PSYC3102 mid sem

Wk 1-5

Nasir et.al. 2017 used what methods

• Cross-sectional study

• Survey-based data collection

Nasir et.al. 2017- main findings

• Mental health issues were consistently high regardless of geographic location, though influenced by social disadvantage and health inequities

Nasir et.al. 2017- RQ

• What is the prevalence of common mental disorders among Indigenous Australians?

• Does location (remote vs metropolitan) affect mental health outcomes

Nasir et.al. 2017- What did the researchers do?

• Collected and compared mental health data from Indigenous participants in different geographic locations

• Assessed rates of disorders such as anxiety, depression, and substance use

Nasir et.al. 2017- What does this mean about this disorder?

• Mental health disparities in Indigenous populations are systemic, not just location-based

• Social determinants (e.g., disadvantage, access to care, historical trauma) play a major role

• Interventions must be culturally appropriate and address broader social factors

Fact sheet- Method used

• Community-based participatory approach

• Program evaluation (qualitative + applied framework)

Fact sheet- Main finding

• improved:

  • Emotional wellbeing

  • Resilience

  • Community connection

• Strength-based approaches were effective

Fact sheet- RQ

• Can culturally grounded programs improve Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing?

  • How can empowerment reduce mental health challenges?

Fact sheet- What did the researchers do?

• Developed and delivered a Cultural, Social and Emotional Wellbeing program

• Worked with Indigenous communities to design culturally relevant interventions

• Evaluated outcomes based on participant experiences and wellbeing changes

Fact sheet-  What does this mean about this disorder?

• Mental health should be viewed holistically (connection to culture, land, identity)

• Western clinical models alone are insufficient

• Empowerment and cultural identity are protective factors

Jauhar et. al., 2022- Method used

Narrative review (synthesis of existing research)

Jauhar et. al., 2022- Main finding

• Schizophrenia is a complex, multifactorial disorder

  • Strong biological basis (e.g., dopamine dysfunction)

  • Influenced by environmental factors (e.g., stress, trauma)

    • Antipsychotic medication is effective, but not sufficient alone

Jauhar et. al., 2022- RQ

• What are the causes, symptoms, and treatments of schizophrenia?

• How should schizophrenia be understood and managed?

Jauhar et. al., 2022- What did the researchers do?

Jauhar et. al., 2022- What does this mean about this disorder?

• Long-term management is necessary

• Functional recovery depends on more than just symptom reduction (e.g., social support, therapy)

Dingle et., al., 2010- Method used

• Experimental/clinical study

  • Measured psychological and biological changes during treatment

Dingle et., al., 2010- Main finding

• Reduction in negative thinking was linked to improvement in depression

• Biological changes (monoamines) also occurred

• Psychological and biological improvements were interconnected

Dingle et., al., 2010- RQ

How does CBT and antidepressant treatment affect:

• Negative thinking patterns?

• Biological markers (urinary monoamines)?

Dingle et., al., 2010- What did the researchers do?

Treated depressed patients using:

• Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Antidepressant medication

Measured:

• Changes in thinking patterns

• Neurochemical markers (monoamines)

Dingle et., al., 2010- What does this mean about this disorder?

• Depression involves both:

  • Cognitive processes (negative thoughts)

  • Biological processes (neurotransmitters)

• Supports integration of therapy + medication

Dugas et al., 2025- Method used

• Longitudinal experimental study

• Focus on behavioural experiments in therapy

Dugas et al., 2025- Main finding

• Sudden gains do occur during treatment

• These improvements were:

  • Significant

  • Often maintained over time

• Targeting intolerance of uncertainty was effective

Dugas et al., 2025- RQ

• Do “sudden gains” (rapid improvements) occur in anxiety treatment?

• Do these gains last over time?

Dugas et al., 2025- What did the researchers do?

• Delivered behavioural experiments targeting intolerance of uncertainty in GAD patients

• Tracked symptom changes over time

• Measured both short-term and long-term outcomes

Dugas et al., 2025-  What does this mean about this disorder?

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder is strongly linked to intolerance of uncertainty

• Rapid improvement is possible, not always gradual

• Behavioural interventions can produce lasting change

Blunted affect

limited

flat affect

absence of observed emotional expression

incongruent affect

mismatch between emotion and context

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia

avolition, angedonia, asociality

Avolition

decreased self initiated purposeful activities

Anhedonia

decreased ability to experience pleasure

Asociality

decreased interest in social interactions

Emil Kraepelin

• 'praecox'

• Premature dementia

• Typically develop in youth

Eugene Bleuler

• 'schizophrenia'

  • Losing touch w reality

Four core disturbances:

• Affect (inappropriate emotion)

• Ambivalence (contradictory feelings, thoughts, ideas

• Associations (disorganised thinking)

• Withdrawal into inner fantasy ('autism')

mood disorders are more prevalent in men or women

women

bipolar is more prevalent in women or male

equal

How are mental disorders defined?

A set of characteristic features rather than a single symptom

What classification system does DSM-5-TR use?

Categorical classification (disorders are present or absent)

What is a weakness of categorical systems?

Lack of nuance and high comorbidity

What is an advantage of dimensional systems?

Captures severity and subtle differences

What is clinical assessment?

Systematic evaluation using interviews, tests, and observation

Difference between diagnosis and assessment?

Diagnosis is a label; assessment is the full evaluation process

What are projective tests?

Tests using ambiguous stimuli to reveal unconscious processes

What does the MMSE assess?

Cognitive impairment

What is iatrogenesis?

Treatment that causes or worsens a disorder

What is lifetime prevalence?

Total number of people who have ever had a disorder

What is incidence?

Number of new cases in a given time period

What is the diathesis-stress model?

Disorder results from vulnerability plus stress

What is the biopsychosocial model?

Interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors

Which part of Freud’s model follows the reality principle?

Ego

What is negative reinforcement?

Removal of an unpleasant stimulus increases behaviour

What is positive reinforcement?

Adding a reward increases behaviour

What does the humanistic model emphasise?

Humans are inherently good and capable of growth

What type of therapy does the humanistic model use?

Non-directive (client-centred) therapy

What is a global attribution style?

Belief that failure applies to all areas of life

What reduces stress responses?

Control and predictability

What are the stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome?

Alarm, resistance, exhaustion

When is fear considered a phobia?

When it leads to avoidance or intense distress

What is hypervigilance?

Constant scanning for threats

Are panic attacks always triggered?

No, they can be cued or unexpected

What begins a panic attack in the fear-of-fear model?

Catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations

What maintains panic disorder?

Fear of bodily sensations and increased attention to them

What is exposure therapy?

Gradual confrontation of feared stimuli

Core feature of anxiety disorders?

Avoidance behaviour

What are the two main types of mood disorders?

Depressive and bipolar disorders

Core symptom of depression?

Depressed mood or anhedonia

What is anhedonia?

Loss of pleasure in activities

What is dysthymia?

Chronic, long-lasting mild depression

Difference between MDD and dysthymia?

MDD is more severe; dysthymia lasts longer

What is melancholia?

A severe form of depression

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Depression linked to seasonal changes

Treatment for SAD?

Light therapy

What is mania?

Elevated or irritable mood with increased energy

Symptoms of mania?

Increased energy, reduced need for sleep, grandiosity, risky behaviour

What defines Bipolar I disorder?

At least one manic episode

What defines Bipolar II disorder?

Hypomania and major depression

What is hypomania?

A less severe form of mania without major impairment

Why does mania rule out MDD?

Because it indicates bipolar disorder

How common is recurrence in depression?

Most people have 1–2 additional episodes

What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

Hallucinations, delusions, disorganised speech

What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Alogia, avolition, anhedonia

What is alogia?

Poverty of speech

What is avolition?

Lack of motivation

What is anhedonia in schizophrenia?

Loss of pleasure

What are the phases of schizophrenia?

Prodromal, active, residual

What is schizophreniform disorder?

Psychotic symptoms lasting 1–6 months

What is delusional disorder?

Presence of delusions with otherwise normal functioning

Who coined the term schizophrenia?

Eugen Bleuler

What is expressed emotion?

Family criticism and hostility toward the patient

What does high expressed emotion predict?

Relapse in schizophrenia

What predicts better outcomes in schizophrenia?

No family history, acute onset, better functioning

Mania with no depression indicates what?

Bipolar I disorder

Long-lasting mild depression indicates what?

Dysthymia

Loss of pleasure indicates what?

Anhedonia

Avoidance plus fear indicates what?

Phobia

Psychotic symptoms lasting 1–6 months indicate what?

Schizophreniform disorder

Removal of unpleasant stimulus increases behaviour is called what?

Negative reinforcement

Vulnerability plus stress leads to what model?

Diathesis-stress model