PSYCHOLOGY PHOBIA AND MENTAL WELLBEING

Mental health continuum

Represents varying levels of mental wellbeing that change over time.

Mentally healthy

Refers to a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to their community.

Mental health problem

Refers to a mild and temporary disruption to an individual's usual level of social and emotional wellbeing.

Mental disorder

Refers to psychological dysfunction that usually involves impairment in coping ability and atypical or inappropriate thoughts, feelings or behaviours.

Characteristics of mentally healthy people

High levels of functioning, resilience and emotional and social wellbeing.

High level of functioning

Being able to interact in society, cope with everyday stressors and undertake everyday tasks such as personal hygiene, employment, social interactions.

High level of resilience

Being able to adapt and cope with life challenges to restore positive functioning.

High level of social wellbeing

Strong communication skills, good at conflict resolution, strong support network, respectful.

High level of emotional wellbeing

Strong ability to understand and regulate emotions, enjoy life despite occasional disappointments.

Protective factor

Any characteristic or event that improves wellbeing.

Risk factor

Any characteristic or event that impairs levels of mental wellbeing.

Biological factors

Physiologically-based influences.

Psychological factors

Mental processes such as the way we think, remember or process information.

Social factors

Refers to our skills at interacting with others as well as our relationships.

Biopsychosocial model

Describes and explains how biological, psychological and social factors interact to influence a person's physical and mental health. They should be considered in terms of diagnosis and treatment.

SEWB framework

A multi-dimensional and holistic framework which considers the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Connection to body

Biological elements of physical health - feeling strong and healthy and able to physically participate as fully as possible in life.

Connection to mind and emotions

Importance of mental health and wellbeing, including distress and positive emotions and ability to manage thoughts and feelings.

Connection to family and kinship

Importance of family and wider kinship groups.

Connection to community

Importance of cohesion with community and cultural identities, ability to connect with and support each other.

Connection to culture

Importance of sense of pride and belonging to cultural identity and practices, sense of continuity with the past.

Connection to Country

Deep spiritual connection to, and respect for, Country.

Connection to spirituality and ancestors

Recognising the relationship between human and non-human beings, as well as the past, present and future, provides a sense of purpose and meaning.

Determinants of Wellbeing

Historical, social, political and cultural factors which influence strength of connection to the 7 domains.

External factors

Factors that originate outside a person.

Internal factors

Factors that originate from within a person.

Biological protective factors

Includes adequate nutrition, hydration and sleep.

Social protective factors

Includes authentic and energising social support.

Psychological protective factors

Includes cognitive behavioural strategies and mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness meditation

The practice of observing the present moment, suspending judgements, and focusing on something calm and peaceful.

Cognitive behavioural strategies

Strategies which focus on replacing unhealth or unhelpful thinking patterns with more helpful ways of thinking, which can then influence behaviour and mood.

Culture

A way of life that is shared and learned and preserved over time.

Cultural determinants of wellbeing

Cultural factors that influence health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Cultural continuity

The ability to preserve the historical traditions of a culture and carry them forward into the future.

Self determination

The ability to freely make decisions on matters that affect one's own life.

Specific phobia

A persistent, intense, irrational fear of a specific object or event, often leading to avoidance behaviours

GABA

Inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that makes post-synaptic neurons less likely to fire.

Dysfunctional GABA system

A failure to produce, release or receive the correct about of GABA.

Long term potentiation

Long-lasting strengthening of synaptic connections due to repeated stimulation of the same neural pathways, resulting in enhanced neural transmission.

Behavioural models

Suggest that phobias are learned through experience. They can be precipitated by classical conditioning and perpetuated through operant conditioning.

Classical conditioning

Can precipitate a phobia.

Operant conditioning

Can perpetuate a phobia.

Avoidance behaviour

Actions a person takes to escape from difficult thoughts and feelings related to their phobia stimulus.

Cognitive model

A model that describes how people's perceptions of situations influence their emotional and behavioral reactions.

Cognitive biases

A tendency to think in a way that involves errors of judgement and faulty decision-making.

Memory bias

Distorted thinking that enhances or impairs the recall of a memory or alters its content.

Catastrophic thinking

A cognitive bias that involves overestimating and exaggerating the worst possible outcomes to situations even though they are unlikely to occur.

Specific environmental trigger

A negative, traumatic experience with a specific object that results in the development of a fear response.

Stigma

A sign of shame or disgrace associated with a particular attribute that sets a person apart, such as a mental disorder.

Evidence based intervention

A treatment shown to be effective in valid and reliable research studies.

Biological intervention

A treatment targeting physiological mechanisms believed to contribute to a condition.

Agonist

Drugs that mimic or enhance the action of a neurotransmitter by binding to the post-synaptic neuron.

Benzodiazepines

A GABA agonist that makes post-synaptic neurons less likely to fire, which regulates anxiety.

Breathing retraining

An anxiety management technique that involves teaching someone with a specific phobia how to consciously control their breathing and slow it down when in the presence of their phobic stimulus.

Psychological intervention

Treatment that uses activities such as psychotherapy to modify thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

An intervention comprising a range of cognitive and behavioural therapies to help people identify, challenge and change unhelpful thought processes, feelings and behaviours to more helpful ones.

Systematic desensitisation

Involves progressively introducing a person to varying levels of their phobic stimulus while using relaxation techniques until their fear response is replaced by a relaxation response.

Fear hierarchy

A list of anxiety-inducing experiences relating to the patient's phobia, from least fear-inducing to most fear-inducing.

Social intervention

An intervention designed to increase social support for people with a mental disorder.

Psychoeducation

The process of providing information to family and friends to increase their understanding of the disorder and how to support those people close to them with a specific phobia.

Stress

State of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors that are perceived by the individual as exceeding their ability to cope.

Anxiety

State of physiological arousal associated with feelings of apprehension, worry, or uneasiness about something in the future.