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IGCSE Psychology (aqa) > Psychological Problems > Flashcards

Psychological Problems Flashcards

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1
Q

incidence of mental health problems

A

MIND incidence rates per 100 people:

  • depression: 2.6
  • anxiety: 4.7
  • eating disorders: 1.6
  • –> 1 in 2 people will experience mental health problems
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2
Q

how incidence changes over time

A

adults aged 16-74 in the UK
-2007: 24% of adults had mental health problems
-2014: 37%
->increasing
more women compared to men and the gap is widening

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3
Q

increased challenges of modern living

A
  • people living in lower income households are more likely to have mental health problems
  • greater social isolation increases loneliness and depression
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4
Q

cultural variations in beliefs about mental health problems

A
  • people around the world have differing beliefs about mental health, what might be regarded as abnormal in some cultures may be normal in others
  • eg. hearing voices in the West is seen as an auditory hallucination symptom of mental health problems (such as schizophrenia) whereas in India and Africa its a positive experience
  • culture bound syndromes only occur in certain cultures
  • eg. eating disorders were relatively rare for many years outside of the Western World
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5
Q

characteristics of mental health

A
  • doctors look for signs and symptoms relating to mental illness
  • however the symptoms are more subjective and arbitrary than how it is for physical illness (eg. things like difficulty sleeping are hard to measure)
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6
Q

increased recognition of mental health problems

A
  • symptoms are focused on illness instead of health
  • Jahoda defined 6 characteristics of mentally healthy characteristics rather than illness and look for the absence of them
  • eg.autonomy, self attitudes, integration
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7
Q

lessening of social stigma

A
  • labelling people creates expectations about what that person will do/think (a stigma)
  • using the term “mental health problems” (implies they can get better) rather than something like a “lunatic” (something permanent) or “mentally ill” creates less of a harmful stigma and reduces the chances of discrimination which can lead to difficulty finding a job
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8
Q

individual effects of mental health problems

A
  • damage to relationships
  • difficulty coping with day to day life
  • negative impact on physical well being
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9
Q

damage to relationships

A
  • often times mental health problems can affect a person’s ability to talk to others (eg. a depressed person may become very focused on themselves and find it difficult to understand what others are feeling)
  • relationships require successful two way communication to function
  • people with mental health problems tend to avoid others due to self pity and feae of judgement this leads to misunderstandings that could end the relationship
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10
Q

difficulty coping with day to day life

A
  • having a mental health problem may make it difficult for an individual to look after themselves like having problems getting dressed, socialising and making meals
  • may be distressing to others and themselves
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11
Q

negative impact on physical well-being

A
  • people who are stressed often . get more colds and other illnesses
  • when anxious or stressed your body produces a hormone called Cortisol which prevents the immune system from working as well as it should
  • psychological problems make physical illness more likely
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12
Q

social effects of mental health problems

A
  • need for more social care
  • increased crime rates
  • implications for the economy
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13
Q

need for more social care

A
  • taxes to fund social care systems: they ensure that people in need are offered the basic necessities of life (food warmth and company)
  • people living alone can also learn new social and work skills so that they feel more competent
  • social responsibility
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14
Q

increased crime rates

A
  • crimes that make headlines stick in people’s minds which make them seem like a commonplace
  • people with mental health problems are 4 times more likely to commit a crime than the normal population
  • it also may be due to other problems like substance abuse or lower standard of living and isolation which can cause their violent behaviour (this is difficult to differentiate)
  • only 1 in 20 crimes of violence were linked to mental health problems
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15
Q

implications for the economy

A
  • caring for people mental health problems is expensive
  • McCrone report: care of mentally ill costs about 22 billion pounds per year
  • more research should be directed at drug treatments as this method is much less expensive than psychological therapies
  • cheaper drug treatments are needed
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16
Q

clinical depression

A

the term for this medical condition

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17
Q

difference between sadness and depression

A

sadness: -normal human emotion
-can still function
-temporary
depression: -abnormal emotional state
-enduring sadness for a considerable
amount of time
-stops ability to function

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18
Q

unipolar depression

A

person only experiences one emotional state of depression)

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19
Q

bipolar depression

A

depression alternates with mania and also periods of normality

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20
Q

how is depression diagnosed?

A
  • using symptoms

- International Classification of Diseases ver. 10 (ICD-10) is the current version listing symptoms of depression

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21
Q

number and severity of symptoms

A 
mild unipolar depression:
-2/3 key symptoms 
-2 other symptoms 
moderate depression:
-5/6 symptoms in total
severe depression:
-7 or more
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22
Q

key symptoms of depression

A

1) low mood: depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day (feels sad, hopeless, empty)
2) loss of interest and pleasure: diminished interest in all/almost all activities most of the day, nearly every day
3) reduced energy levels: lethargic feeling can have a knock on effect which can lead to patients withdrawing from work and social life

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23
Q

other symptoms of depression

A

4) changes in sleep patterns: reduced sleep (insomnia), increased sleep (hypersomnia) or premature waking up
5) changes in appetite levels: may increase or decrease leading to weight loss or weight gain
6) decrease in self confidence: like themselves less than usual

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24
Q

further symptoms of depression

A

7) reduced concentration and attention
8) ideas of guilt and unworthiness
9) bleak and pessimistic views of the future
10) ideas of self harm and suicide

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25
Q

outline the biological explanation for depression (nature) (9t)

A

Neurotransmitters:
-transmit messages chemically across synapses
Serotonin:
-low levels at synapse—>less stimulation of postsynaptic neuron causing low mood
-due to an imbalance of this neurotransmitter, mood related info isn’t passed
Other Effects of Serotonin:
-serotonin affects memory, sleep and appetite
-lack of concentration, disturbed sleep and reduced appetite
Reasons for Low Serotonin Levels:
-genes could cause inheritance of low serotonin production
-low levels of tryptophan (ingredient of serotonin) due to diet—>lack of protein or carbohydrates
-if diet is low in tryptophan the body wont produce much serotonin

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26
Q

what is a strength of the biological explanation for depression (9t)
*research support

A

P- there is supporting research evidence
E- lower levels of serotonin were found in the brains of depressed people in comparison to those who weren’t depressed
L- suggests that there’s a link between low levels of serotonin and depression

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27
Q

what is a weakness of the biological explanation for depression (9t)
*effect rather than cause

A

P- low serotonin levels could be and effect of being depressed rather than being a cause
E- negative thoughts could lead to changes in the brain and affect the production of neurotransmitters in the brain
L- means that low serotonin levels may be an effect of psychological experiences rather than the cause

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28
Q

what is a weakness of the biological explanation for depression (9t)
*too simple

A

P- depression may not be solely caused by abnormal levels of neurotransmitters
E- some people with depression don’t have low serotonin levels and vice versa
L- explanation is too simple, other factors must be involved

29
Q

outline the psychological explanation for depression (nurture) (9t)

A

Faulty Thinking (half cup):
-depressed people only pay attention to negatives aspects in every situation and ignore the positive (irrational)
-“black and white” thinking creates hopelessness
Negative Schemas:
-cause a person to interpret all information about the self negatively
Attributions:
-process of explaining causes of behaviour
-negative attributional style:
internal=blaming failure on self
stable=failure will continue in future
global=failure will affect other areas of life
Influence of Nurture:
-learned helplessness: if someone has an unpleasant experience, the natural reaction is to try to escape but if they can’t, the person learns to give up trying
-negative schemas are created early in life and are later activated in new situations resembling the original condition in which these schemas were learned

30
Q

what is a strength of the psychological explanation for depression (9t)
*research support

A

P- research support for learned helplessness
E- Seligman found that dogs no longer tried to escape electric shocks that they previously had no control over, they learned to react to challenge by giving up
L-the dog’s previous negative attributions caused them to give up

31
Q

what is a strength of the psychological explanation for depression (9t)
*real world application

A

P- cognitive explanations lead to ways of treating depression
E- CBT’s basis is that people need to learn to think differently by challenging their faulty thinking as if they start to think rationally it’ll relieve their depression
L- leads to a very successful way of treating depression as it suggests a way to improve our human world

32
Q

what is a weakness of the psychological explanation for depression (9t)
*negative beliefs

A

P- negative beliefs may simply be realistic rather than depressing
E- Alloy and Abramson found that depressed people gave more realistic/accurate estimates of the likelihood of a disaster than “normal” people (sadder but wiser)
L- negative attributional style may be a more accurate way of looking at the world than the cognitive explanation suggests

33
Q

outline the biological therapy for depression using antidepressant medicine (9t)

A

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI);
-the drug selectively targets serotonin at the synapse
-the drug inhibits the reuptake of the serotonin molecule
—>increases serotonin levels in synaptic cleft
Presynaptic Neuron:
-serotonin is stored in vesicles
-electrical signals in neuron causes the vesicles the release serotonin into the synaptic cleft
Synaptic Cleft:
-serotonin locks into postsynaptic receptor which then transmits the signal from the presynaptic neuron
Reuptake:
-SSRI’s block reuptake so there is more serotonin in the synaptic cleft

34
Q

what is a weakness of the biological therapy for depression using antidepressant medicine (9t)
*side effects

A

P- such drugs have side effects
E- for example:nausea, insomnia, dizziness, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, although it takes less effort many people stop taking them
L- side effects are a threat to it’s effectiveness

35
Q

what is a weakness of the biological therapy for depression using antidepressant medicine (9t)
*questionable evidence

A

P- there’s questionable evidence for effectiveness
E- it takes a few months for significant impacts which doesn’t make sense if serotonin quantities are immediately increased ,research has also shown that the serotonin levels of depressed people isn’t much different from the normal population
L- drug effectiveness may just be a placebo effect

36
Q

what is a weakness of the biological therapy for depression using antidepressant medicine (9t)
*reductionist

A

P- regarded as reductionist
E- antidepressant medication only targets imbalance of neurotransmitters which overlooks other necessary treatments
L- a more holistic approach would include psychological factors as well for a more successful treatment

37
Q

outline the psychological therapy for depression using CBT (9t)

A

Cognitive:
-focuses on what the client thinks
-aims to change faulty thinking and catastrophising (all or nothing) to rational thinking
Behaviour:
-focuses on the client’s behaviour
-behavioural activation:planning and doing a pleasant activity creates positive emotions and improves mood
Therapist deals with Irrational Thoughts:
-disputing negative irrational thoughts to develop self belief and self liking
Client deals with Irrational Thoughts:
-thought diary: records unpleasant emotions and “automatic thoughts”
-participant rates their belief in the rational thoughts compared to automatic thoughts

38
Q

what is a strength of the psychological therapy for depression using CBT (9t)
*lasting effectiveness

A

P- has lasting effectiveness
E- therapy provides lifelong skills (like thinking more rationally) to deal future episodes
L- doesn’t only deal with short term; offers a long term solution

39
Q

what is a weakness of the psychological therapy for depression using CBT (9t)
*not for everyone

A

P- some people aren’t willing to spend all the time and thought for CBT to be successful
E- benefits of CBT come after a lot of time and effort (medication is easier/passive)
L- many clients drop out–>reduces overall effectiveness

40
Q

what is a strength of the psychological therapy for depression using CBT (9t)
*holistic

A

P- regarded as holistic
E-concerned with how the person feels and thinks, deals with core symptoms (negative thoughts)
L- more effective (treats whole person)

41
Q

outline Wile’s study (9s)

A

70% of depressed people are treatment resistant, holistic approach using antidepressants and CBT=more effective
A: to test the benefit of using CBT plus antidepressants for treatment resistant depression rather than antidepressants alone
M: -469 participants with treatment resistant depression
-patients were randomly assigned to 2 conditions:
-usual care (antidepressants only) -usual care+CBT
-improvement was measured using Beck’s Depression inventory (symptoms)
R: at the end of 6 months:
-usual care: 21.6% had more than 50% reduction in symptoms
-usual care+CBT: 46.1% had more than 50% reduction in symptoms
-after 12 months people with usual care+CBT continued to have better recovery
C: using CBT with antidepressants is more effective than antidepressants alone

42
Q

what is a strength of WIle’s study (9s)

*well designed

A

P- well designed study
E- participants were randomly assigned to groups and initial BDI scores were checked on average so that both groups were similar so extraneous variables were carefully controlled
L- changes in the dependent variable weren’t affected by potential extraneous variables

43
Q

what is a weakness of WIle’s study (9s)

*self report methods

A

P- self report methods were used to determine levels of depression
E- participants had to make subjective judgements so they may overestimate or underestimate how sad they feel or may not answer truthfully
L- results may lack validity

44
Q

what is a strength of WIle’s study (9s)

*real world application

A

P- focuses on developing a useful therapy
E- study lead to a useful holistic approach which can treat depression more successfully
L- real world application and can help people that suffer from depression

45
Q

addiction

A
  • salience

- the activity has become the most important think in that person’s life

46
Q

dependence vs addiction

A

dependence:
- characteristic of addiction
- psychological reliance
addiction:
- dependence
- “buzz” or sense of escape (mood modification)

47
Q

substance misuse vs abuse

A 
misuse:
-not following the "rules" for usage 
abuse:
-using the substance to "get high"
-intention is for outcome mood modification
48
Q

diagnosing addiction

A
  • done using a list of characteristics from the ICD-10

- a definite diagnosis is only made if 3 or more characteristics are present together during the previous year

49
Q

clinical characteristics of addiction from ICD-10

A

1) strong desire to use substance: sense of compulsion
2) persisting despite harm:continues to take substance despite clear evidence of negative consequences
3) difficulty in controlling use:problems stopping/limiting use
4) higher priority given to substance:substance matter more than other activities or responsibilities
5) withdrawal state:feels worse when they stop/cut down intake
6) evidence of tolerance:increased doses are needed to achieve effects originally produced by lower doses

50
Q

outline the biological explanation for addiction (nature) (9t)

A

Hereditary Factors (genetic info that is passed down):
-genetic information has a moderate to strong effect on addiction
Genetic Vulnerability (genes increase an individual’s risk of disorder):
-multiple genes are involved in increasing the risk of addiction

51
Q

diathesis-stress

A

genetic vulnerability (nurture) is only expressed if a person’s life stresses and experiences (nurture) act as a trigger

52
Q

why were twins used in Kaij’s twin study?

A

-they’re used to understand the relative contributions of nurture and nature to behaviour

53
Q

outline Kaij’s twin study of alcohol abuse (9s)

A

A: to see if alcohol addiction is due to nature (hereditary factors) or nurture using twins
M: -male twins
-at least one twin was registered with the Temperance board which followed individuals who had problems with alcohol abuse
-interviews were conducted with the twins and close relatives to collect info about drinking habits and whether they were identical or non identical
R: -percentage of twins that co twin registered was higher for identical twins than non identical twins
-61% of identical (MZ) and 34% of non identical twins were both alcoholics
-it was also noted that twins with social problems were over presented
C: -alcoholism is related to hereditary factors
-NOT 100% genetic or MZ twins would all be the same
-NOT 100% environmental or MZ and DZ would be the same

54
Q

what is a weakness of Kaij’s twin study of alcohol abuse (9s)
*flaws in study design

A

P- flaws in the design of his study
E- temperance board only includes drinkers who made a public display of their alcohol abuse which doesn’t mean they’re addicted so the classifications weren’t accurate
L- results lack validity

55
Q

what is a strength of Kaij’s twin study of alcohol abuse (9s)
*supported

A

P- supported by later research
E- Kendler found that MZ twins are more likely to both be alcoholics (48%) than DZ twins (33%)
L- supports view that genetic factors have a major influence on alcoholism

56
Q

what is a weakness of Kaij’s twin study of alcohol abuse (9s)
*misleading

A

P- biological explanations of addiction may be misleading
E- inheriting certain genes does not make addiction inevitable as life events also play a role
L- the study implies that genes are more influential than they actually are

57
Q

social norms

A

rules about behaviour

58
Q

outline the psychological explanation for addiction (9t)

A

Peer Influence:
-peers are people who are equal (eg.age or education)
Social Learning Theory:
-we learn through observing others and imitating their behaviours (especially if they’re rewarded for them)
-we are more likely to imitate someone we admire/identify with (peers)
Social Norms:
-we look to others to know what is “normal”/acceptable which creates social norms
-social norms may be overestimated
Social Identity Theory:
-we identify with and want to be accepted by our social groups
-this creates pressure to conform to the social norms of the group
Creating Opportunities for Addictive Behaviour:
-peers provide opportunities for addictive behaviours (purchase alcohol)
-peers can also provide direct instruction about what to do

59
Q

what is a strength of the psychological explanation for addiction (9t)
*supported

A

P- there’s supporting research
E- Simons Morton and Farhat reviewed 40 studies and found a positive correlation between peers and smoking
L- suggests that peer influences are a risk factor for addiction

60
Q

what is a weakness of the psychological explanation for addiction (9t)
*direction of influence

A

P- direction of influence may be different
E- peers may actively select others who are like them rather than conforming to the social norms of the group
L- means that addictive behaviours shared within a friendship group happen as a consequence of addiction rather than the group causing addiction

61
Q

what is a strength of the psychological explanation for addiction (9t)
*real world application

A

P- has many real world applications
E- Tober et al. created peer pressure resistance training to help prevent young people from smoking
L- demonstrates the positive value of peer influence explanations

62
Q

therapy for addiction: aversion therapy (9t)

A
  • classical conditioning
  • addict will learn to associate their addiction with something unpleasant; they will then avoid this addictive substance
  • —alcoholism:
  • Antabuse: drug that causes nausea/vomiting
  • just before vomiting the alcoholic has several alcoholic drinks
  • neutral stimulus (alcohol) associated with unconditioned response (vomiting) which becomes a conditioned response
  • —gambling:
  • phrases on cards about the individual’s gambling or non gambling behaviour
  • gambler reads out each card
  • electric shock (unconditioned stimulus) given for any gambling related phrase (neutral stimulus)
  • association of gambling behaviours with pain
  • —smoking:
  • intensive/rapid smoking (unconditioned stimulus) in closed room causing nausea
  • feel disgust/nausea when looking at cigarette (now a conditioned response)
63
Q

what is a weakness of using aversion therapy to treat addiction (9t)
*adherence issues

A

P- addicts may abandon the therapy
E- aversion therapy uses stimuli that are very unpleasant/negative so many addicts drop out before the treatment is completed
L- makes it difficult to asses the treatment’s overall effectiveness

64
Q

what is a weakness of using aversion therapy to treat addiction (9t)
*poor long term effectiveness

A

P- poor long term effectiveness
E- McConaghy et al. found that 9 years later aversion therapy was no more effective than a placebo
L- suggests that “overt” aversion therapy lacks overall effectiveness

65
Q

what is a strength of using aversion therapy to treat addiction (9t)
*holistic approach

A

P- aversion therapy can be combined with CBT for greater effectiveness
E- aversion therapy deals with the addiction directly whereas CBT focuses on the underlying factors and coping strategies
L- aversion therapy gets rid of immediate urge and CBT can provide long lasting support which is more effectiveness

66
Q

therapy for addiction: self management programs (9t)

A

12 Step Recovery Programs:
-individuals organise therapy without professional guidance (eg.alcoholics anonymous)
Higher Power:
-addict surrenders their control to a higher power (lets go of will)
Admitting and Sharing Guilt:
-members of group and higher power listen to confession to accept the sinner
Lifelong Process:
-recovery is never complete/lifelong process
-members of group support each other
-safe harbour in case of relapse
Self-Help Groups:
-peer sharing and support
-avoids religious element
-may include local traditions
-focus on internal control

67
Q

what is a weakness of using self management programs to treat addiction (9t)
*lack of clear research

A

P- lack of clear research indicating effectiveness
E- information reported doesn’t include how many people left without success
L- shows that its difficult to obtain data on overall effectiveness

68
Q

what is a weakness of using self management programs to treat addiction (9t)
*individual differences

A

P- self help programs may only be effective for certain types of people
E- dropout rates are high because it demanding and requires motivation, some people may not wish to share their feelings/experiences with others
L- treatment is limited to a particular group of people

69
Q

what is a strength of using self management programs to treat addiction (9t)
*holistic approach

A

P- holistic approach
E- steps are concerned with dealing/coping with their emotions and also provide social support
L- better as it contrasts with more reductionist programs (like aversion therapy which only targets stimulus response links)

IGCSE Psychology (aqa) (10 decks)

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