Unit 4 AOS 2 - Mental Health

Question 1

What is mental wellbeing?

Answer 1

A state of emotional and social health in which individuals can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to their community.

Question 2

What are the 3 factors that determine wellbeing?

Answer 2

Levels of functioning

Resilience

Social & Emotional wellbeing

Question 3

Outline levels of functioning.

Answer 3

The degree to which an individual can complete day-to-day tasks in an independent and effective manner. When high, this may be seen through self-efficacy, independence, and meeting everyday needs.

Question 4

Outline resilience.

Answer 4

The ability of an individual to adapt to and overcome adversity.

Question 5

Outline social wellbeing.

Answer 5

The ability to form and maintain reciprocated, energising bonds and adapt to social situations.

Question 6

Outline emotional wellbeing.

Answer 6

The ability to appropriately control, express, and read emotion.

Question 7

What is the SEWB framework?

Answer 7

The Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) framework is an approach to understanding the elements of wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is multidimensional and holistic.

Question 8

What are the 7 elements of the SEWB framework?

Answer 8

Connection to culture

Connection to Country

Connection to spirituality and ancestors

Connection to body

Connection to mind and emotions

Connection to family and kinship

Connection to community

Question 9

Outline ‘connection to culture’.

Answer 9

Identity, values, traditions, connections with past, present and future.

e.g. Elders passing on traditions, speaking local languages, and participating in rites and rituals.

Question 10

Outline ‘connection to Country’.

Answer 10

Connecting to traditional lands of a particular language or cultural group, both geographically and spiritually, emotionally or intellectually.

e.g. Taking only what one needs from the land so it continues to thrive, belonging to the land and maintaining a connection to the territories of one language or cultural group.

Question 11

Outline ‘connection to spirituality and ancestors’.

Answer 11

Connecting to all things, shaping beliefs, values, and behaviours, and guiding knowledge systems and culture. Understanding that one’s ancestors are connected with creation spirits and Country, and guiding and protecting families in the physical and spiritual world.

e.g. Knowing that one’s ancestors watch over them, offering guidance and answering questions when needed.

Question 12

Outline ‘connection to body’.

Answer 12

Connecting to the physical body and health in order to participate fully in all aspects of life.

e.g. Accessing good nutrition, and managing illness and disability.

Question 13

Outline ‘connection to mind and emotions’.

Answer 13

Ability to effectively manage thoughts and feelings.

e.g. Maintaining self-esteem, having confidence and a sense of identity.

Question 14

Outline ‘connection to family and kinship’.

Answer 14

Connecting to immediate and wider family groups.

e.g. Spending time with family, and caring for the ill.

Question 15

Outline ‘connection to community’.

Answer 15

Connecting to wider social systems, allowing families to connect with and support one another.

e.g. Accessing and being part of community services and support networks.

Question 16

What are the three determinants that control the SEWB elements?

Answer 16

Political determinants

Historical determinants

Social determinants

Question 17

Outline political determinants.

Answer 17

Political policies shape the process of distributing resources and power to individuals and communities and create or reinforce social and health inequalities. Such as unresolved issues of land, control of local resources, and the rights of self-determination and sovereignty.

Question 18

Outline historical determinants.

Answer 18

The ongoing influence of events, policies, and trauma on groups of people. Such as colonisation and its legacy and the impact of past government policies.

Question 19

Outline social determinants.

Answer 19

The circumstances in which people grow, live, and work, and the systems put in place to deal with illness. Such as socioeconomic status, the impact of poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination.

Question 20

What are two cultural determinants?

Answer 20

Cultural Continuity

Self-determination

Question 21

Outline cultural continuity.

Answer 21

The passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, traditions, and values from generation to generation. Cultural continuity may be disrupted or destroyed if cultural practices are not allowed to continue.

Question 22

Outline self-determination.

Answer 22

The rights of all people to pursue freely their economic, social and cultural development without outside interference.

Question 23

What is meant by the statement that ‘mental wellbeing sits on a continuum’.

Answer 23

Mental wellbeing is a dynamic (constantly shifting) state, and an individual’s placement on the continuum can shift over time.

The lower end of the continuum represents mental illness, the centre represents a mental health problem, while the upper end represents high wellbeing.

Question 24

What are the two factorial groups that influence mental wellbeing?

Answer 24

Internal factors - Factors that arise from within the individual (biological, psychological).

External factors - Factors that arise from an individual’s environment (social).

Question 25

What are the advantages of measuring wellbeing on a continuum?

Answer 25

Decreased stigma.

Increased ability to see if functioning has improved.

Increased ability to see if treatment is effective.

Question 26

What are the disadvantages of measuring wellbeing on a continuum?

Answer 26

Blurred intervention point.

Lack of exact guidelines.

Question 27

What is a mental illness?

Answer 27

Something that interferes with a person’s thoughts, emotions, perceptions and behaviours, and disrupts normal functioning.

Question 28

What are some examples of mental disorders?

Answer 28

Mood/affective disorders

Anxiety disorders

Schizophrenia

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Question 29

What is the biopsychosocial approach?

Answer 29

It explains that mental wellbeing is influenced by three main factors - biological factors, psychological factors, and social factors. An individual would likely be lacking in multiple or all of these areas if they developed a mental illness.

Question 30

How does eustress impact wellbeing?

Answer 30

Eustress may not negatively impact mental wellbeing, despite being a form of stress, because it is a positive perception of stress.

Question 31

How does distress impact wellbeing?

Answer 31

Distress is a negative perception of stress, and as such can affect a person’s wellbeing negatively. This is can develop into anxiety or even develop further into a disorder, if it is not taken care of.

Question 32

What is anxiety?

Answer 32

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological response that involves feelings of worry and apprehension about an undefined perceived threat. Anxiety may be accompanied by physiological responses such as breathlessness, sweating and dizziness, and psychological responses like feelings of losing control and impending doom.

Question 33

What are specific phobias?

Answer 33

A persistent, irrational, and intense fear of a specific stressor. Phobias are a diagnosable anxiety disorder.

Question 34

What is a phobia stimulus?

Answer 34

The stressor which ignites an individual’s fear response.

Question 35

How long must a phobic stimulus produce a fear response before the phobia may be diagnosed?

Answer 35

6 months

Question 36

What are the similarities and differences between stress and anxiety?

Answer 36

Stress is a temporary experience, while anxiety is a sustained mental health issue. Anxiety is considered to be severe when it is prolonged and occurs in the absence of a stressor, or is interfering with everyday life.

Both stress and anxiety are on the ‘normal functioning’ section of the continuum Some stress and anxiety can be adaptive, as they may motivate people to take action.

Question 37

How does anxiety turn into a mental illness?

Answer 37

When anxiety is excessive, persistent, prolonged and disrupts aspects of daily functioning, it can become a mental health disorder. These disorders are umbrellaed under anxiety disorders.

Question 38

What type of disorder are phobias?

Answer 38

An anxiety disorder.

Question 39

What are the characteristics of a specific phobia?

Answer 39

The fear is excessive.

The response is to a known stimulus.

The fear is persistent.

The feeling of fear is predominant.

The fear affects daily functioning.

It is a diagnosable mental disorder.

The fear is irrational.

The experience is distressing for the individual.

The individual avoids the phobic stimulus.

The sympathetic nervous system is dominant.

Question 40

What are protective factors against phobia in relation to the biopsychosocial approach?

Answer 40

Protective factors that utilise the three elements of the approach to maintain wellbeing.

Question 41

What are biological protective factors?

Answer 41

Adequate diet (Relates to the gut-brain axis).

Adequate hydration.

Adequate sleep (Relates the the effects of sleep deprivation).

Question 42

What are psychological protective factors?

Answer 42

Cognitive Behavioural Strategies (CBS) (Identification and alteration of thoughts that may lead to negative feelings and responsive behaviours).

Mindfulness meditation (Focusing on thoughts and feelings at the present moment and accepting them without judgement. Reduces amygdala activity).

Question 43

What are social protective factors?

Answer 43

Authentic relationships (Contains comfortable and honest conversations and feedback).

Energising factor (Focusing on creating a positive environment and drawing energy from said environment).

These two factors combined form the factor of support, which involves comfort, reassurance and assistance given by family, friends, and the community.

Question 44

What are the biological contributing factors toward phobia?

Answer 44

GABA Dysfunction

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

Question 45

Outline GABA Dysfunction.

Answer 45

GABA dysfunction leaves an individual genetically predisposed to phobia development.

GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system. A dysfunction of GABA refers to the insufficient neural transmission of GABA, which can result in the fight/flight response being overactivated. This occurs as there is overactivation of synapses, which are not doused by GABA. This means a person’s arousal is consistently heightened, which may leave an individual’s fear response to be more easily triggered in the presence of particular stimuli.

Question 46

Outline LTP in relation to phobia.

Answer 46

LTP perpetuates phobias. LTP works to strengthen neural connections that are repeatedly used. This contributes to phobia development by strengthening the association between the neural pathways involved in perceiving a stimulus, and the pathways involved in activating the fear response. This results in one pathway’s activation more easily activating the other.

Question 47

What are the psychological contributing factors toward phobia?

Answer 47

Classical conditioning

Operant conditioning

Cognitive biases

Question 48

Outline classical conditioning in relation to phobia.

Answer 48

Classical conditioning precipitates (triggers) phobia. This works as phobias can be learned through classical conditioning. (e.g. Little Albert).

During this process, the NS will eventually become the phobic stimulus, after it is repeatedly associated with something that naturally produces a fear response.

Question 49

Outline operant conditioning in relation to phobia.

Answer 49

Operant conditioning perpetuates a phobia. In phobia, the most applicable portion of operant conditioning is consequence.

Individuals with a phobia fear the phobic stimulus (antecedent), and as a result, will utilise avoidance behaviours to stay away from the phobic stimulus (behaviour). This results in the consequence of negative reinforcement, as the fear of confronting the phobic stimulus is removed. This promotes avoidance behaviours, which stops the confrontation of the phobic stimulus and by extension, perpetuates the fear.

Question 50

What are cognitive biases?

Answer 50

A predisposition to think about and process information in a certain way. This can cause errors in judgement and thoughts.

Question 51

What are the two primary cognitive biases?

Answer 51

Catastrophic thinking

Memory bias

Question 52

Outline catastrophic thinking.

Answer 52

A cognitive bias in which the phobic stimulus is predicted to be far worse than it is. This a form of futuristic thinking in which the individual will envision the worst-case scenario.

Question 53

Outline memory bias.

Answer 53

A cognitive bias caused by inaccurate or exaggerated memory. This is past-focused thinking, where people may recall the phobic stimulus as much worse than it was, which can result in the individual incorrectly justifying their fear.

Question 54

What are the social contributing factors toward phobia?

Answer 54

Specific environmental triggers

Stigma

Question 55

Outline specific environmental triggers.

Answer 55

Stimuli or experiences in an individual’s environment that prompt an extreme stress response, leading to the development of a phobia.

Direct confrontation - The individual is confronted by the traumatic stimulus or event.

Direct observation - Observation of another person experiencing direct confrontation.

Indirect observation - Learning about a potentially dangerous or traumatic stimulus indirectly (e.g. through watching a film).

Question 56

Outline stigma.

Answer 56

Stigma perpetuates a phobia as it stops an individual from seeking treatment. It refers to the sense of shame and embarrassment a person may feel about seeking help, and the individual may fear isolation.

Question 57

What are the biological interventions for phobia?

Answer 57

Benzodiazepines

Relaxation techniques

Question 58

Outline benzodiazepines.

Answer 58

Benzodiazepines are GABA agonists. They share a molecular structure with GABA, meaning that they are able to bind through the lock and key method with GABA receptors. Benzodiazepines are utilised when GABA dysfunction is present.

Benzodiazepines bind to GABA receptor sites and work by enhancing the inhibitory effects of GABA.

Question 59

Outline the relaxation technique of breathing retraining.

Answer 59

This technique is used to engage the parasympathetic nervous system to counter the biological stress response.

The fear response results in hyperventilation, which produces an imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. Breathing retraining involves taking slow and deep breaths. This restores the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide, restoring the parasympathetic nervous system’s dominance.

Question 60

What are the psychological interventions for phobia?

Answer 60

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Systematic Desensitisation

Question 61

Outline Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Answer 61

CBT involves the alteration of thoughts to change behaviours.

CBT is a stage-by-stage process, first involving recognising unhealthy thought patterns, such as memory biases. Then, the individual must identify more positive thoughts that could replace the unhealthy ones. By replacing these thoughts, the resulting behaviours will also change.

CBT may also be performed in reverse, by changing behaviours (avoidance behaviours) to change thoughts.

Question 62

Outline systematic desensitisation.

Answer 62

Systematic Desensitisation is a therapy technique that involves gradually exposing an individual to their phobic stimulus. Systematic desensitisation is essentially the extinction process of classical conditioning.

1. Learn relaxation techniques, such as breathing retraining.
2. Develop a fear hierarchy, ranking anxiety-inducing stimuli from easiest to hardest to confront.
3. Expose the individual to the first stimulus while they apply the learned relaxation techniques.
4. Once the individual has calmed, gradually (over a prolonged period of time) expose them to the stimuli on the hierarchy, from easiest to worst. This should continue until the individual can confront the worst stimulus without producing an anxiety response.

Question 63

What is the social intervention for phobia?

Answer 63

Psychoeducation

Question 64

Outline psychoeducation.

Answer 64

Involves teaching families and supporters about the ways to manage and deal with a person’s phobia. This is beneficial to both the person with a phobia and their supporters.

The two primary teachings are;

Challenging unrealistic or anxious thoughts - Helps the individual understand that some components of their thoughts are unfounded or irrational. This should be done in a supportive, non-judgmental fashion.

Not encouraging avoidant behaviours - Avoidant strategies may lessen stress, however, they are not a long-term solution. Families should not encourage these behaviours, as they only serve to perpetuate the phobia.