in the elderly
-Stigma changing - in today’s society, people are more accepting of issues, leading to more accessing treatment, rather than using negative labels.
-Culture - different people around the world have different outlooks on mental health. For example, in the UK, hearing voices is a symptom of schizophrenia whereas in parts of Africa it is a sign of being mentally healthy
What are the characteristics of a mental health problem?
-Struggling to socialise with others
-Struggle to concentrate
-Problems sleeping
Symptoms can change depending on what the mental health issue is
How can a negative mental health impact a person?
-Can cause damage to relationships due to affected communication with others. People may be isolated as people avoid being with others out of fear of judgement
-Difficulties coping with day-to-day life. MH problems can be linked to problems with getting dressed, socialising, eating etc, which can affect themselves and others
Physical well-being - If you are anxious or stressed, more cortisol may be produced which can lead to physical illness
How do mental health problems affect society?
-Need for more social care. Taxes are used to fund social care, offering people who need basic necessities, so tax may increase
-Increased crime rates. There is an increased risk of violence (up to 4x greater) in those with MH problems
-Implications for economy. Mental health care costs £22 billion annually, meaning cheaper drug options should be researched more
What is depression?
A mental disorder affecting behaviour (e.g. reduced activity), emotion (e.g. feelings of sadness) and cognition (e.g. focusing on negatives) on an individual
What is the difference between being sad and depressed?
Sadness is a normal human emotion. We experience it regularly in certain situations. However, depression is an abnormal state. When a person is depressed, they feel constantly sad about everything
What are the types of depression?
Unipolar depression - the individual experiences one emotional state (depression)
Bipolar depression - the individual experiences two emotional states (depression and mania). Mania is where frenzied activity takes place, such as making big plans and spending lots of money.
How is depression diagnosed?
Depression is diagnosed by a doctor using a set of symptoms listed in a book called the ICD - 10. In order to be diagnosed, symptoms should be present all or most of the time and for at least two weeks. Individuals might also experience negativity, ideas of self harm/suicide and reduced concentration.
What are the key symptoms in depression?
-Low mood - depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
-Loss of interest/pleasure - reduced interest/pleasure in most activities most of the day
-Reduced energy levels - knock-on effect on work, education and social life
What are some other symptoms of depression?
Changes in sleep patterns - reduced sleep (insomnia) or need for more sleep (hypersomnia)
Changes in appetite levels - may increase or decrease, leading to weight gain or loss
Decrease in self confidence - may have a sense of self-loathing
What are the categories for depression?
Mild - 4 symptoms present
Moderate - 4-6 symptoms present
Severe - 7+ symptoms present
What are the two explanations for depression?
Biological - physical influences, such as neurotransmitters, brain structure and genetics.
Psychological - environmental influences, such as family, thinking process or past experiences
How does serotonin affect depression?
-Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved with mood, sleep and appetite
-When serotonin stimulates the receptor site, mood levels increase
-This means higher levels of serotonin in the synaptic cleft result in higher mood levels as receptor sites are stimulated
-Therefore, a lack of serotonin in the synaptic cleft can cause depression
What are some evaluations of the biological explanation for depression?
Weakness - it is reductionist - it ignores the other potential aspects of depression. It ignores how environmental changes or traumatic events may cause depression. This is a weakness because it only targets one cause
Weakness - cause and effect - we cannot establish a cause and effect. In this case, we do not know if low serotonin levels result in depression, or are a result of depression. This is a weakness because we are not aware of which causes which.
How does cognition affect depression? (Beck’s triad)
Beck’s triad states that negative/distorted thought patterns towards oneself (I’m worthless) , the world (everyone is against me) and the future (I’ll never be good at anything).
What are the 3 aspects of the psychological explanation for depression?
Faulty thinking - when a person is depressed, they tend to see the cup as ‘half empty’. They focus on the negative aspects of a situation, ignoring the positives. This way of thinking is inevitable, creating feelings of hopelessness and depression.
Negative schema - self-schemas are information we have about ourselves. People with depression have negative self-schemas (Beck’s triad)
Attributions - people with depression explain their cause of behaviour (attributions) in a different way. They experience internal attribution, where they explain their behaviour because they are ‘stupid’ or ‘worthless’
What are some evaluations of the psychological explanations for depression?
Strength - usefulness - a strength of this explanation is that it has real life application. For example, the knowledge that depression can be caused by faulty thinking means we can use therapy to change that. This is useful because the explanation has been used to help people
Weakness - reductionist - a weakness of this explanation is that it ignores the other potential causes of depression. For example, it ignores how low levels of serotonin (biological) may cause depression. This is a weakness because it doesn’t explain all causes of depression
What is a biological treatment for depression?
-Biological explanation states low levels of serotonin can cause depression
-So we should increase levels of serotonin to increase mood
-We do this by using antidepressants called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
-They block the reuptake channel on the receptor site so serotonin remains in the synaptic cleft
What are some evaluations of SSRIs?
Weakness - side effects - patients may suffer from anxiety, weight gain/loss, insomnia and nausea as a result of SSRIs. This can lead to patients stopping taking them, so their depression is untreated.
Weakness - reductionist - SSRIs only target the biological explanation for depression, meaning they do not focus on potential psychological factors such as trauma. This is a weakness because it means the drugs won’t work if the depression has multiple causes, so a treatment must cover all the potential factors
What is a psychological treatment for depression?
-depression is caused by irrational or faulty thinking (all-or-nothing terms
-Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) aims to change this to rational thinking to reduce depression
-It aims to change behaviour through changing their thinking
-Therapists plan behavioural activation where a pleasant activity (e.g. seeing friends) is planned each day
-Which creates more positive emotions and improves mood
What is an irrational thought?
A thought that is not based on logic or clear thinking. It is a thought someone has for no reason.
