Mental Health Summary Notes.pdf

Mental Health U4 AOS 2  Defining Mental Health and Disorder  Disorder​: A set of symptoms that interfere  with daily functioning.  - Symptoms are reasonably consistent  between patients but origins/causes may  differ.  - The origins and clinical severity may vary.  Disease​: A condition with a known cause,  predictable course and standard protocols  for treatment.  Mental Health Continuum  Mentally Healthy​: State of emotional and  social wellbeing in which an individual is able  to realise their own abilities, can cope with  normal stress, concentrate on tasks and  contribute to their community.  Mental Health Problems:​ People with mental  health problems are impacted by some  stressors but are still able to bounce back  and function normally.   Mental Disorder​: A set of symptoms and  behaviours that interfere and prohibit  regular functioning and require treatment to  recover.   Factors Influencing Mental health      FACTORS 

Internal 

External 

Predisposing 

- Genetics  - Personality 

- Nutrition 

Precipitating 

- Hormone  Imbalance 

- Life events 

Perpetuating 

- Immune  system  - Biochemical  processes 

- Stressors  - Social  situation/iso lation 

Protective 

- Genetics  - Immune  system  - Personality 

- Social  support  - Treatment 

 

Characteristics of a Mentally Healthy  person  Include:  ➔ Normal mood fluctuations  ➔ Calm state of mind  ➔ Good sense of humour  ➔ Performs well at school or work 

➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔

Normal sleep patterns  Few sleep difficulties  Physically well  Good level of energy  Physically and socially active 

➔ Good cognitive functioning   ➔ Good level of concentration 

Ethics in Study of mental health  Informed Consent​: Requires participants to  be fully aware of the purpose of the  research and what is expected of them  during the experiment.   Placebo treatments​: Informed consent can  not be fully obtained when using placebos.  They can work for a while but can cause the  illness to get worse.        

The Four P’s  Predisposing Risk Factors​: Factors that  increase susceptibility to mental  disorders. Takes into account what a  patient is born with. Examples include  inherited traits, environmental exposures  before birth, chronic social stressors,  brain chemistry and ongoing medical  conditions.   Precipitating Risk Factors​: Factors that  increase susceptibility and contribute to  recurrence of a mental disorder. Eg/  Majorly stressful life events, being the  victim of abuse and long-term use of  some medication.   Perpetuating Risk Factors​: Factors that  increase duration and inhibit recovery of  a mental disorder. Eg/ Substance usage,  social isolation, relationship difficulties,  medical conditions, poverty, weakened  immune system and self-harm.   Protective Factors​: Factors that protect  from initial onset and prevent recurrence  of a mental disorder. Eg/Good diet,  maintained fitness and physical health,  good sleep patterns, ability to recognise  early onset of a disorder, social support,  etc.  

Mental Health U4 AOS 2        Biological Risk Factors  Genetic Vulnerability​: Results from genetic  mutations in individuals that can cause  proteins to be created that function  differently from how they should. People  with imbalances of particular  neurotransmitters will be more likely to  develop a disorder.   Poor Response to Medication​: Some people  don’t respond as well to particular  medication/antidepressants due to  abnormal levels of neurotransmitters.   Poor Sleep​: Sleep problems are associated  with mental health issues such as depression,  anxiety, bipolar disorder and ADHD.   Substance Abuse​: Addictive substances  interfere with electrochemical  neurotransmission. Prolonged exposure can  permanently affect the way the brain  functions.  

  Psychological Risk Factors  Rumination​: Obsessive thinking about  negative aspects of a past, present or future  situation. It can affect mental health if the  person is unable to break the cycle of  ruminating about the negative aspects of  life. Is associated with anxiety.   Impaired Reasoning and Memory​:  Associated with dementia, depression,  schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Causes  depend on the type of disorder and the  particular region of the brain that is  impaired.   Stress​: Stress causes the release of cortisol  as part of the F/F/F response. Prolonged  exposure of cortisol can lead the mental  health issues.   Poor Self-Efficacy​: Poor general coping  strategies and perception of ability to  control the events that happen. Poor  self-efficacy can lead to anxiety/depression.  

  Social Risk Factors  Disorganised Attachment​: Individuals find it  difficult to share their feelings or relate to  others.  

Loss of Significant Relationship​: Separation  from a partner, the breakdown of a family  relationship, or death of a loved one can  contribute to an individual experiencing  anxiety and/or depression.   Stigma Stopping treatment​: Stereotypes of  mental disorder patients can lead to suffers  to avoid treatment for fear of being  associated with that stereotype. Also to  avoid being perceived as weak.     Cumulative Risk​: Involves the accumulation  of risks, including biological, psychological  and social ones. The more risks  accumulated, the higher the cumulative risk  and, therefore, the higher risk of developing  a mental disorder.        

Specific Phobia as an Anxiety Disorder    Specific Phobia​: I​ s a persistent, irrational  and intense fear of a particular object or  event. Fear is normal as long as it is a  rational response to an actual harmful  situation.   Four​ main types of phobia:  ➔ Animal phobias  ➔ Natural environment phobias (eg.  heights, storms, water, dark, etc.)  ➔ Situation phobias (eg.  claustrophobia, elevators, flying,  dentist, tunnels,etc)  ➔ Blood-injury phobias (eg. fear of  surgeries, fear of seeing blood).     Continuum for Specific Phobia  Healthy​: Normal Healthy functioning; no  treatment required.   Reacting​: Common and reversible distress;  Some professional psychotherapy needed  ➔ Nervous, irritable, anxious  ➔ Moderate stress  ➔ Sleep trouble  ➔ Decreased social activity  Injured​: Significant functional impairment;  Profession psychotherapy needed.   ➔ Anxiety and irrational fear  ➔ High stress  ➔ Memory bias 

Mental Health U4 AOS 2  ➔ Avoidance behaviours  ➔ Social avoidance or withdrawal  Disorder​: Significant mental disorder. Severe  and functional impairment; Professional  psychotherapy and possible medication  needed.  ➔ Excessive anxiety and fear  ➔ Extreme stress  ➔ Social Isolation/Avoidance 

Biopsychosocial approach to Specific  Phobia    Contributing Biological factors  Fight/Flight/Freeze response​: Instant burst  of energy provided by hormones such as  adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol being  released into the bloodstream. Hippocampus  and Amygdala play role in that amygdala is  activated at the same time that a memory is  encoded by the hippocampus, which leads to  that memory being associated with a  negative emotion. LTP then works to  strengthen this connection every time it is  thought about.   GABA and Glutamate​: GABA is inhibitory  while Glutamate is excitatory. GABA works to  inhibit the F/F/F response, so too much  used, will decrease GABA. This will lead to the  Glutamate being more abundant and  increases agitation and anxiety and can  contribute to the develop of a phobia.   Genetics​: A genetic vulnerability resulting  from a family member having a mental  problem can increases likelihood, but not  certain to develop a disorder.    Contributing Psychological Factors  Conditioning​: Phobias can be acquired  through classical conditioning, and then  perpetuated through operant conditioning.   Cognitive Bias: refers to a systematic error is  thinking that affects the decisions and  judgments that people make. Can include  ➔ Memory Bias​: A memory is encoded  inaccurately and influenced by the  person’s distorted thinking.   ➔ Catastrophic Thinking​: Ruminates or  obsessively thinks about a perceived  threat. Overestimation of threat  becomes an irrational fear.    

    Contributing Social Factors  Environmental Triggers​: Direct exposure to a  traumatic event eg/ being attacked by a  dog. Could be indirect eg/ watching  someone else be attacked, or hearing about  it.   Parental Modelling​: Child can pick up  parents’ fear by watching negative  consequences arise from the stimulus that  causes their fear.     Stigma​: There is stigma around seeking  treatment because patients don’t want to be  associated with a negative stereotype or be  perceived as weak.   

Evidence-Based interventions    Anti-Anxiety medication  Low levels of GABA contribute to  development of a mental disorder.  Anti-anxiety medication can mimic the  inhibitory effects of GABA and have been  reasonably successful. Includes  benzodiazepines.     Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)  Focuses on replacing negative, dysfunctional  thoughts towards a stimulus causing a  mental problem with positive, realistic  thoughts.     Systematic desensitisation  A process of treating a phobia by  introducing stimuli that are more and more  fear-provoking while invoking relaxation.     Psychoeducation  Involves educating the sufferer of the mental  disorder and their family to better  understand the condition and treatment  options. The information helps to dispel any  myths surrounding the disorder.           Health Psychology:​ T ​ he Study of the role  of biological, psychological and social 

Mental Health U4 AOS 2  factors and their influence on physical  health.   Biological Protective Factors  Adequate Sleep​: Resilience improves when  an individual has enough sleep because they  are able to deal with adversity and  challenges more effectively. Chronic sleep  deprivation can create negative thinking and  emotional vulnerability. A lack of sleep is  known to be linked to the development of  anxiety and depression. Also, worrying about  poor sleep can create a vicious cycle  because the you worry that you can’t sleep,  the more you won’t be able to.   Adequate Diet​: A good diet is essential as it  not only provides us with energy to be able  to live an active lifestyle and promote  healthy development but it is great for our  brains as well. With a healthy lifestyle comes  fitness and feeling better about yourself  which helps us overcome challenges.  

  Stages of the Transtheoretical Model of  Behaviour Change:  1)

2)

3)

4)

Psychological Protective Factors  Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)​: CBT  involves cognitive behavioural strategies  that are psychological techniques used to  help maintain or improve mental health. This  is used in phobias (graduated exposure) and  can also be used to help with other mental  health problems. An example is meditation.   Social Protective Factors  Social Support​:​ r​ efers to the network of  family, friends, neighbours and community  members that are available during difficult  times to provide emotional, physical and  financial assistance.   People know they have social support  experience a greater sense of identity and  meaning in their lives resulting in greater  physiological wellbeing.    

Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour  Change:​ a ​ llows psychologists to understand  how people change and to develop different  intervention strategies at various stages.    

5)

6)

Pre-Contemplation​: The person may  deny that they have a health-related  problem that may endanger their  wellbeing or they may feel helpless  to change.   Contemplation​: The person  understands there is a problem or  wants to change their behaviours,  but has not yet decided to take  action.   Preparation​: The person has  decided to change their behaviours  and is making plans to do so; they  may also be taking the initial steps to  change.   Action​: The person begins  behavioural changes, and requires  behaviour-control skills to fulfill their  plan of action through commitment  of effort and energy.   Maintenance​: The person has  successfully avoided relapse and  controlled the target behaviour for  at least six months. Some people  may still relapse into former  behaviours at various times, but they  restore change efforts  (Termination)​: The change in the  behaviour is entrenched such that  the problem behaviour will not  return. The new behaviour has  become an automatic habit.    ( *Termination Not on Study design)