Psychological Problems - GCSE

Mental health problem

Diagnosable conditions that affect an individual's thoughts, feelings and behaviours, making them less able to cope and function in everyday life and society.

Incidence of mental health problem

How often mental health problems occurs.

Cultural variations in beliefs about mental health problems

How understanding and recognition of mental health problems differ between different cultures.

Increased challenges of modern living

Economic deprivation has been suggested as one challenge.
Social isolation as well, especially for elderly people.

Characteristics of mental health

Signs of being mentally well e.g. a sense of purpose, getting up in the morning, getting dressed etc.

Increased recognition of the nature of mental health problems

An understanding of what mental health problems look like.

Lessening of social stigma

Labelling people creates expectations (a stigma). The term 'mental health problems' creates less stigma.

Damage to relationships

Mental health problems affect the two-way communication relationships need

Difficulties coping with day to day life

Mental health problems can affect how someone can live their everyday life e.g. being unable to dress, unable to clean etc.

Negative impact on physical wellbeing

Mental health problems can impact immune system as produce too much cortisol which suppresses the immune system. Leads to people becoming physically ill.

Social care

Helping those unable to meet social needs. As mental health problems increase, we need to spend more money on social care to help people.

Implications for the economy

McCrone report: Care of mentally ill costs £22 billion per year. Cheaper drug treatments needed.

Increased crime rates

Myths about mental health is a link with crime and violence - e.g. 4x times increased risk than 'normal' population (Walsh et al 2002) however this can be explained by other factors such as isolation, standard of living, substance abuse etc.

Sadness

A common emotional reaction which involves feeling sorrow in response to an unpleasant, hurtful or unhappy experience or memory.

Clinical depression

Medical condition characterised by consistent low mood and low energy levels, involving behavioural/emotional/cognitive characteristics.

Unipolar depression

•A mood disorder that results in people feeling continually sad, losing interest and enjoyment in everyday life and having reduced energy and activity levels.

Bipolar depression

Mood disorder that causes a person's mood, energy, and activity levels to move between being depressed or manic.

Nature

the influence of our inherited characteristics on our personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that affects hunger,sleep, arousal, and mood.

Synaptic Transmission

The relaying of information across the synapse by means of chemical neurotransmitters.

Cognitive approach

An approach to psychology emphasizing the mental processes involved in knowing: how we direct our attention, perceive, remember, think, and solve problems.

Faulty thinking

a thought process in which a person ignores or denies factors or believes false information

Negative schemas

Beck believes people become depressed because the world is seen through negative schemas. Beck perceived negative schemas as developing in childhood and adolescence, when authority figures place unreal demands on them, as well as being highly critical. These negative schemas are fuelled by cognitive biases.

Negative triad

In Beck's theory of depression, a person's negative views of the self, the world, and the future, in a reciprocal causal relationship with pessimistic assumptions (schemas) and cognitive biases such as selective abstraction.

Attributions

inferences that people draw about the causes of events, others' behavior, and their own behavior

Internal attribution

the inference that a person is behaving in a certain way because of something about the person, such as attitude, character, or personality

Stable attribution

Inference that a person is behaving in a certain way and has over a long period of time.

Global attribution

The belief that an event is caused by factors that apply in a large number of situations (e.g., your intelligence, which will influence your performance in many areas) rather than factors that are specific and apply in only a limited number of situations (e.g., your musical ability, which will affect your performance in music courses but not in other courses).

SSRI

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor - an antidepressant. It is stopping serotonin molecules being taken back into the presynaptic neuron so that more serotonin is left in the synaptic cleft.

Antidepressant medication

•A form of medication used to prevent and treat depression and some other conditions (eg anxiety, OCD). An example is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which increase amounts of serotonin in the synaptic cleft.
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Holistic

belief that our understanding of human behaviour is more complete if we consider the 'bigger picture' rather than focusing on the constituent parts.

Reductionist

•belief that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into smaller constituent parts, mainly the biological building parts of our bodies.

Presynaptic neuron

neuron that sends the signal, before the synaptic cleft.

Synaptic cleft

Gaps between the 2 neurons.

Postsynaptic neuron

neuron that receives the signal after the synaptic cleft

CBT

method for treating mental health problems based on both cognitive and behaviour techniques. From the cognitive viewpoint, the therapy aims to deal with thinking, such as challenging negative thoughts. From a behaviour viewpoint, the therapy includes techniques for developing more positive behaviour, such as behaviour activation.

Irrational thoughts

Also called dysfunctional thoughts. In Ellis's model and therapy, these are defined as thoughts that are likely to interfere with a person's happiness. Such dysfunctional thoughts lead to mental disorders such as depression.

Behavioural activation

plan a pleasant activity once a day to create positive emotions and improve mood.

Disputing

Challenging an irrational belief

Addiction

A mental health problem in which an individual's repeated behaviour or substance use results in them becoming entirely focused on the behaviour or substance. Withdrawal symptoms will occur without regular engagement in the behaviour or use of the substance.

Dependence

Frequently using a substance or carrying out a behaviour can result in a compulsion to continue such behaviours/use. When the behaviour is not repeated or the substance is not present, withdrawal symptoms will occur.

Substance Abuse

Using a substance in a way that is harmful or dangerous, often the result of consistent use or misuse.

Substance Misuse

Using a substance in ways, or in quantities, that may be damaging and that is different to the recommended manner of use.

Withdrawal symptoms

Worse than normal when cut down/stop using substance

A srong desire to use the substance

Sense of compulsion to use the substance

Persisting despite harm

Continues to take substance despite individual being aware of negative consequences due to the substance.

Difficulty in controlling use

May have issues stopping usage/limiting usage

Higher priority given to substance

Substance use matters more to them than anything else.

Tolerance

Need higher doses of the substance to achieve effects produced by originally lower doses.

Genes

consist of DNA strands which are transmitted from parents to offspring (i.e. inherited). DNA produces instructions for general physical features of an organism such as eye colour and specific physical features such as size of brain structures. These physical differences may impact on psychological features.

Genetic vulnerability

Having a biological predisposition/susceptibility towards developing conditions or disorders that can be hereditary.

Heredity factors

genetic information passed from parent to child.

MZ

identical twins

DZ

fraternal twins

Genetic explanation of addiction

An explanation that looks at physical influences such as neurotransmitters or genetics to explain addiction.

Biological explanation of depression

An explanation that looks at physical influences such as neurotransmitters or genetics to explain depression.

Psychological explanation of depression

An explanation that looks at non-physical influences such as the influence of other people or how we think to explain depression.

Psychological explanation of addiction

An explanation that looks at non-physical influences such as the influence of other people or how we think to explain addiction.

Peer influence

•The effect that those who are similar to us can have on our opinions, behaviours and choices.

Social Learning Theory

•the idea that we learn what to do and how to think by observing others and then imitating their behaviour. We are more likely to imitate behaviour if we are rewarded for doing so and if we are similar to them or admire them.

Social Norms

•behaviour/belief that is standard, usual or typical of a group of people.

Social Identity Theory

•try to behave and think like your group in order to be accepted by them.

Aversion Therapy

A treatment to help people stop undesirable behaviours (eg substance abuse). The person experiences some form of discomfort when carrying out the undesirable behaviour. This results in the behaviour becoming associated with the discomfort and therefore being less likely to be engaged in, in the future.

Classical Conditioning

learning via association - 2 stimuli will become associated if they frequently occur together

Neutral Stimulus

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning

Conditioned Stimulus

in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response

Unconditioned Stimulus

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response.

Conditioned Response

a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus

Unconditioned Response

In classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food is in the mouth.

12 step recovery programme

A type of self-help group that gives group members 12 principles to follow in order to be able to stop using drugs, alcohol, etc.

Self help group

•A number of individuals who gather together in order to provide mutual support for one other.

Self management programme

•Educational programmes in addition to regular treatment and disease-specific education that are aimed at supporting and empowering people so that they can take responsibility for their own wellbeing.

Isolation

Minimal or little contact; The feeling of loneliness or being distant from others.

International Classification of Disease

A globally used list of symptoms and features of physical and mental health problems. Provides standard measures for diagnosis.

Severity of Symptoms

what intensity the symptoms are.

Low mood

•depressed mood, nearly every day - e.g. sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, tearful etc.

Energy levels

Capacity for carrying out physical activity: in a depressive episode, sufferer may have reduced levels of energy (e.g. lethargic)

Sleep patterns

•in a depressive episode, sleep is disrupted from usual - may have reduced sleep (e.g. insomnia) or increased sleep (e.g. hypersomnia)

Appetite levels

An automatic physical need, especially to eat or drink: in a depressive episode, appetite is disrupted from usual - may have reduced appetite (leading to weight loss) or increased appetite (leading to weight gain).

Self confidence

A sense of trust in your own capabilities, qualities, opinions and choices: in a depressive episode, sufferer may have less self-esteem and self-belief in themselves.