Psychological Well-being

Psychology of mental health

what is psychological well-being?

a spectrum of experience from positive to negative that vary in accordance to current emotions and personal situations

what is well-being in line with and why is this problematic?

in line with social norms and values, which can be problematic as it places focus on social constructs that may not accurately reflect wellness

what is considered normal in terms of well-being?

when a person is living/functioning in a normal way, so experience good/ acceptable levels of well-being

measuring well-being?

objective well-being

subjective well-being: affective, hedonic, eudemonic, global life satisfaction, cognitive

what is resilience?

our ability to adapt and recover from stress, adversity or challenges while maintaining/ regaining mental health and well-being

especially through mental, emotional and behavioural flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands

what is resilience influenced by?

the ways we view and engage with the world

the availability and quality of social resources

specific coping strategies

what is the science of well-being?

positive psychology: scientific study of how to live a healthy and fulfilling life with a focus on promoting well-being rather than identifying and treating mental health problems

what is mental health?

a spectrum of experience from positive to negative that everyone will inhabit different parts of at different stages of their lives

what is an indicator of mental health problems?

the manner in which individuals cope with stressful/ unpleasant situations rather than the presence or absence of stress

connection between mental health and well-being?

they are related but not mutually exclusive

what is distress?

the experience of poor mental health and is a reference to all the different kinds of difficult/ unusual experiences associated with psychiatric diagnoses

what is stress?

a normal reaction to environmental or internal worries and is adaptive in nature

distress occurs when stress is severe, prolonged or both

what characterises negative mental health?

maladaptive responses to situations

interferences with usual functioning

relation to distress ot discomfort

what are mental health problems?

the negative end of the mental health spectrum, characterised by distressing, disruptive and atypical responses to situations

what are the ways of thinking about experiences/ symptoms of mental health problems?

cognitive

emotional

behavioural

what are mood disorders?

persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, negative thoughts and reduction in time spent doing things a person used to enjoy

diagnosed if 5 or more symptoms are present for at least 2 weeks

prevalence of hallucinations in the general population?

up to 10% of the general population hear voices at some point in their life

up to 37.5% of people experience hallucinations from any of the 5 sense in their life, e.g. hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling or tasting

what are Phantom Phone Signals?

a modern common phenomena where a sensation that your phone is vibrating, ringing or making a notification sound is experienced, when it is not

up to 58% of young people have experienced this

it is generally infrequent, non-distressing and non-disruptive

what is the Game Transfer Phenomena?

a common phenomena in the video-gaming community, where sensory perceptions, mental processes and behaviours relating to video games and their environment are experienced

what are grief related hallucination?

hearing, seeing, selling or sensing the presence of a lost loved one

associated with prolonged grief, PTSD, depressive symptoms and emotional loneliness

what are the positive symptoms of psychotic illnesses?

hallucinations

delusions

disordered speech

what are the negative symptoms of psychotic illnesses?

loss or decrease in the ability to initiate plans, speak, express emotions or find pleasure

what are the disorganised symptoms of psychotic illnesses?

confused or disordered thinking and speech

trouble with logical thinking

bizarre behaviour or abnormal movements

psychosis vs hallucinations?

when hearing voices/ sounds with no clear source becomes distressing either due to content or frequency, this is a possible sign of a mental health condition like psychosis

how common are mental health problems?

25% of the population will experience some kind of mental health problem

global prevalence= 12.5%

depression- 18%, nearly 1 in 5

schizophrenia- 0.7%, less than 1 in 100

maintaining and improving well-being?

summarised in the 5 ways to well-being:

connect

be active

be mindful

keep learning

give back

what is authentic happiness theory?

3 routes to happiness via 3 happiness types:

the pleasant life (pleasures, hedonism)

the good life (engagement, desires)

the meaningful life (finding meaning, value in the world beyond the self)

how is authentic happiness theory achieved?

using strengths to meet challenges

incorporating strengths like kindness and optimism into your everyday

discovering and using strengths in different settings

learning how to experience positive behavioural changes after stressful events

what is the PERMA model?

builds on authentic happiness and identifies 5 elements that contribute ti a flourishing life:

positive emotions

engagement

relationships

meaning

accomplishment

role of positive emotions?

displaying a positive attitude too frequently with no purpose becomes boring and meaningless

negative emotions also play a part in positive well-being

what can suppressing negative emotions lead to?

cognitive dissonance, which is the state of discomfort that occurs when your actions don’t match your feelings or beliefs