Key Concepts in Mental Health and Treatment

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key terminology and concepts related to mental health, prevention, and therapeutic approaches.

Health promotion

Efforts to promote well being by encouraging healthy behaviors.

Community psychology

Field focused on how social environments affect mental health and how to improve them.

Universal preventive intervention

Prevention given to everyone, regardless of risk.

Selective preventive intervention

Targets group at higher risk of developing a problem.

Indicated preventive intervention

Individuals already showing early signs or symptoms.

Risk reduction model

Approach that aims to lower risk factors and increase protective factors to prevent problems.

Risk factors

Conditions that increase the chance of developing a disorder.

Protective factors

Conditions that reduce risk and promote resilience.

Incidence rates

Number of new cases of a disorder in a population over a specific time period.

Number needed to treat (NNT)

How many people must receive a treatment for 1 person to benefit; lower NNT = more effective treatment.

Short-term psychodynamic therapy

Brief therapy focusing on unconscious conflicts and past relationships.

Transference

When a client projects feelings about important people (e.g., parents) on the therapist.

Interpersonal psychotherapy

Focuses on improving current relationships to reduce symptoms, often used for depression.

Process-experiential therapy

Helps clients fully experience and process emotions to promote change.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Targets thoughts and behaviors to change emotions and actions.

Self-efficacy

Belief in your ability to succeed or handle situations.

Self-administered treatment

Treatment done by the individual on their own.

Telehealth

Providing healthcare remotely (via video, phone, online).

Stepped care

Start with least intensive treatment, increase only if needed.

Randomized controlled trial

Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control to test effectiveness.

Meta-analysis

Combines results from many studies to find overall conclusions.

Effect size

Shows how strong a treatment effect is, not just if it works.

Clinical practice guidelines

Recommendations for treatment based on best research evidence.

Empirically supported treatment

Therapy proven effective through scientific studies based on judgment.

Open trial

Study with no control group; everyone gets the treatment.

Benchmarking strategy

Comparing real-world treatment results to results from research studies.

Coercive exchanges

Negative interaction pattern where people reinforce bad behavior.

Positive reinforcement

Adding a reward to increase a behavior.

Time out

Removing someone from a situation to reduce unwanted behavior.

Parental monitoring

Parents keeping track of a child's activities and behavior.

Ecological theory

Behavior is influenced by multiple levels: individual, family, community, society.

Mood monitoring

Tracking your emotions over time to notice patterns and triggers.

Psychoeducation

Teaching clients about their condition and coping strategies.

Process research

Studies what happens during therapy, such as interactions and techniques.

Process-outcome research

Examines how therapy processes lead to results.

Common factors

Shared elements in all therapies (e.g., trust, support) that drive improvement.

Reactance

When people resist being controlled and do the opposite.

Integrative treatment models

Combining multiple therapy approaches into one.

Therapeutic alliance

The trusting relationship between therapist and client.

Dodo bird verdict

Most therapies are equally effective due to common factors.

Evidence-based psychotherapy relationships

Research-based therapy relationships improve outcomes.

Empirically based principles of therapeutic change

General science-backed rules about what helps people improve in therapy.

Disability

Limitations in functioning due to physical or mental conditions.

Biopsychosocial model

Health is shaped by biological, psychological, and social factors.

Acute pain

Short term pain with a clear cause (e.g., injury).

Chronic pain

Long lasting pain (3+ months), often without a clear ongoing cause.

Sleep hygiene

Healthy habits that improve sleep quality.

Neuroanatomy

Study of the structure of the nervous system.

Neuropathology

Study of diseases/damage in the nervous system.

Risk assessment

Evaluating likelihood of harm (to self or others).

Recidivism

When someone returns to problematic behavior (often crime) after intervention.