u4 aos2 psych based off ms byers notes

Mental wellbeing

The psychological state involving the ability to think clearly, process information, regulate emotions and function effectively in everyday life.

Mental wellbeing as a continuum

Mental wellbeing exists on a low-to-high continuum and is not static. It can fluctuate over time depending on internal and external factors.

Functioning

How well a person can independently and effectively carry out everyday tasks, including personal, social, emotional and school/work activities.

Examples of functioning

Daily living skills, interpersonal relationships, cognitive skills, school/work life and leisure activities.

Resilience

The ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty and regain positive functioning.

How can resilience protect mental wellbeing?

It helps individuals cope with challenges and change and return to positive functioning after difficulties.

Internal factors

Factors that originate within the individual, such as biological or psychological factors.

External factors

Factors that originate outside the individual, such as social, cultural or environmental factors.

Stress

A psychobiological response to internal or external stressors that exceeds an individual's perceived ability to cope.

Adaptive stress

Stress can be adaptive when it motivates a person to take action.

Acute vs chronic stress

Acute stress is short-term and involves adrenaline. Chronic stress is prolonged and involves cortisol.

Anxiety

A state of heightened arousal involving unpleasant feelings of apprehension or uneasiness that something is wrong or something unpleasant may happen.

Adaptive anxiety

Anxiety can be adaptive when it motivates a person to take action.

Phobia

A persistent, irrational and excessive fear of a specific stimulus that causes distress and dysfunction and leads to avoidance behaviours.

How does a phobia affect mental wellbeing?

It can reduce functioning because the fear causes distress, interferes with daily life and leads to avoidance behaviours.

Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB)

A multidimensional and holistic framework that places the individual within interconnected relationships/domains, recognising all elements of being.

What does multidimensional mean in SEWB?

Wellbeing consists of different interconnected components that influence one another.

What does holistic mean in SEWB?

It considers the whole person, including mind, spirit, family, community, Culture and Country, recognising that these elements are interconnected.

Why can SEWB vary between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?

SEWB can vary across different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language groups and changes across the lifespan.

Body and behaviours

Feeling strong and healthy so a person can participate fully in life.

Mind and emotions

Being able to manage thoughts and emotions.

Family and kinship

Family provides a sense of belonging and value.

Community

Connecting with individuals and families to work together and support each other.

Culture

Provides a sense of belonging and supports a strong identity.

Country

Underpins identity and a sense of belonging.

Spirit, spirituality and ancestors

Provides a sense of purpose and meaning.

How are the SEWB elements connected?

They are interconnected, meaning a change in one element can influence other elements and overall wellbeing.

Biopsychosocial approach

An integrated approach recognising that biological, psychological and social factors combine and interact to influence one’s health and wellbeing

Biological factors contributing to specific phobia

GABA dysfunction and long-term potentiation (LTP).

Psychological factors contributing to specific phobia

Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, cognitive bias, memory bias and catastrophic thinking.

Social factors contributing to specific phobia

Specific environmental triggers and stigma around seeking treatment.

Why is the biopsychosocial approach useful for understanding phobias?

It recognises that biological, psychological and social factors interact, rather than one factor alone causing the phobia.

GABA

The primary inhibitory neurotransmitter that makes the postsynaptic neuron less likely to fire, helping regulate arousal and fear.

GABA dysfunction

A failure to produce, release or receive the correct amount of GABA needed to regulate neurotransmission.

How can GABA dysfunction contribute to a phobia?

Insufficient GABA can cause increased nervous system arousal, making the stress/fear response easier to trigger.

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

A long-lasting strengthening of neural connections that are repeatedly co-activated with high-intensity stimulation.

How can LTP perpetuate a phobia?

Repeated fear responses strengthen the neural connection between the phobic stimulus and fear response, making the fear response faster, stronger and harder to extinguish.

Classical conditioning

A learning process where a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus, eventually producing a conditioned fear response.

Classical conditioning — before conditioning

The neutral stimulus (NS) produces no relevant response, while the UCS naturally produces a UCR (fear).

Classical conditioning — during conditioning

The NS is repeatedly paired with the UCS, producing the UCR (fear).

Classical conditioning — after conditioning

The NS becomes the conditioned stimulus (CS) and produces a conditioned response (CR) of fear by itself.

Classical conditioning and phobia

Classical conditioning can precipitate/cause a phobia by creating an association between a stimulus and fear.

Operant conditioning

A learning process where the consequences of behaviour influence how likely that behaviour is to occur again.

Operant conditioning in phobias

Avoidance behaviour is negatively reinforced because avoiding the phobic stimulus removes the unpleasant fear/anxiety, increasing the likelihood of avoidance happening again.

A-B-C model of operant conditioning for phobia

A — Antecedent: seeing/thinking about the phobic stimulus. B — Behaviour: avoidance. C — Consequence: negative reinforcement because fear/anxiety is reduced.

Positive vs negative reinforcement in phobia questions

Negative reinforcement: the person avoids the stimulus and an unpleasant feeling is removed. Positive reinforcement: someone receives a pleasant stimulus, such as comfort, which strengthens their behaviour.

Cognitive bias

A systematic error in thinking that can influence how a person interprets situations.

Memory bias

A cognitive bias where recall of past events is distorted, often towards negative aspects.

Catastrophic thinking

A cognitive bias involving overestimating or exaggerating a situation and predicting the worst possible outcome.

Easy way to remember memory bias vs catastrophic thinking

Memory bias = PAST → remembers negative events more strongly. Catastrophic thinking = FUTURE → predicts the worst outcome.

Specific environmental triggers

Stimuli or experiences in the environment that provoke a strong stress/fear response, contributing to development of a phobia.

How can an environmental trigger cause a phobia?

A negative experience can produce an extreme stress response, contributing to development of a phobia. It may occur directly or through seeing/reading about someone else's experience.

Stigma around seeking treatment

Negative attitudes and beliefs in the wider community that can cause shame, embarrassment or fear of judgement, discouraging a person from seeking treatment.

How can stigma perpetuate a phobia?

Stigma can discourage someone from seeking treatment, allowing the phobia to continue for longer.

Evidence-based intervention

An intervention whose effectiveness is supported by valid, reliable and peer-reviewed scientific research.

Why use evidence-based interventions?

To ensure the intervention is supported by scientific evidence and has demonstrated effectiveness.

Benzodiazepines

Short-acting anti-anxiety medications that act as GABA agonists, amplifying GABA's inhibitory effects to quickly reduce physiological arousal.

GABA agonist

A drug that stimulates/amplifies GABA's inhibitory activity, making postsynaptic neurons less likely to fire.

How do benzodiazepines treat phobic anxiety?

They amplify GABA's inhibitory effects, reducing nervous system arousal and producing a calming effect.

Limitation of benzodiazepines

They do not address the underlying source/stressor or provide coping strategies, and long-term use can cause dependence.

Breathing retraining

Teaching a person to consciously control their rate and depth of breathing to reduce physiological arousal during anxiety.

How does breathing retraining reduce anxiety?

Slower, controlled breathing reduces sympathetic nervous system dominance caused by hyperventilation and promotes parasympathetic nervous system dominance, reducing physiological arousal.

Examples of breathing retraining techniques

Box breathing and inhaling through the nose and exhaling through pursed lips.

CBT

A psychotherapy based on the assumption that thoughts influence feelings and behaviours, and changing thoughts can change behaviours and vice versa.

Cognitive component of CBT

Identifies and challenges negative/maladaptive thoughts and replaces them with more realistic/adaptive thoughts.

Behavioural component of CBT

Identifies and changes maladaptive behaviours, particularly avoidance behaviours.

Systematic desensitisation

A behaviour therapy based on classical conditioning that aims to replace an anxiety response with a relaxation response when exposed to a phobic stimulus.

Step 1 of systematic desensitisation

Learn a relaxation technique with a therapist.

Step 2 of systematic desensitisation

Develop a fear hierarchy with the therapist from least to most fearful.

Step 3 of systematic desensitisation

Gradually work through the hierarchy while pairing exposure with relaxation.

Step 4 of systematic desensitisation

The person must demonstrate a relaxed response before progressing to the next level.

Final goal of systematic desensitisation

The person can encounter the phobic stimulus while producing a relaxation response instead of anxiety.

Psychoeducation

Providing individuals/families with information about the phobia, its nature and contributing factors, while challenging unrealistic thoughts and avoidance behaviours.

Is psychoeducation a therapy?

NO. It is a social intervention, not a therapy.

Who receives psychoeducation for phobia?

The family/supporters, rather than the individual experiencing the phobia.

What should family/supporters learn through psychoeducation?

To challenge unrealistic/anxious thoughts and not encourage avoidance behaviours.

Protective factors

Factors that enhance wellbeing and reduce the occurrence of mental health problems.

Biological protective factors

Adequate nutrition and hydration plus adequate sleep.

Benefits of adequate nutrition and hydration

Supports brain/body function, improves sleep and energy, enhances mood and promotes positive mental wellbeing.

Benefits of adequate sleep

Allows cells/tissues to repair, replenishes bodily resources, releases hormones, consolidates memories and improves mental wellbeing.

Cognitive behavioural strategies

Techniques based on the idea that thoughts, emotions and behaviours are interconnected, allowing people to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.

Cognitive strategies

Identify and change maladaptive thoughts into adaptive/functional thoughts.

Behavioural strategies

Identify and change maladaptive behaviours into adaptive/functional behaviours.

Are cognitive behavioural strategies the same as CBT?

NO. They are strategies learned from CBT that are then applied in everyday life to maintain wellbeing.

Mindfulness meditation

Focusing attention on the present moment, including breathing, thoughts, feelings and sensations, while accepting them without judgement.

How can mindfulness protect mental wellbeing?

It can promote calm and awareness of the present moment, helping manage thoughts, feelings and physiological arousal.

Social support

Support from family, friends and community that helps maintain wellbeing through connection, empathy and assistance.

What MUST social support be?

Authentic and energising.

Authentic social support

Support that is genuine, real and down-to-earth.

Energising social support

Support that provides vitality and enthusiasm.

How does social support protect mental wellbeing?

It helps individuals feel valued, accepted and understood, improving mental wellbeing.

Cultural determinants

Factors related to culture that can act as protective factors for wellbeing by strengthening identity, belonging, resilience and positive mental wellbeing.

Why is culture important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing?

Health and wellbeing are connected to spirituality, land and culture. Strong cultural connections can support identity, belonging, resilience and mental wellbeing.

Impact of colonisation on wellbeing

Colonisation disrupted connections to culture and contributed to poorer health outcomes, psychological suffering, intergenerational/transgenerational trauma and social/political disadvantage.

Cultural continuity

The transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural knowledge, traditions and connection to Country across generations.

Examples of cultural continuity

Continuing storytelling, language, art and ceremonies and maintaining connection to Country.

How does cultural continuity protect mental wellbeing?

It strengthens cultural identity, belonging and community connection, supporting self-esteem, resilience, social connectedness, meaning and purpose.

Self-determination

The right and ability for individuals and communities to make decisions about their own political, cultural, social and economic development, including decisions affecting their health, education and governance.

How does self-determination protect mental wellbeing?

It promotes empowerment, autonomy and pride, which can improve mental wellbeing and reduce psychological distress.

How do biological, psychological and social factors interact in the biopsychosocial approach?

They interact and jointly influence mental wellbeing. For example, a biological vulnerability can interact with psychological thinking patterns and social/environmental experiences to influence wellbeing.