mental wellbeing

social and emotional wellbeing framework

a holistic and multidimensiona framework that characterises all elements of being for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

mental wellbeing

an individual’s psychological state, including their ability to think, process information, and regulate emotions

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levels of functioning

the degree to which an individual can complete day-to-day tasks in an independent and effective manner.

resilience

 the ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty

Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB)

used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to describe the physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing of a person.

welbeing

a state in which an individual is mentally, physically, and socially healthy and secure

high levels of functioning

* carry out basic everyday tasks, such as maintaining personal hygiene and dressing appropriately
* be productive in completing daily tasks
* set goals and take steps towards achieving them
* be independent
* adapt to changes in the environment

Low levels of functioning

* struggle to carry out basic tasks, such as maintaining personal hygiene and dressing appropriately
* feel uncharacteristically lethargic or tired and thus be unproductive in achieving tasks
* lack direction or be able to set goals in life
* be unable to cope with changes in the environment

resilience

the ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty

High levels of resilience

* seek solutions to problems
* use appropriate coping strategies
* be flexible in changing circumstances
* be optimistic and hopeful

Low levels of resilience

* experience enduring feelings of being overwhelmed when problems arise
* rely on unhealthy or unhelpful coping strategies
* be unable to adapt to change
* lack hope and optimism.

high level of resilience can lead to

* high self-esteem
* more confidence in carrying out tasks
* increased coping flexibility, which enables them to adjust coping strategies to a range of stressors.

social wellbeing

the ability for an individual to form and maintain meaningful bonds with others, and adapt to different social situations

emotional wellbeing

the ability for an individual to appropriately control and express their own emotions in an adaptive way, as well as understand the emotions of others

high levels of social wellbeing

* have a strong support network
* be able to form and maintain meaningful relationships
* be able to effectively communicate with others

low levels of social wellbeing

* be isolated or lack support from others
* have difficulty forming and maintaining meaningful relationships
* struggle effectively communicate with others

high levels of emotional wellbeing

* be aware of their own and other’s current emotional states
* experience a wide range of emotions
* express emotions at appropriate times

low levels of emotional wellbeing

* be unable to understand or name their own and others emotions
* feel numb or be unable to experience certain emotions
* express emotions inappropriately or at inappropriate times (for example yelling at your boss at work

multidimensional

made up of different components

holistic

(in relation to SEWB) reflects an appraoch to wellbeing that considers the whole person including their mental, physical, spiritual and social needs

connection to body

* connecting to the physical body and health in order to participate fully in all aspects of life
* maintaining a healthy weight
* access to good nutrition
* managing illness and disability

connection to mind and emotions

* ability to effectively manage thoughts and feelings
* Maintaining self-esteem
* Connecting to values and motivation
* Having high levels of confidence
* Maintaining a strong identity

connection to family and kinship

* connection to the immediate and wider family group and community
* spending time within family groups promotes a feeling of connection and therefore wellbeing
* caring for the ill is the responsibility of all, not simply one’s biological parents or children

connection to community

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* connection to wider social systems, providing individuals and families the ability to connect with and support each other
* community services and support networks
* the ability to maintain community connections plays an integral role in maintaining the wellbeing of individuals

connection to culture

* strong sense of identity, values, traditions and connectio between past, present and future that drives behaviour and beliefs
* eleders passing on information and tradition to future generations
* speaking local languages
* attending cultural events
* participating in traditional rites and rituals, whcih enable children to learn about their culture’s value systmes, including those related to wellbeing

connection to country

* the traditional lands of a particular language or cultural group, both geographically and the spiritual , emotional and intellectual connections to and within it
* atsi beliefs are tied heavily to the alnd and how one lives in it. One should and does not take more than one needs so the land continues to thrive.
* Each person belongs to certain territories within family and clan groups, and by extension has spiritual connections and obligations to the associated land
* therefore, one belongs to the land rather than the other way around (Dudgeon et al., 2014)
* Connection to Country is a strong part of Aboriginal culture and therefore a strong part of establishing social and emotional wellbeing

connection to spirituality and ancestors

* spirituality + anscestors defintion
* aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ spirituality is grounded in the belief that their ancestors watch over them for the entirety of their life. There is a strong belief that ancestors will offer guidance when needed and answer questions in unique ways when least expected. This creates a sense of purpose and wellbeing

spirituality

refers to a concept that connects all things, and shapes beliefs, values, and behaviour. It guides knowledge systems, culture, and all that is life for Aboriginal people, including connections to ancestors, the past, the present, and the future

ancestors

a belief that a family and community’s ancestors are interconnected with creation spirits and country and watch over, guide, and protect families and communications in the physical and spiritual world

social determinants

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* the circumstances in which people grow, live and work and the systems put in place to deal with illness
* socioeconomic status
* impact of poverty
* unemployment
* racial discrimination

historical determinants

ongoing influence of events, policies and trauma on groups of people

* colonisation and its legacy (for example, the ongoing loss of culture and language)
* the impact of past governmental policies (stolen generation)

political determinants

* political policies that shape the process of distributing resources and power to individual and communication and create or reinforce social and health inequalities
* unresolved issues of alnd
* control of local resources
* rights of self-determination and sovereignty (individual and communities making their own choices and managing their own lives in culturally informed ways)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ perspectives of mental wellbeing.

* Firstly, the social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) framework suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples view wellbeing holistically.**1**
* Secondly, the SEWB framework suggests that the wellbeing of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander individual is intrinsically embedded within family, community, and extended kinship and nations.**2**
* Thirdly, the SEWB framework suggests that there are a range of factors that influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ social and emotional wellbeing, some of which include social, historical, political determinants.**3**

mental wellbeing continuum

a tool used to track fluctuating mental wellbeing

mental wellbeing is characterised by

* high levels of mental wellbeing is characterised by optimal functioning in everyday life
* to lower levels of mental wellbeing, their everyday functioning is disrupted

high levels of mental wellbeing

A person with high levels of mental well-being is:

* able to function independently within their everyday life
* able to cope with everyday demands without showing an excessive level of distress and dysfunction


* still may experience stress, sadness, and anger, however, have high levels of mental well-being due to their ability to cope with these experiences, regulate emotions, and express them appropriately
* e.g balancing school, job and sporting commitments, a healthy study timetable and being able to cope with stressors effectively

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middle of continuum

* An individual with moderate levels of mental wellbeing:
* is not functioning at an optimal level
* experiences a temporary or moderate impact on mental wellbeing
* experiences amplified emotions and high levels of stress


* has difficulty concentrating
* is more likely to experience irrational thought patterns.
* Compared to experiencing extremely low levels of mental wellbeing, the causes and impacts of being in the middle of the continuum tend to be less severe and more temporary in nature
* approaching exams and finding yourself unable to sleep and crying often
* however, able to seek support from counsellor and once exam is over, back to your normal

low levels of wellbeing

* individuals with extremely low levels of mental wellbeing
* shows high levels of distress
* is unable to independently complete tasks and meet the demands of their environment
* is impacted for an extended period of time (more than two weeks or in line with advice from mental health professionals)
* may be diagnosed by a mental health professional and may be treated through psychotherapy or medication.

internal factors influencing mental wellbeing

factors that arise from within the individual

external factors influencing mental wellbeing

factors arise from individual environment

internal factors

* stress response
* though patterns
* genetic predisposition

external factors

* loss of a significant relationship
* level of educatiom
* experiencing difi ulty within certain environments, such as work or school
* access to support services such as medical and psychological treatment

how can internal factors maintain high levels of mental welbeing

If a person has naturally optimistic thought patterns, they may be more likely to view difficult situations positively and thus protect their mental wellbeing.

how can external factors maintain high levels of mental wellbeing

a person has adequate access to support systems, like frends, family, professionals will have greater access to help when needed → helping them maintain high levels of

how a internal factor slead to low mental wellbeing

* if a person has genetic predispostiion family history to a mental health disorder they are more likely to develop more than one mental health disorder → greater liklihood of low mental wellbeing

how does external factors lead to low mental mental wellbeing

* loss of significant relationship can negatively impact mw if not adequately addresses

stress

psychological and physiological experienc that occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and/or efforts to cope

* stress is a normal part of life, not necessarily a sign of low levels of mental wellbeing
* distress occurs when an individual does not believe they have the resources to cope with the stressor
* stress is usually response t a known cause, which differentiate it from anxiety

anxiety

psychological and physiological construct response that involves feelings of worry and apprehension abou a percieved threat

* anxiety is typically negative
* anxiety is broader than stress and be due o an unknown stimulus
* anxiety is usually future oriented

simiilarities between stress and anxiety

* people experience bth stress and anxiety from time to time, and it is an expected part of daily life
* doesnt usually interrupt daily functioning and not always a sign of low mental wellbeing
* some stress and anxiety can be adaptive for functioning as i motivates people t take action

specific phobia

a type of diagnosable anxiety disorder that is categorised by excessive and disproportionate fear when encountering or anticipating the encounter of a particular stimulus (such as heights, spiders, or small spaces).

speciic phobias are associated with

* an individual going to great lengths to avoid teur phobic stimulus
* significant disruption to an individuasl daily functioning either at work, home in their social lif, or with family
* low levels of mental wellbeing when encountering or attempting to avoid their phobic stimulus

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physiological stress respnses

* increased heart rate
* rapid breathing
* increased perspiration
* dilated pupils

characteristics of specific phobia

* phobia is excessive
* sympathetic nervous system is dominant
* avoidance of the phobic stimulus
* response is to a known stimulus
* phobia is persistent
* feeling of fear
* fear of phobic stimulus affects daily functioning
* distressing for the individual
* phobia is irrational
* diagnosable mental disorder

role of nervous system in stress

sympathetic nervous sytem becomes dominant

role of nervous system in anxiety

sympathetic nervous system is dominant

role of the nervous system in specific phobia

sympathetic nervous is dominant

type of stimulus in specific phobia

response is to a known stimulus

type of stimulus in stress

response is to a known stimulus

type of stimulus in anxiety

response might be to an unknown stimulus

associated emotions with stress

feelings can be either positive, excitement,or negative

associated emotions with anxiety

feelings of apprehension, unease and worry

associated emotions with specific phobia

the feeling of fear is disproportionate and excessive

stress place on mental wellbeing continuum

fluctuates between low and high levels of mental wellbeing, depending on the length and severity of time

biopsychosocial approach

a holistic and multi-disciplinary framework for understanding te human experience in terms of the influence of biological, psychological and social factors

biological factors

internal, genetic and/or physiologically based factors

* e.g genetic predispositions, medications

psychological factors

internal factors relating to an individual’s mental processess, including their cognition, affect, thoughts,, beliefs and attitudes

* e.g everything an individual experiences in thier mind

social factors

external factors relating to an individuals interactions with others and their externa environment including their relationships and community involvement.

gaba dysfunction

refers to the insufficient neural transmission or reception of GABA in the body. this can be due to a low level or production of GABA

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GABA

* the main **inhibitor**y neurotransmitter in the human nervous system
* regulate post-synaptc activation in neural pathways, preventing over excitation and uncontrolled firing
* **regulates** fight-flight and freeze response

causes of GABA dysfunction

* cause someone’s fight-flight-freeze or anxiety response to be activated more easily than someone with adequate levels of GABA
* recurrent stress responses is more easily triggered by certain stimuli

long term potentiation

long-lasting and experience dependent strengthening of synaptic connections that are repeatedly co-activated

how does long-term potentiation lead to the development of phobias?

* the associations between the neural connections are strengthened and the individual perceives the phobic stimulus more readily trigger the activation of the neural signals involved in activating the fear response
* e.g: when a person fears a spider, two neural signals are co-activated - the ones involved in perceiving the spider and in activating the stress response
* repeated activation can lead to the development of a phobia
* the loner this occurs, the stronger the association and the stronger the phobia becomes

precipitatin factors

factors that increase the susceptibility to and contribute to the occurrence of developing a specific phobia

how does classical conditioning act as a precipatating factor?

* phobic stimulus is initially an NS
* thrugh repeated association with the UCS that prouces the ucr of fear, the NS becomes the phobic stimulus (CS) producing the phobic response of fea

classical conditioning does not need to be repeatedly paired if the experience is particularly traumatic (can experiences ear response after one pariring of ns and ucs

perpetuating factorrs

factors that inhibit a person from being able t recover from a specific phobia

the role of operant conditioning in phobias

* an individual will generally avoid contact with phobic stimulus due to the consequence
* by avoiding confrontation with the phobic stimulus, a person is negatively reinforced to not having to deal with the phobia
* over time, negative reinforcement strengthens and maintains the phobia, making avoidance behaviours more likely to be repeated andpreventing every from the phobia

what is a cognitive bias?

a cognitive bias is a predispositon to think and process information in a certain way

* can cause errors in people’s judgement and thoughts
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what is memory bias?

a type of cognitive bias caused by inaccurate or exaggerated memory, where present knowledge, beliefs and feelings distort the perception of previous experiences

* e.g ppl w arachnophobia may recall a spider as much bigger than it actually is, thus justifying the person’s extreme fear of spiders and the threat they pose → causing fear to persist

what is catastrophic thinking?

* a type of cognitive bias, where one exaggerates, magnifies a situation as far worse than it actually is,


* predicting the worst possible outcome

specific environmental triggers

* stimuli or experiences in a person’s environment that evokes stress response, leading to the development of a phobia
* can become a conditioned fear response though classical conditoning

types of environemtnal triggers

1. **direct confrontation** with a traumatic stimulus or event, e.g being bitten by a snake
2. **observing** another person having a direct confrontation with a traumatic stimulus or event, e.g watching someone be threatened with a weapon
3. **learning/indirect confrontation** - learning about a potentially dangerous or traumatic stimulus or event indirectly, e.g by watching a movie about threatening gangs, or danger of snakes

what is stigma?q

the feeling of shame or disgrace experiecd by an individual for a characteristic that differentiates them from others

stigma around seeking help/treatment

* leaving one’s phobia untreated also contributes to the development and maintenance of a specific phobia
* often ppl feel embarrassed, worried or scared about seeking help
* as phobias is usually due to an irrational fear, seeking help can be difficult
* one might feel as though their phobia is too embarrassing or insignificant to seek professional help

gaba agonists

a type of drug that imitates neurotransmitters an works to initiate a neural response (inhibitory) when it binds to the receptor sites of a neuron

benzodiazepines

* are a type of medication that depresses cns activity an often used a short-acting anti anxiety medication → is an agonist
* is used to bind to GABA receptor sites an mimic the effects of GASBA’S to increase its inhibitory response → reduces excitatory communication between neurons and relieves anxiety and relaxes muscles

benzodiazepine steps

1. Benzodiazepines bind to a GABA receptor site
2. benzodiazepines increase the effectiveness of GABA when it later binds to the same receptor sites and mimics the effects
3. GABA is able to then have its inhibitory effect, reducing the likelihood hat the neuron will fire → acting temporarily to reduce neural communication in turn reducing anxiety

breathing retraining

* method use to teach breathing control techniques that may reduce physiological arousal
* can be used by an individual when they are facing anxiety in the presence of their phobic stimulus

steps of breathing retraining

1. a psychologist or doctor will teach a person with a specific phobia how to consciously control their breathing


1. slow and deep inhalations, followed by slow and controlled exhalations
2. counting slowly when breathing in, and when breathing out
3. breathing slowly in through the nose, focusing on breathing out slowly from the diaphragm
2. learner applied techniques learned in step 1 when in the presence of their phobic stimulus, e.g by counting aloud in their head, imaging the therapist saying instructions to them
3. this restores the oxygen in the body to an optimal level o help the parasympathetic ns become dominant, and thus reducing anxiety

cognitive behavioural therapy

a form of psychotherapy that encourages individuals to substitute dysfunctional cognitions and behaviours with more adaptive ones

cognitive behavioral therapy involves

a cognivitve component

* identifying negative thoughts and feelings about the issue
* replacing these thoughts with more positive ones

behavioural component

* identifying negative behaviours relating tot he issue\\devleopig and maintaining more positive behaviours relating to the issue

cognitions that may contribute to specific phobia

* memory bias
* catastrophic thinking
* a belief that the phobia can never be overcome
* a beleif that the phobia can only get worse
* embarrassment
* extreme fear

behaviours that perpetuate specific phobia

* avoidance behaviours in which a person avoids their specific phobic stimulus
* not seeking help
* avoiding social actiivites that may expose themselves ot the phobia

systematic desensitisation

a therapy technique used to overcome a phobia by being exposed incrementally to increasingly anxiety-inducing stimuli combined with the use of relaxation techniques

systematic desensitisation principles

works of principles of classical conditioning where the individual is de-conditioned from the association between phobic stimulus and phobic response, after associates the phobic stimulus with relaxation

steps of systematic desensitisation

1. learning of relaxation techniques- often taught by a therapist to reduce physiological arousal and anxiety involved in fear response, e.g breathing retraining
2. development of fear hierarchy - consists in creating an alist of anxiety-inducing experiences relating to the phobia, listed in order of easiest to confront and most difficult
3. gradual step-y step-exposure - to each item in the fear hierarchy, beginning w the least anxiety-inducing paired with relaxation techniques with each new exposure
4. continuation of this systematic exposure - continuation of this exposure to items on the fear hierarchy until the most fear inducing stimulus can be faced without producing the phobic response → often done with a therapist

psychoeducation

involves teaching families and supporters of individuals with mental health disorder how to better understand, deal with and treat their disorder.

challenging unrealistic or anxious thoughts

* anxious thoughts that trigger an fuel phobias are usually negative and unrealistic
* families and supporters can encourage the individual to recognise and challenge unhelpful thoughts