Week One - Mental Health And Mental Illness

Question 1

Main concepts of wellbeing

Answer 1

• Ability to be productive and active
• positive contributions to society
• Ability to cope

Question 2

Difference between mental healthy and mental illness

Answer 2

Mental health is not diagnosable - can have mental health problems however
Mental illness is diagnosable
Can have good mental health but have a mental illness

Question 3

3 myths of mental illness

Answer 3

• Not everybody experiences mental illness (only 25% a yr excluding hospital patients, prisoners etc)
• It’s not always permanent (cycles, fluctuations)
• Stigma still exists (diagnostic labels may help)

Question 4

Symptomology and Diagnosis of mental illness

Answer 4

• Clinical presentation through symptoms and signs
• Comprehensive assessments
  -Changes in affect and behaviour

Question 5

What are the four main key features of symptomological distress and functioning

Answer 5

Psychological
Social
Physical
Occupational

Question 6

What makes a diagnosis valid?

Answer 6

Accuracy , distinctiveness
Unique causal factors
Often overlaps - treatment responses not all the same but validity improves diagnosis

Question 7

What makes a diagnosis reliable?

Answer 7

• Standardisation of tests / interviews
• Same diagnosis over time
• Aim for high level of reliability for common disorders

Question 8

Inter-rater reliability compared to intra-rater reliability

Answer 8

Inter = 2 clinicians agree on diagnosis
Intra= consistency of clinicians agreeing

Question 9

Define and explain the issues with co-morbidity

Answer 9

• 2+ more conditions diagnosed
• Reliable but not completely valid

Question 10

Aetiology : 4 causes of mental illness

Answer 10

Biological = Genetic, evolutionary, neuroscientific paradigm
Psychological = Cognitive behavioural
Personality = Psychodynamic, trait
Humanistic = Counselling

Question 11

Explain the genetic paradigm to mental illness

Answer 11

• Heritability of % of variability in a phenotype within a population
• Concordance rates
• Twin studies and family studies

Question 12

Neuroscientific explanation of mental illness

Answer 12

• Neurotransmitters
• Brain structure and related research
• Automated and Sympathetic Nervous System
• Post Mortem studies, injuries etc

Question 13

Cognitive-Behavioural explaination of mental illness

Answer 13

• Schemas and cognitive distortions
• Classical / Operant / Modelling

Question 14

Humanistic explanation for mental illness

Answer 14

• Self actualisation
• Here and now

Question 15

Explain the diathesis - stress model

Answer 15

• Need something underlying (diatheses) and something triggering (stress) for disorder
• Cannot have an disorder with just one

Question 16

Define epidemiology

Answer 16

• Who, what, where, when etc
• Incidence rates, gender, length of onset, local/regional variability

Question 17

What are the biological and Psychological interventions to mental illness

Answer 17

• Psychiatric medication
• Approaches lead to different therapies
• May be intergrated

Question 18

Which factors affect prognosis?

Answer 18

Age
Social Support
Compliance
Co-Morbidity
Motivation

Question 19

Difference between recovery and cure