Psychological Problems - Paper 2

Question 1

define mental health

Answer 1

the condition of being mentally and emotionally sound and not having a mental disorder. Individuals with good mental health feel comfortable, have positive feelings about others and are able to meet the demands of others

Question 2

how is mental health changing

Answer 2

it is said that mental health is changing for the worse as more people are being diagnosed in 2007 24% of adults were accessing treatments for their mental health problem. In 2014 this had risen to 37%

Question 3

what are the three main effects of bad mental health

Answer 3

damage to relationships
difficulties with day-to-day life
physical wellbeing

Question 4

what the 3 main impacts on society if there are multiple people with bad mental

Answer 4

need for more social care
increased crime rates
implications for the economy

Question 5

define depression

Answer 5

a mental disorder that affects the behaviours emotions and cognition of an individual

Question 6

what is the difference between sadness and depression

Answer 6

sadness is a normal human experience, we experience it when certain things happen in our lives. depression is an abnormal emotional state, when someone is depressed they feel sad about everything.

Question 7

what are the two main types of depression - explain them

Answer 7

unipolar depression - when an individual experiences only one emotional state ( depression)
bipolar depression - when an individual experiences two emotional states ( depression and mania) mania is rushing around everywhere making big plans and feeling extremely exited

Question 8

what is the biological explanation for depression

Answer 8

serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for improving mood, helping us sleep and pay attention. this means if we don’t have enough our mood lowers, we don’t sleep well and we cant pay attention
people with depression low serotonin levels as there is not enough serotonin entering the post-synaptic neuron from the pre-synaptic neuron. this might be because of a gene someone has or it might even be because of their diet

Question 9

what is an evaluative strength for the biological explanation for depression

Answer 9

research has found lower levels of serotonin in the brains of people with depression. this is a strength because this research provides support for the view that depression is caused by low levels of serotonin

Question 10

what is the first evaluative strength for the biological explanation for depression

Answer 10

we cannot establish cause and effect, we don’t know whether low serotonin levels cause depression or whether having depression causes low serotonin levels. this is a weakness because we don’t know which causes which

Question 11

what is the second evaluative weakness for the biological explanation for depression

Answer 11

it ignores other potential causes for depression. For example, this explanation ignores how the family environment or traumatic experiences might cause depression. this is a weakness because it doesn’t take all factors into account