PSYC 101 Mental Health

What is mental illness?

Behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that is excessive, unusual, or atypical behavior for that context

• Causes dysfunction/disability in daily life

• Causes distress

What is the diathesis stress model?

A disorder happens because a person has both a predisposition for the disorder (diathesis) and a set of factors that provide the trigger for the disorder (stress)

What is the weakness of the Diathesis Stress model?

• Implies a single cause rather than multiple causes

• Implies that genes are the root of increased risk

What is the Biopsychosocial model?

• Emphasizes the complexity of risk factors for mental disorders including biological, psychological, and social factors

• Culture - disorders with the same underlying dynamic can have different symptoms in different cultures

What is the Vulnerability-stress model?

Individual circumstances + environmental stressors can increase/decrease the likelihood of developing psychological disorder

What is DSM-V?

The fifth ediition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

• Used system of diagnostic criteria and codes for medical diagnoses and treatment

How does the DSM-V define mental illness?

A behavioral or psychological syndrome that occurs in an individual that disrupts cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior

What are criticisms of the DSM-V?

1. Overpathologizes normal behavior: labeling normal behaviors as disorders

2. Reliability: inconsistent agreement between clinicians

3. Subjectivity: potential bias from both clinicians and patients

4. Categorical approach: oversimplification of mental illnesses by categorizing them when symptoms occur on a dimension

5. High rates of comorbidity: having multiple mental health diagnoses simultaneously → complex diagnoses and treatments

6. No lab tests available

What is comorbidity?

When two or more diseasesa are simultaneously present in a patient

What are all the anxiety disorders mentioned?

• Social anxiety disorder

• Generalized anxiety disorder

• Panic disorder

• Phobias

What is an anxiety disorder?

Distressing, persistent anxiety or dysfunctional anxiety-reducing behaviors

What is social anxiety disorder?

When one is extremely anxious in social settings where others might judge them

What is generalized anxiety disorder?

Excessive, uncontrollable worry

• Symptoms: jittery, agitated, fidgety

• Unable to identity the cause

What is panic disorder?

Unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread

• Symptoms: chest pain, inability to breathe, increased heart rate, choking

What is agoraphobia?

The fear of hard-to-get-out-of public situations

What is a phobia?

Persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

• e.g., arachnaphobia, hemophobia, acrophobia

What is OCD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: unwanted repetitive thoughts, actions, or both

• Obsessive thoughts → increased anxiety → compulsive behaviors → decrease anxiety

  • E.g., obsessed with contamination, compulsed to clean

• Persistently interferes with every-day life and causes distress

What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder: a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event

• Haunting memories

• Nightmares

• Hypervigilance

• Social withdrawal

Influenced by more sensitive emotion-processing limbic systems

What is survivor resilience?

Recovering from extreme stress; post-traumatic growth

What is major depressive disorder?

• A mood disorder caused by depressed mood, loss of pleasure in activities, and 3-4 of the following and lasts for 2+ weeks:

  • Poor sleep

  • Excessive guilt

  • Trouble concentrating

  • No appetite

  • Suicidal thoughts/plans

How do depressive orders differ in young and old people?

Major depressive disorder is more prevalent among young people

Subclinical depression is more common among older adults

What is bipolar disorder?

When a person alternates between a depressive and manic state

Hypomania vs. mania

Mania is more severe, disruptive episode and longer-lasting

Hypomania is milder and shorter, doesn't impair functioning as much, lacks psychotic features

What is schizophrenia?

When a person experiences disturbed perceptions and beliefs, has disorganized speech, and diminished/innapropriate emotions

What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

Hallucinations and delusions

What are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Flat affect, loss of interest in activities

What is flat affect?

A severe reduction or lack of emotional expression

What is happening biologically when someone has schizophrenia?

Enlarged, fluid-filled ventricles and shrinkage of cerebral tissue in the brain

Other areas of the brain are also smaller than usual

What is psychoanalysis?

Analyzing a patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences leads to self-insight

What is free association?

TSpeaking freely without censorship about whatever comes to mind to uncover unconscious thoughts, hidden conflicts, and repressed memories

What is resistance?

Any patient behavior or thought that blocks uncovering unconscious conflicts, acting as a defense mechanism

• E.g., changing the subject, forgetting, or being silent

What is interpretation?

Assigning meaning or significance to experiences, behaviors, or communication

What is transference?

Recreating responses to an important figure with the therapist

What is psychodynamic therapy?

Explores how your unconscious mind, past experiences (especially childhood), and unresolved conflicts influence your current feelings, behaviors, and relationships

• Aims to increase self-insight, self-awareness, and self-reflection

What is psychodynamic therapy most useful for?

People with persistent emotional issues, recurring relationship problems, or those feeling stuck in unhelpful patterns

• When emotions play a major role

What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?

A structured, goal-oriented talk therapy that helps people change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors

What are the two components of CBT?

1. Behavioral exercises: classical/instrumental conditioning

2. Cognitive restructuring: identifying maladaptive ways of thinking and substituting them with more useful ways

What is CBT most benefial for?

Anxiety disorders, panic disorder

• When the focus is on changing thoughts or behaviors

Who was the researcher that conducted the Pseudopatient Study?

Rosenhan

What was Rosenhan’s central research question?

Can mental health professionals reliably distinguish between sane and insane individuals?

What were the general methods used in Rosenhan’s study?

• Participants: 8 fake patients, including Rosenhan

• Procedure:

1. Each pseudopatient went to psychiatric hospitals across different states for admission

2. They reported one symptom: hearing voices

3. Once diagnosed with schizophrenia and admitted, they acted normally, took notes openly, and secretly disposed the medicine given to them

   1. They gathered data on patient-staff interactions, length of stay, diagnoses, and medication administration

4. After the study, hospitals denied misdiagnoses, so Rosenhan told them that pseudopatients would try again in 3 months. In reality, none were sent, but the staff rated all real patients for the likelihood of being pseudopatients

What were the key findings of Rosenhan’s study?

1. Psychiatric diagnosis was unreliable, difficult to distinguish from sanity

2. Real patients in the hospitals suspected the pseudopatients

3. Depersonalization & lack of interaction from staff

4. Once diagnosed, all behaviors were interpreted as pathological

What were Rosenhan’s study’s contributions to the field

• Brought greater caution in diagnostic practices

• Increased awarenss about mental health care

• Led to changes in patient rights, care, and institutionalization