psychological problems

What are the cultural variations surrounding mental health

In the western world, hearing voices is categorised as hallucination and as a symptom of schizophrenia, but in other areas of the world, like India, it can be seen as a positive experience

Name 3 individual effects of mental health problems

Damage to relationships

Difficulties coping with day to day life

Negative impact on physical wellbeing

Name 3 social effects of mental health problems

Need for more social care

Increased crime rates

Costs a lot of money

What are the 2 types of depression

unipolar depression and bipolar depression

What is unipolar depression

When a person only experiences the emotional state of depression.

What is bipolar depression

Alternating cycles of mania (hyperactivity and increased drive) and deep depression

How is a person diagnosed with depression

mild depression)- 2key symptoms and 2 others

4 or more symptoms is moderate and 7 is severe depression.

The symptoms should be present all or most of the time, and be for longer than 2 weeks

What are the 3 key symptoms of depression

Low mood

Loss of interest and pleasure

Reduced energy levels

What are the 3 other symptoms

Changes in sleep patterns

Changes in appetite

Decrease in self confidence

What is the biological explanation of depression

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and when serotonin levels are low, levels at the synapse are low, resulting in low mood. (QUITE WEAK EXPLANATION)

What is an advantage of the biological explanation of depression

supportive reasearch- A study by McNeal and Cimbolic compared serotonin levels in depressed people and a control groups.

What is a disadvantage of the biological explanation of depression

correlation is not causation- low serotonin could be an effect of depression instead of cause

What is the psychological explanation of depression (2 points)

faulty thinking)-A person pays more attention to negative than positive glass half empty of full

Negative schema's)A schema is a package of ideas and if you have a negative one, you are likely to interpret all information negatively

What are attributions and what are the 3 types

Attribution is the process of explaining behaviour

internal

stable

global

Give an advantage of the psychological explanation of depression

Real world applications- This explanation is used to create a treatment called CBT

Give a disadvantage of the psychological explanation of depression

They might be realistic- There are times where a person is sad and just because they are does not mean they are depressed

What is serotonin, and how is it linked to depression?

Serotonin: A neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation.

Release Process: Stored in vesicles in neurons and released into the synaptic cleft.

Connection to Depression: Low levels are linked to depressive symptoms.

What are SSRIs and what is their main function?

SSRI: Stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor.

Purpose: Common antidepressant used to increase serotonin levels.

Action: Blocks reuptake of serotonin in the brain.

Effect: Leaves more serotonin in the synaptic cleft for mood improvement

What is the normal function of serotonin in the brain and what do SSRI's do to chnage it

Normal Process:Serotonin crosses the synaptic cleft and binds to postsynaptic receptors.After signaling, it's reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron.

SSRI Action:Blocks the reuptake transporter in the presynaptic neuron.This prevents serotonin from being reabsorbed too quickly.Results in more serotonin available in the synaptic cleft, potentially improving mood.

What is an advantage of antidepressants

It is easy for a person to take. A person in a deep depression may not be able to do CBT and a pill may be an easy thing fro them to do

What is a disadvantage of antidepressants

They have side effects like nausea insomnia and weight loss or gain, making a patient feel like the medicine is not helping them

What are the 3 main points of CBT and explain them

Cognitive- Focuses on making the patient think positively

Behaviour- to make a person change their behaviour e.g do a good thing every day

Dealing with irrational thoughts- therapist challenges patient's thoughts, like asking for proof. Client deals with their thoughts by keeping a thought diary

What is an advantage of CBT

Holistic- It focuses on the bigger picture rather than the small parts. Approaches how the person sees and thinks

What is a disadvantage of CBT

It is not for everybody- It takes a lot of time and thought and some people are not willing to do that

Wiles' study aim

To investigate the effect of using CBT+ antidepressants instead of just using antidepressants

Wiles' study method

469 participants with treatment-resistant depression and they were randomly assigned to 1. antidepressants only 2. Antidepressants + CBT

Wiles' study results

after 6 months, 90% stayed in the study. 21.6& of usual care had a more than 50% reduction in symptoms whereas with CBT, there was 46.1&

Wiles' study conclusion

CBT plus anti depression medicine is more effective than just antidepressants

What is an advantage of Wiles' study

Real world application- Can be used by people to treat their depression as it is proved to help

What is a disadvantage of Wiles' study

The study used self-reporting methods to determine levels of depression. Some people may underestimate or overestimate their emotion, leaving the study lacking validity

What is the difference between dependence and addiction

Dependence is that a person needs a substance, like a person may be dependent on pain medication but addiction would be a person only taking the medication because is gives them a buzz. Also signalled by withdrawals

What is the difference between substance misuse and addiction

Misuse could be a person not following the rules of usage, like taking a drug more often than prescribed, but abuse is when the person's intention is for the outcome

What are the 6 characteristics to diagnose addiction

1. Strong desire to use the substance

2. Persisting despite harm

3. Difficulty controlling use

4. Higher priority given to the substance

5. Withdrawal state

6. Evidence of tolerance

What was the aim of Kaij's twin study of alcohol abuse

To see if alcoholism can be explained by hereditary factors

What was the method of Kaij's twin study of alcohol abuse

He got 310 male twins with at least one from temperance board data. He interviewed these twins to collect data on drinking habits to see if they were identical or non- identical . 48 identical and 126 non- identical to get 384 twins( numbers dont match up because sometimes both were on the board)

What were the results of Kaij's twin study of alcohol abuse

61% of identical were both alcoholic but 39% of non identical were

What was the conclusion of Kaij's twin study of alcohol abuse

Alcoholism is related to hereditary factors

What is an advantage of Kaij's twin study of alcohol abuse

Supportive research- A study by Kenneth kendler et al. used a larger sample and found the same pattern

What is a disadvantage of Kaij's twin study of alcohol abuse

Flaws - The information collected was self-reported, lowering validity

What is the social learning theory (peer influence as an explanation of addiction)

We learn by observing what others do and imitate the behaviours. We are also more likely to imitate somebody we admire and identify with

What are social norms (peer influence as an explanation of addiction)

We learn from our peer's behaviours and attitudes, and make rules with them

What is the social identity theory (peer influence as an explanation of addiction)

A person may feel pressure to conform to the social norms of their peer groups e.g. friends, football team, TV shows

What is an advantage of peer influence as an explanation of addiction

Supportive research- Bruce Simons-Morton and Tilds Farhat reviewed 40 studies into the relationship between peers and smoking and found a positive ascosication between the 2

What is a disadvantage of peer influence as an explanation of addiction

Could be peer selection- the people that a person chooses as their friends could influence their addiction

What is aversion therapy

Using classical conditioning- making a person hate something by making a negative association

How can aversion therapy be used to treat alcoholism

The alcoholic is given a drug that makes them want to throw up, like Antabuse, and before they vomit, they drink alcohol so they make a negative connection between the 2

How can aversion therapy be used to treat gambling

Using electric shocks. A gambler reads cards that either contain gambling or non-gambling related phrases. When they read a gambling related one, they are electrically shocked

How can aversion therapy be used to treat smoking

Rapid smoking- the smoker has to smoke a pack of cigarettes in a closed room

What is an advantage of aversion therapy

Holistic approach- Aversion therapy deals with behaviour directly, and CBT can add long lasting support

What is a disadvantage of aversion therapy

It is not long term- McConaghy et al. (1991) found that it helped for up to 1 month or a year but after that, it was not effective

Outline the 3 main points of the 12 step recovery program

Surrender control to a higher power

Admitting and sharing guilt

Lifelong process

Advantage of the 12 step recovery programmes

It is holistic- Helps a person deal with their emotions and guilt

Disadvantage of 12 step recovery programmes

Lack of clear evidence- Ferri et al. 2006 reported there were no significant differences between the effectiveness of this treatment compared to others