Week 2-Mental Health & Psyciatry Flashcards
What are the main functions of the brain?
Organise sensory input, make sense of sensory+social information, motivate survival, maximize efficiency
What is neuroplasticity?
The idea that the brain constantly changes and adapts
What can anxiety and depression be conceptualised as?
A self perpetuating network of positive feedback loops, arising from normally adaptive responses
What are the 2 main types of anxiety?
Trait anxiety and state anxiety
What are the main symptoms of depression?
Low self worth, low mood, low energy, anhedonia
What does self harm include?
Non suicidal self injury (cutting, burning, pinching, scratching) as well as suicide
Why may someone self harm?
To feel something instead of numbness if they are depressed etc, as self punishment, you believe you deserve bad things should happen to you, to get attention/support, temporary relief from anxiety (you have control over your punishment)
What is negative reinforcement?
When there is a state of distress you carry out stress reducing behavior which brings temporary relief. Eventually you may get urges to do this stress reducing behavior over and over (compulsion)
What is addiction?
Repeated negative reinforcement in the context of persistent states of suffering/distress/tension and involves direct action on neural circuits
What is OCD?
Characterized by intrusive thoughts/images (which are distressing and involuntary) and compulsive behaviors (serve to relieve states of anxiety and tension). There is cementation of habit formation
What can lead on from diet restriction?
1- Bulimia: eating, binging, distress, purge, temporary relief
2- Anorexia: weight loss, cognitive inflexibility, compulsion
What can be classified under madness
Phsychosis, delirium, dementia, personality disorder
What is psychosis?
Hallucinations, delusions and/or thought disorder aka a reality failure (pathologies that disrupt the process of perception and interpretation of reality)
What is consciousness?
Modular, parallel processing
Why may we interpret things incorrectly?
Sensory input is pre consciously modified to fit expectations
What are auditory verbal hallucinations?
Thoughts/internal monologues experienced as external
What are delusions?
Fixed, false, unshakeable belief
Result of efforts to make a sense of perplexity, often persecutory
What is schizophrenia?
Hallucinations, delusions, delusions of control, delusional perceptions, anhedonia, apathy, social withdrawal, blunted mood, disorganized speech
What is the genetic background of schizophrenia?
Has a very significant genetic component, multifactorial (many genes involved), excess of striatal dopamine
What is the role of dopamine?
Anticipated reward, reward prediction error signaling, salience (sense of importance attached to perceptions)
What causes psychosis?
Genetic components, developmental adversity/ abuse, neuro developmental problems, life stressors, relationship with recreational drugs
How is psychosis treated?
Antipsychotics, psychological therapy, social support
Describe the neurobiology of psychosis medications
Dopamine blockers are used (in cerebrum, striatum and pituitary)
Can have many side effects: prolactin, metabolic, GI, haematological etc
