Unit 4 AOS 2 Flashcards
Mental wellbeing definition
An individual’s psychological state, indicating their ability to think, process information, and regulate emotions.
Two factors in dual continuum model
- Our subjective sense of mental wellbeing
- Whether or not we are living with a mental disorder
Three core components of dual continuum model mental wellbeing
Emotional wellbeing
Psychological wellbeing
Social wellbeing
Emotional wellbeing
How a person feels, whether they experience more positive or negative emotions
Psychological wellbeing
How a person think about (perceives or appraises) themselves and their goals
Social wellbeing
A persons sense of belonging to a community and their sense of being able too contribute meaningfully to society
Flourishing
A state of optimal mental wellbeing in which a person both feels good and functions effectively
Languishing
Experiencing low levels of positive emotions and low levels of psychological and social functioning
Mental disorders
clinically significant conditions that cause a disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour.
Mental health problem
A person who is experiencing some symptoms of a mental disorder but does not meet all the criteria for a clinical diagnosis
Resilience
The ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty
Internal factors that support resilience
Personal characteristics
e.g. effective coping strategies, a sense of meaning and purpose in life, physical health
External factors that support resilience
Social and environmental influences
e.g access to supportive relationships, access to health and social services, stable and clean housing
Suggestions for building resilience
Connect with others
Contribute to your community
Challenge yourself to learn a new skill
Develop coping skills
Internal factors that influence wellbeing
Family history of mentally ill health
Personality
Physical fitness
Learned coping strategies
External factors that influence wellbeing
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Toxins in the environment
Infectious diseases or unsanitary conditions
BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT
Effects of maternal stress, biological environment in the womb
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
Experiences of stigma and prejudice
Stressors from strained relationships
Supportive family and social networks
Anxiety
Describes the emotional state we feel when we anticipate a threat or danger
Anxiety disorder
When someone experiences anxiety that is out of proportion to the situation and interferes with aspects of daily functioning
Phobia
A form of anxiety disorder in which a person experiences an intense or irrational fear of a specific object, activity or situation
Specific phobia
An excessive and irrational fear of a specific stimulus, where the feelings of anxiety are overwhelming and out of proportion to the actual threat.
Six contributing factors to phobia
Bio- LTP, GABA dysfunction
Psych- Classical conditioning/operant conditioning, cognitive biases like memory bias and catastrophic thinking
Social- Specific environmental triggers, stigma around seeking treatment
Neurotransmitters
Chemicals messages passed across the synaptic gap from a pre-synaptic neuron to a post-synaptic neuron
Inhibitory neurotransmitters
Chemical messages that make the post synaptic neuron less likely to fire its action potential.
Excitatory neurotransmitters
Chemical messages that make the post-synaptic neuron more likely to fire it’s action potential.
How does GABA contribute to phobia
GABA calms or slows neural transmission by making the receiving neuron’s less likely to fire. If an individual has low levels of GABA then they may not be able to regulate their flight flight freeze response and may be more vulnerable to developing anxiety and phobia
LTP
The long lasting strengthening of neural connections at the synapse as a result of repeated stimulations from a pre-synaptic to post-synaptic neuron
What part of the brain does LTP occur
Hippocampus (memory)
How does LTP contribute to phobia
Neural information from the amygdala related to fear binds with information from the neocortex related to the perception and comprehension of experiences.
It strengthens the connections between neuron and enables them to transmit information more quickly and efficiently the next time a similar experience is encountered.
Classical conditioning
Occurs when a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned reflex response, so that it becomes a conditioned stimulus that causes a conditioned reflex response.
Operant conditioning
Learning in which the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated is determined by the consequences.
How does classical conditioning contribute to phobia
Because phobias are learned fears, the consistent pairing of a neutral stimulus with an unpleasant stimulus can cause phobic reactions.
How does operant conditioning contribute to phobia
The perpetuation of the learned fear response in a phobia can be explained by operant conditioning
Antecedent- the fear inducing stimulus/location/experience
Behaviour- Avoiding the fear inducing stimulus
Consequence- Feelings of fear and anxiety are reduced
Cognitive bias
A systematic error in thinking when making judgements, decisions and processing and interpreting information
Memory bias
A tendency to remember information of one kind at the expense of another kind, including the bias towards remembering negative and threat-related experiences associated with specific phobia
How does memory bias contribute to the development of a specific phobia
They cause a person to recall negative information more readily than positive information about the phobic object, and can alter recalled memories so that they are different from what happened.
Catastrophic thinking
When an individual repeatedly overestimates the potential dangers and assumes the worst of an object or event. They predict an outcome of a future event that others would consider unrealistic or irrational.
How does catastrophic thinking contribute to the development of phobias
When catastrophic thinking occurs it will perpetuate the phobia, as the person will experience heightened levels of distress and anxiety and underestimate their ability to cope with the fearful situation. The physical symptoms they experience will also reinforce their irrational thoughts.
Stigma
A negative social attitude about a characteristic of a person or social group that often leads to unfair discrimination or exclusion.
Specific environmental triggers
A specific event or factor in the environment that has triggered a fearful response and can predispose an individual to specific phobias
Examples of specific environmental triggers
Traumatic events
Unexpected anxiety attacks in situations perceived to be threatening but pose no real threat
Modelling
Learning by observing another persons behaviour and the consequences of the behaviour.
Models
People who’s behaviour we consciously or unconsciously replicate
Evidence-based interventions
Psychological treatments whose effectiveness has been supported by the integration of clinical research findings and clinical expertise
Interventions for specific phobias (biopsychosocial)
Benzodiazepines
Breath retraining
Cognitive behavioural therapy
System desensitisation
Psychoeducation
Benzodiazepines
GABA agonists that can be used short-term to treat phobic anxiety but not long-term as they do not address the underlying cause of the phobia and can be addictive and have side effects
How do GABA agonists work?
They work by slowing down the central nervous system. They act by facilitating the binding of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA at various GABA receptors throughout the CNS. This means that the GABA receptors are less likely to fire an action potential.
Benzodiazepines side effects
Risk of addiction
Drowsiness
Slow reflexes
Breath retraining
The process of identifying incorrect breathing habits and replacing them with correct ones.
How does breath retraining work as an intervention for phobias
Correct breathing means the abdomen moves rather than the chest. Holding your breath for a few seconds will help boost carbon dioxide levels in the blood which assists in the regulation of the body’s reaction to anxiety
Physiological changes from breath retraining that counteract the sympathetic response
Lowered blood pressure and heart rate
Reduced levels of stress hormones in the blood
Increased physical energy
Psychotherapy
Psychological techniques used for treating mental health disorders with the goal of producing positive changes in thinking, emotions, personality, behaviour or adjustment
Cognitive behavioural therapy
An evidence based psychological treatment approach that teaches clients to apply cognitive behavioural strategies to recognise and change negative and unproductive patterns of thinking and behaving.
Cognitive component of CBT
Using knowledge and information to overcome irrational thinking about the phobic stimulus
Behavioural component of CBT
Modifying unhelpful behaviours that have developed as a result of faulty cognitions
Systematic desensitisation
A type of behaviour therapy that uses counterconditioning to reduce the anxiety a person experiences when in the presence of, or thinking about a feared stimulus.
Systematic desensitisation process
Learning relaxation techniques and practicing these while the psychologist exposes the client to experiences with the feared stimulus by systematically increasing the intensity of the experience
Counterconditioning
Learning to associate the phobic conditioned stimulus with a relaxation response that is incompatible with the fear response
Psychoeducation
A psychosocial approach in which a person experiencing a mental health problem or disorder and their family are provided with information to help them understand the condition and how they can contribute to managing it
Avoidance behaviours
Behaviours that try to prevent exposure to the phobic stimulus. Avoidance behaviour can significantly restrict a sufferers life.
Why are avoidance behaviours maladaptive?
It does not attempt to remove the fear response to the phobic stimulus. Avoiding the stimulus provides the person with negative reinforcement, avoidance behaviours should not be encouraged.
Maladaptive behaviour
Behaviour that is potentially harmful and prevents a person from meeting and adapting to the demands of everyday living
Social learning theory
A theory in which human learning is proposed to occur primarily through interaction with others, especially through observing the behaviour of others and the consequences that follow.
Biological protective factors
A nutritious diet, adequate hydration and sufficient sleep
Psychological protective factors
Cognitive behavioural strategies, mindfulness meditation
Social protective factors
Support from family, friends and community that is authentic and engaging
How does nutritional intake affect mental wellbeing?
Directly through the nutrients that keep our body and brain healthy, and indirectly through the emotional impact of having a physical condition caused by an unhealthy diet.
Cognitive behavioural strategies
Structured psychological techniques that help people recognise how negative or unproductive patterns of thinking or behaviour affect our emotions
Examples of cognitive behavioural strategies
-Educating patients about the bodies natural reactions to threatening object or situations
-Teaching breathing and relaxation techniques to manage stress and anxiety
Mindfulness meditation
Where a person focuses their attention on breathing, with thoughts, feelings and sensations being experiences freely as they arise without judgement
Two main parts of mindfulness meditation
Attention
Acceptance
Attention
Tuning into your experiences to focus on what’s happening in the present moment
Acceptance
Observing sensations and experiences without judgement
Social support
The assistance and comfort we receive from our social network when we face a stressful or challenging situation
Energising social support
Provides you with enthusiasm and determination to complete a task, try something new and reach a goal
Authentic social support
When someone truly listens and connects with the experiences of another person
Four distinct types of social support
Emotional support
Esteem support
Informational support
Tangible support
