Psychotherapy A 3

Question 1

Method 2018 study

Answer 1

Surveyed 2500 residents from rural NSW; used the K10, a community screen for mental distress, a simple checklist that measures if someone has been affected by depression and anxiety during the past four weeks, the higher you score, the more likely there is depression and/or anxiety

Question 2

2018 study found that

Answer 2

for the whole sample, the most common symptoms were feeling tired, nervous, everything an effort, along with feelings of worthlessness; 1/3 of the residents were experiencing depression and anxiety; when these people were asked whether they had problems all reported they were fine; identified the paradox - people reporting common mental health symptoms but not acknowledging their poor mental health

Question 3

What is the problem/issue

Answer 3

mental health literacy; pathologising the normal; attitude towards mental illness

Question 4

Mental health literacy

Answer 4

mental health problem is present but not recognised

Question 5

Pathologising the normal

Answer 5

psychological test identified the normal range of everyday experiences as abnormal

Question 6

Attitude towards mental illness

Answer 6

because of stigma (and the resultant discrimination), people refuse to define themselves as mentally ill

Question 7

The DSM5

Answer 7

The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM5) reports 500+ mental illnesses

Question 8

The common signs and symptoms of these mental illnesses include (7)

Answer 8

1) changes in sleep; prolonged sadness; 2) excessive worrying or anxiety; 3) social withdrawal; 4) changes in relationships with family and friends; 5) thought disruption (delusions or hallucinations); 6) quick changes in mood; 7) thoughts of self-harm (including suicide)

Question 9

The key issues (3)

Answer 9

1) number and severity of symptoms; 2) duration of symptoms (distinguishing mental illness from just a bad day); 3) perception of symptoms - causation (attribution); perception of control (learned helplessness)

Question 10

When does DSM indicate mental health problem

Answer 10

if the symptoms impair a person’s life for at least 6 months then the DSM indicates a mental health problem that requires help

Question 11

Note: at this point…

Answer 11

at this point people have attempted to solve their own problems and have not succeeded; implications for those that seek help (attribution theory) and implications for those that do not seek help (barriers)

Question 12

How many Australians experiencing mental illness receive help

Answer 12

in 2007, it was estimated that only 34.9% of people with a mental disorder (1.1 million people) made use of mental health services; in 2014 it had increased significantly to an estimated 46% due primarily to the introduction of government subsidised mental health treatment items to Medicare; of those 54% who did not receive mental health care 86% reported that they perceived having no need for any mental health care

Question 13

Barriers to help seeking (6)

Answer 13

1) personal characteristics; 2) poor mental health literacy; 3) attitudes; 4) beliefs; 5) stigma; 6) practical barriers

Question 14

Personal characteristics

Answer 14

including male gender, ethnicity, low emotional competence,

Question 15

Poor mental health literacy

Answer 15

such as feeling unsure about where to seek help, not being able to distinguish between “real distress” and “normal distress”, and being uninformed about services available.