Unit 4 AOS 2

mental wellbeing

an individual’s psychological state, indicating their ability to think, process information and regulate emotions

levels of functioning

the degree to which an individual can complete day to day tasks in an independent and effective manner

resilience

a person’s ability to respond adaptively to stressful life events and cope with uncertainty

Social wellbeing

the ability for an individual to form and maintain meaningful bonds with others and adapt to different social situations

Emotional wellbeing

an individual’s ability to appropriately control and express their emotions in an adaptive way, as well as understand the emotions of others

SEWB

a framework that includes all elements of being and therefore wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Dimensions of SEWB

Connection to- culture, Country, family and kinship, mind and emotions, body, spirit spirituality and ancestors, community

Holistic

it considers the whole person and takes into account their social, spiritual, physical and mental needs

social determinant

the circumstances in which people grown, live and work and the systems put in place to deal with illness

historical determinant

the ongoing influence of events, policies and trauma on groups of people

political determinant

political policies that shape the way resources and power is distributed to individuals and communities, and create or reinforce social and health inequalities

mental wellbeing continuum

a tool used to track fluctuating mental wellbeing

stress

a psychological and physiological experience that occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and/or efforts to cope

anxiety

a psychological and physiological response that involves feelings of worry or apprehension about a perceived threat

specific phobia

a diagnosable anxiety disorder that is characterised by an excessive and disproportionate fear when encountering or anticipating an encounter with the phobic stimulus

biopsychosocial approach

a holistic interdisciplinary framework used for understanding the human experience in terms of the influence of biological, psychological and social factors

GABA

A inhibitory neurotransmitter that supresses or slows down neural activity in the brain, it calms the stress responses

Long term potentiation

long lasting experience dependent changes to the strength in neural connections which results from repeated high intensity stimulation

precipitation

increases susceptibility to and occurence of phobia

classical conditioning

a form of learning that occurs due to repeated association between 2 stimuli which produces a naturally occurring response

perpetuation

inhibits recovery from phobia

operant conditioning

a 3 phase learning process that involves learning an association between a stimulus, a behaviour performed and the resulting consequence

cognitive biases

a predisposition to think and process information in a certain way

memory bias

the tendency to exaggerate or have inaccurate memories of the phobic stimulus

catastrophic thinking

the tendency to predict the stimulus or event to be worse than it actually is

specific environmental trigger

refers to specific objects or situations in the environment that has caused or triggered an extreme fear response

agonist

a drug that binds to the receptor of a neuron and causes the same action as the neurotransmitter that usually binds to that receptor

benzodiazepine

a type of medication that depresses the central nervous system activity and is often used as a short acting anxiety medication

breathing retraining

a method used to teach breathing control techniques that may reduce physiological arousal when in the presence of the phobic stimulus

Cognitive behavioural therapy

a form of psychotherapy that encourages individuals to change unhealthy thoughts and actions into more adaptive and healthy behaviours

Systematic desensitisation

the patient is exposed to anxiety-inducing stimuli in a staged way whilst practicing relaxation techniques at each stage until phobia is eleminated

psychoeducation

teaching families and supporters of individuals with phobias how to better understand, deal with and treat their disorder

protective factors

infleunces that enable an individual to promote and maintain high levels of wellbeing

sleep

a regular and naturally occurring altered state of consciousness that involves a loss of awareness and disengagement of internal and external stimuli

cultural continuity

the passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, tradition and values from generation to generation

self determination

the rights of all peoples to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development without outside interference

cognitive behavioural strategies

techniques that are used to focus on and change unhealthy thought patterns and behavioural patterns

mindfulness meditation

a practice of meditation in which an individual focuses on their present moment and promotes feelings of calm and peace

support

the authentic and energising assistance provided by friends, family and community