Psychological problems

Question 1

Mental Heath

Answer 1

the state of mental well-being

Question 2

Physical Health

Answer 2

refers to how well your body functions

Question 3

Jahoda’s ‘‘Ideal’’ MH

Answer 3

• Having high self esteem
• Personal Growth and Self-actualisation
• Integration
• Autonomy
• Accurate perception of reality
• Mastery of Environment

Question 4

Mental Heath Continuum

Answer 4

A way of defining MH by looking at it on a scale

Question 5

Prevalence

Answer 5

How common something is (in this case MH problems)

Question 6

Who are at risk of experiencing MH Problems

Answer 6

• LGBT community are at more risk of experiencing MH problems

Question 7

Incidence of MH

Answer 7

Measures the number of NEW CASES of MH problems occurring in a time period

Question 8

Why is it hard to track the incidence of MH problems?

Answer 8

• Not all MH problems are recorded/diagnosed
• Symptoms for the particular MH problems may change over time
• Rely on SELF REPORTS which is not accurate due to the persons memory and honesty

Question 9

Changes in Attitudes to MH (Time Line)

Answer 9

The Mental Heath Act 1959 - Changed attitudes towards MH, first time the term ‘mental disorder’ was used. Treated the same as physical illnesses and council were responsible for social care

1960s - Media broke the ‘taboo of silence’ around MH problems and more debates about MH. Szasz (1961) published a book saying MH was not real and patients are responsible for their actions

1970s - The charity Mind campaigned vigorously for the rights of people with MH problems. They argued that they were detained and treated against their will

1980s - Rise in community care for people with MH problems. Not well funded and led to violent acts. Media coverage fuelled negative attitudes towards people with MH problems

1992, 1993 and 1998 - World Mental Heath Day launched in 1992, MH survey conducted in 1993 and the Royal College of Psychiatrists launched in 1998

2011 - The most recent data shows that since the beginning of the current TIME to CHANGE programme, an estimated 2 million have changed their attitudes

2012-2013 - 2.8 percent improvement in attitudes towards MH

Question 10

Stigma

Answer 10

A strong sense of disapproval

Question 11

The effect of Stigma before DIAGNOSIS

Answer 11

Individuals who are constantly stigmatised by being labelled as ‘crazy’ and ‘weird’ may be at risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 12

The effect of Stigma after DIAGNOSIS

Answer 12

Stigma attached to a MH problem is triggered when someone see’s or hears something which they consider to be abnormal. They may be labelled as ‘weird’ before diagnosis.

Question 13

Discrimination

Answer 13

To treat people differently based on a perceived issue or problems

Question 14

The effect of Discrimination before DIAGNOSIS

Answer 14

Leads to symptoms getting worse because people in the society are rejecting him/her for perceived issue

Question 15

The effect of Discrimination after DIAGNOSIS

Answer 15

Leads to effect on their overall self-esteem. This will effect someones physical and mental health in the long run

Question 16

MH Problems effect on public services

Answer 16

One way of dealing with the increase in MH problems is the ‘care in community’’. Which means they are administered care outside of hospitals and in their homes. Critics say its a money saver. Supporters say its good for people with MH Problems as it can get them used to their environment and still work at the same time.

Question 17

MH Problems effect on the Law

Answer 17

Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people from unfair treatment. People with MH Problems have to get the right employer to make reasonable adjustments to enable them to still work

Question 18

MH Problems effect on Society

Answer 18

The rise in prevalence means that MH problems are more common and people now want to interact with these people as its more common - but it can still lead to conflict. Society has responded to stigmatisation of MH Problems by spreading awareness

Question 19

Schizophrenia

Answer 19

Schizophrenia comes from the Latin ‘split mind’. Its a disorder where people lose touch with reality

Question 20

How is SZ diagnosed?

Answer 20

SZ is diagnosed by using the ICD X

Question 21

Key Statistics of Schizophrenia

Answer 21

• 1% of the population are born with it
• SZ effects both men and women
• Asian people have lower rates of SZ. British people of Caribbean and African are more likely to be diagnosed than white people
• Adult disorder
• 25% of people fully recover from SZ

Question 22

Psychological Theory of SZ - Social Drift Theory

Answer 22

People develop SZ and lose touch with reality and opt out of society because it does not make sense to them -> Not interested in ‘‘normal’’ activities such as getting a job etc -> People may find it hard to get employed because of the stigma and discrimination towards their label -> Disengagement because they don’t feel part of society -> Rejection from society

Question 23

Criticisms of Social Drift Theory

Answer 23

• Problems establishing cause and effect
• May be a bias in diagnosis
• Focuses too much on society
• Ignores the role of nature

Question 24

Biological Theory of SZ - Dopamine Hypothesis + Brain Dysfunction

Answer 24

Dopamine Hypothesis:
- Too much dopamine can lead to people hallucinating or having delusions
- Dopamine that is transmitted too often can lead to symptoms of SZ
- People with SZ have a high number of D2 receptors resulting in more dopamine binding to receptors

Brain Dysfunction:
- Blood flow is lower in the frontal cortex
- Defective prefrontal cortex
- Reduced volume in hippocampus

Question 25

Criticisms of the Biological Theory of SZ

Answer 25

- Ignores the effect of nurture - Too deterministic, people have a choice to control their symptoms - Too reductionist, hard to look at the whole brain - Brain Dysfunction may be an effect of SZ

Question 26

Research Study: DANIEL ET AL

Answer 26

Aim - To see whether amphetamines affect PFC and WCST performance Sample - 10 Chronic SZ people Research Method - Lab Exp (Double blind trial), RMD Procedure: - P's receive the same dose of drug - Completed Card Sort Test and Bar Task whilst having a SPECT SCAN Repeated this 2-4 days after (DOUBLE BLIND) Findings/Conclusions: - No difference in BAR TASK - Small differences between amphetamines and placebo in the WCST - Amphetamines are shown to increase the ability of the prefrontal cortex to focus in the WCST

Question 27

Criticisms of DANIEL ET AL

Answer 27

- Too small sample - Hard to draw conclusions - Culturally Biased - Small area in the USA only white people - Ethical Issues when studying the brain - EV - Lacks TEMPORAL VALIDITY - Results may have been outdated

Question 28

Depression

Answer 28

A loss of interest and enjoyment in everyday life, with increased tiredness and reduced activity

Question 29

Symptoms of Depression

Answer 29

- Low Mood - Low SE - Suicidal - Lack of motivation - Feeling hopeless

Question 30

Psychological Theory of Depression - ABC Model

Answer 30

A = Activating Event B = Beliefs C = Consequences Activating Event: - Situation which triggers an individual to have an irrational thought Beliefs: - How an event is interpreted by a person - If its interpretated irrationally, you may assume you have done something wrong - If its interpreted rationally, you may assume they have not done it on purpose Consequences: - The consequences of the beliefs can be what you do or how you feel or any other thoughts you have about that situation Ellis said if you react to the AE in an irrational way, you may feel: - upset/worried - lonely All of these feeling could lead to depression

Question 31

Criticisms of the ABC Model

Answer 31

- Too reductionist - It focuses on faulty brain processes - Ellis model supports free-will, this assumes that the person is in control of their illness - Hard to conclude cause and effect - The model assumes that an individual becomes depressed from an irrational evaluation but some may deem it to be a rational evaluation

Question 32

Biological Theory of Depression - Social Rank Theory

Answer 32

- We behave in a certain way for survival reasons - When we lose a level of status we can lose confidence in our abilities (depressed state) - If we try and regain our rank we may suffer further losses which would be detrimental for our survival (rejected) - Depression allows us to accept our role

Question 33

Criticisms of the Social Rank Theory

Answer 33

- Reductionist as it only looks at depression as a process of evolution - Theory suggests that depression is for the ''losers'' and people of low social rank, but the SRT does not support it - Does not look at the role of nature in the SRT

Question 34

Research Study: TANDOC ET AL

Answer 34

Aim - To see whether Facebook use predicted depression Sample - 854 journalism students from a US uni, 68% female Research Method - Questionnaire Procedure: Completed Questionnaire: 1. Facebook usage and surveillance 2. Envy Scale 3. Depression Symptoms Findings/Conclusions: - Heavy Facebook users = stronger feelings of envy - Size of Facebook friends did not relate to envy - Facebook envy was a predictor of depression - Envy can lead to depression

Question 35

Criticisms of TANDOC ET AL

Answer 35

- Culturally Bias - University in US - Age Bias - College aged - P's may have given socially desirable results on the questionnaire - Lacks construct validity as a complex thing was measured by rating scales

Question 36

Use of Drugs to treat SZ + Depression

Answer 36

SZ: - Anti-psychotic drugs act by blocking some of the D2 Receptors - By reducing the amount of dopamine, it reduces the effect of psychotic episode Depression: - Anti-depressants drugs increase the number of neurotransmitters in the brain SERATONIN/NORADRENALIN - Excess SERATONIN helps neurons communicate better, which helps people feel less depressed

Question 37

Psychotherapy

Answer 37

CBT - Aims to change how the individual thinks and behaves - to confront the irrational thoughts and how they impact on an individual Ellis and his ABC model he added D = Disputing the persons irrational beliefs and E = Effect of changing the interpretation

Question 38

CBT and Depression

Answer 38

- CBT has been found to be effective at treating people with both moderate and severe depression - Therapists aim to reduce the symptoms of depression by focusing on what negative emotions the client is feeling

Question 39

CBT and Schizophrenia

Answer 39

- CBT can help people with SZ by supporting them in a non-judgemental way - CBT also helps them overcome symptoms of SZ

Question 40

Neuropsychological Tests

Answer 40

These are tests designed by psychologists to measure how well the brain is functioning. They are sometimes used with people who have had a brain injury to allow psychologists to understand what damage has occurred in the brain.

Question 41

Brain Imaging

Answer 41

Machinery that allows us to scan peoples brain to see what activity is happening or see difference in brain structure