U4AOS2 - Mental Health Flashcards
disorder
- a set of symptoms that interfere with daily functioning
- systems are reasonably consistent between patients but origins and causes may vary
syndrome
- a particular profile of symptoms
- the origins and clinical severity may vary
dieases
- condition with a treatable cause, predictable course and standard protocols for treatment
continuum
recognises the stages of being mentally healthy, having mental health problems and having a mental disorder
WHO mental health
- a state of emotional and social wellbeing in which individuals realise their abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work, productivity and contribute to the community
mental health problem
- temporary and minor, these issues may interfere with normal daily functioning generally for a limited time // most mental health problems and exaggerated forms of normal emotions
mental disorder
- more serious and long lasting compared to mental health problems, has recognisable symptoms and behaviours that need treatment
internal / external factors
internal (immune system, biochemical processes) // external (stressors, social situation or isolation)
diagnosis
a correct diagnosis of mental disorders is extremely important as it determines the course of treatment
- a classification system is used to identify symptoms and make a diagnosis and manage the mental disorder while also trying to clarify and define variables
methods of diagnosis (main)
- DSM is used in Australia and diagnoses based on the persons’ medical condition, stressors and the extent to which their mental state is interfering with their everyday life // it is descriptive and doesn’t identify causes or treatment
- ICD // International Classification of Diseases
good mental health description
good mental health allows us to experience life fully and appreciate our environment and relationships, mentally healthy people have high levels of functionality and normal fluctuations in mood
good mental health characteristics
- normal mood fluctuations
- calm state of mind
- good sense of humour
- performs well at work and school
- good cognitive functioning
- good levels of concentration
- normal sleep patterns
- few sleep difficulties
- physically well
- good level of energy
- physically and socially active
- maintains positive relationships
positive psychology
Martin Seligman argued in 1998 that psychology should turn away from their obsession with mental disorders to make an effort to understand and harness human strengths in order to deal with everyday life
- found major principles which were part of positive psychology
positive psychology major principles
- rise to life’s challenges and make the most of setbacks and adversity
- engage and relate to other people
- find fulfilment in creativity and productivity
- look beyond oneself and help others find meaning satisfaction and wisdom
ethics for mental health research
informed consent
placebo treatments
informed consent
- informed consent requires the participants to be aware of the purpose of the research and they know what will be expected of them when they participate, this means the researcher needs to tell them if they are in the C or E group or are deceived
placebo treatments
- participants need to know if their is a possibility they will get a placebo in treatment
- sometimes this means a participant won’t get treatment which is also an ethical challenge
risk factors
contribute to the LIKELIHOOD of a person either suffering from a mental disorder or experiencing a relapse
- not everyone who has a risk factor will develop a disorder
protective factors
guard against onset or relapse
the 4 P’s
predisposing
precipitating
perpetuating
protective
predisposing
increase vulnerability and takes into account things people may be born with
- inherited traits
- environmental exposures before birth (toxins)
- chronic social stressors
- brain chemistry
- ongoing medical condition
precipitating
may help the practitioner to understand current symptoms
- stressful life situations
- victim of emotional, physical, social or sexual abuse
- belonging to a minority
- traumatic experiences
- long term medicine use
perpetuating
inhibit recovery, make the mental disorder last longer than it usually would
- problems with alcohol, drugs
- social isolation
- relationship difficulties
- family conflicts
- homelessness and poverty
- medical conditions
- poor parental attachment
- previous mental illness
protective
prevent occurrence or reoccurrence of a mental disorder and include a person’s strengths, resilience and support
- good diet
- maintaining good physical health
- good sleep patterns
- ability to recognise early signs of relapse
- awareness of potential risks for relapse
- maintaining appropriate medication when relevant
- joining a support group
- learning about disorders
biological risk factors
genetic predisposition
physiological structures of the body
biochemical processes of the brain and nervous system
genetic vulnerability for disorders
- people can be more at risk of developing mental disorder if it runs in the family
- if a genetic mutation alters the creation of neurotransmitters this can put them at a higher risk of mental disorder
poor response to medicine due to genetic factors
- some individuals respond better than others to medication, depending on part of their genetic make-up and metabolism
poor sleep
- chronic sleep problems are associated with mental health issues
long term substance abuse
- this has been linked with a number of mental disorders
- addictive substances can change the way the brain works interfering with chemical transmission
- prolonged use of substances can have devastating long term effects on the way the brain functions
psychological risk factors
- personality, thoughts, feelings and behaviours
rumination
- refers to obsessive thinking and worrying about negative aspects of the past, present or future situations
impaired reasoning or memory
- associated with dementia, depression, bipolar and schizophrenia
stress
- can negatively affect mental health if not checked and maintained
poor self efficacy
- refers to the person’s general coping strategies and their perception of their ability to control the events that happen in their lives
social risk factors
the culture of views of a particular community can place expectations on people associated with the onset of mental disorders
disorganised attachment
- in which individuals in society who find it difficult to share their feelings or relate to others
loss of significant relationship
- loss of significant relationship might be due to the separation of a partner, death or breakdown or relationship
stigma as a barrier to accessing treatment
- stereotyping people with a mental disorder can lead to sufferers avoiding seeking treatment
cumulative risk
the first three of the four p’s and the biological, social and psychological factors for each can all combine and build up a risk
- it increases the chances of people having a disorder if they have many factors
stress
the psychological and physical response to the internal and external sources of tension
anxiety
characterised by feelings of persistent and extreme apprehension, fear and unease where stressors are not necessarily present
anxiety symptoms
- heart palpitations
- muscle tension
- feeling shaky / hand tremors
- choking sensation
- dry mouth
- upset stomach
specific phobia
a persistent, irrational and intense fear of a particular object or event
fear
- exhibiting a fear response is normal as long as it is a rational response to an actual situation occurring
- if fear starts to interfere with a person’s social functioning the distress causing object, activity or situation this isn’t normal
main types of a specific phobia
- animal phobia
- natural environment phobias
- situation phobias
- blood-injection-injury phobia
continuum of phobias
healthy
reacting
injured
disorder
healthy
- normal fluctuations in mood, fear and anxiety
- normal levels fo stress
- normal sleeping patterns
- physically well, full of energy
- socially active
- attends school / work
reacting
- nervous, irritable and anxious
- moderate levels of stress
- trouble sleeping
- tired, low energy, muscle tension, headaches
- procrastination
- decreased social activity
- attends school / work
injured
- irrational fear
- high levels of stress
- hypervigilance to threat information
- memory bias
- avoidance behaviours
- decreased performance
- social avoidance or withdrawal
- high levels of absenteeism from school or work
disorder
- excessive anxiety and fear, easily frightened or agitated
- extremely high levels of stress
- unable to fall or stay asleep
- exhaustion, physical illness
- isolation, avoiding social events
age of onset
animal > 7 years
blood > 9 years
dental > 12 years
claustrophobia > 20 years
biopsychosocial approach
biological
psychological
social
biological
- flight fight freeze response
- GABA & glutamate
fight flight freeze response
- instant burst of energy when we feel threatened (controlled by sympathetic branch of autonomic ns)
- stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline are released
- the amygdala has a role controlling fear and forming emotional memories
- the hippocampus is involved in the formation of declarative memories such as info about the world, facts. knowledge and episodic memories
- there is a link between long term potentiation and memory
GABA and glutamate
- the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate play an important role in maintaining balance in the nervous system
- a persons’ biological makeup can adapt the levels of these neurotransmitters
GABA
- GABA has an inhibiting role on the fight-flight-freeze response
- when a person has low levels of GABA the increased presence of glutamate increases agitation and anxiety can contribute to their developing a specific phobia
Glutamate
- glutamate has an excitatory role
psychological factors
the behavioural model
the behavioural model
the behavioural approach examines how behaviours are influenced by environmental factors and downplays the importance of thinking processes (cognition)
- according to the behavioural model, specific phobia are learnt through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning
classical conditioning - the behavioural model
- we can develop a phobia of a neutral stimulus because we have been conditioned to associate it with fear // associating something with a negative connotation
- ‘Little Albert’ demonstrated classical conditioning in action
operant conditioning - the behavioural model
- having a specific phobia isn’t as simple as just learning through association
- these don’t explain situations where people are phobic about objects or events they have never experienced
cognitive
- emphasises the importance of thought processes on how we think, feel and behave
- reflects the notions for anxious individuals to interpret situations, objects or activities as more dangerous than the average individual
- cognitive bias for unrealistic expectations and improbable predictions about potential danger can occur
- avoidance behaviour is key for reinforcement as they alleviate anxiety in the short term but don’t help them change their persistent unrealistic beliefs
social
environmental triggers
parental modelling
transmission of that information
stigma around seeking treatment
environmental triggers
there are three possible environmental factors:
- direct exposure to a distressing or traumatic event
- witnessing other people experiencing a traumatic event
- reading or hearing about dangerous situations or events
parental modelling
- according to this theory a great deal of our behaviour is learnt through intimidating or modelling other people’s behaviour
- according to the theory specific phobias can be learnt by observing other people’s phobic reactions
- can lead to this transmission of threat info if a child constantly sets a parent exposed to a phobia
transmission of that information
- the transmission of information a person perceives as ‘threatening’ is not limited to the parent and child relationship
- info can be received from a range of sources
stigma around seeking treatment
- stigma refers to a mark of disgrace that labels a person as different and seperate them from others
- individuals are less likely to seek or accept help and often go untreated for years
evidence based interventions
- anti-anxiety medication
- breathing retraining and exercise
- cognitive behaviour therapy
- psychoeducation
anti-anxiety medication
- research has found that anti-anxiety drugs that mimic GABA’s inhibiting effects have been an effective treatment
- this alone isn’t effective and other evidence based techniques are needed
breathing retraining
- based on the notion that when someone is stressed they tend to over-breathe or breathe too quickly
- this can cause dizziness, palpitations and pressure or tightness in the chest
- can lower arousal levels
exercise
- when we suffer from a specific phobia and are faced with the threat object, our HPA axis triggers a predictable sequence of biological processes to help mobilise our physical resources to deal with it
- exercise can help us to deal with more energy that is released / it can also increase our mood
cognitive behaviour therapy
- uses a combo of verbal and behaviour modification techniques to help change irrational patterns of thinking that create and maintain a specific phobia
- focuses on helping the people change negative, dysfunctional thoughts and replace them with positive and realistic ones
- inn CBT people are encouraged to recognise that the incidence of exposure to the threat object is seldom and catastrophic thoughts aren’t based on reality
psychoeducation
- involves educating the sufferer of a mental disorder and better understand their condition and the treatment options
- this info helps dispel any myths surrounding the disorder and the individual is empowered to have more adaptive coping strategies
health psychology
health psychology combines research on physical health and wellbeing and psychology to better understand how this relationship contributes to overall wellbeing
- follows the biopsychosocial model
biological - health psychology
sleep
diet
sleep
- it is important to seep to maintain mental health based on the recommended amount of sleep for each age group
- when people have enough sleep they can deal with their emotions effectively
- chronic sleep deprivation can also cause negative thinking and emotional vulnerability
diet
- an overall healthy diet includes lots of fresh, unprocessed and nutrient dense foods inc. adequate complex carbs, essential fats, amino acids, vitamins and minerals and water
- can impact mental health overall
psychological
cognitive behaviour strategies
cognitive behaviour strategies
- the goal is to change their mood and behaviour will affect negative beliefs and thought patterns
- research has found the ability to demonstrate positive adjustments to negative life events is known as resilience and another important psychological contributor is mental health
MiCBT
- another type is MiCBT (mindfulness-integrated cognitive behaviour therapy) > this helps people observe and change their connection to maladaptive thoughts and emotions
resilience
individual
family
extra familial
individual resilience
- good intellectual functioning
- sociable, easygoing disposition
- self-efficacy, high self esteem
- talents
- faith
family resilience
- close relationships to parents
- warm, structured, high expectations parenting
- socio-economic advantages
- connections to external supportive family members
extra familial resilience
- bonds to pro-social adults outside the family
- connections to pro-social organisations
- attending effective schools
social support
imperative for maintaining physical and mental health // refers to the resources other people provide such as the message that one is loved, cared for and connected to other people
- can be emotional or tangible such as financial support
- emotional disclosure has been found to decrease the person’s vulnerability to stress and increase their ability to cope
- have a greater sense of identity and mainly resulting in greater psychological wellbeing
transtheoretical model of behaviour change
allows psychologists to understand how people change and to develop different intervention strategies at various stages of the model
- psychologists determine the stage someone is in and apply stage matched interventions to allow the person to move towards the action, maintenance and termination stages
transtheoretical model of behaviour change stages
pre-contemplation contemplation preparation action maintenance termination *may not be continual or set changes / can go in and out of stages
pre-contemplation
person may deny they have a problem or feel helpless to change
contemplation
the person understands there is a problem but hasn’t decided to take action
preperation
decide to change behaviour and plan to do so
action
begins behavioural changes and requires behaviour-control skills to fulfil their plan of action
maintainance
person hasn’t relapsed for at least six months
termination
the change in their behaviour is entrenched such that the problem behaviour will not return // becomes automatic
systematic desensitisation
eliminating the phobia can be done through counter conditioning or weakening the association between the conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response of fear or anxiety
- initially treatment is done in a therapeutic and when or if appropriate, desensitisation is achieved through gradual exposure to the fear object in a safe and controlled manner
