psychology psychological problems

changes in addiction overtime

then: concerned with substance misuse, regular users are thought to be prescribed (substances) for medical reasons, statistic suggests that the number of addictions are rising

now: includes behavioural addictions (internet, video games..) regular users are considered to be addicts, sources of addiction are becoming cheaper to access

changes in depression overtime

then: people were less likely to be diagnosed, less awareness, lifestyle then was relatively stressfree

now: more people are being diagnosed with depression, more awareness of symptoms, more stressful

how depression affects us individually

social: withdraw from family and friends, no longer do activities that they previously found fun

emotional: worthlessness and sadness (more suicide),

occupation: do not have the motivation to work (feels demanding and tiring and has lack of sleep)

healthcare: treatment is costly

how depression affects society?

crime: 10-15% of people with depression commit suicide

costs: expensive to give sick pay and work cover

how addiction affects individuals?

social: ignore friends and families, spend money on addiction not necessities

emotional: denial, guilt, fear, helplessness, anger

occupation: health problems → unable to work → take time off → fired

healthcare: costly to support individual for treatment

how does addiction affect society?

crime: turn to crime to fund addiction

costs: drug related crimes costs lots for governments, costly to police, punishments are expensive

addiction

the need to have or do a particular thing or activity in order to be able to go by their normal routine

withdrawal

unpleasant physical or psychological symptoms that someone gets when they are trying to quit

Dependence disorder

dependent on a substance such as alcohol and cocaine

behavioural addiction

dependence on activity such as gambling

symptoms of dependence disorders

1. ignoring evidence that use of substance is harmful to them

2. feeling that the person needs to take the substance

3. stopping the use of substance is very difficult

4. tolerance of substance increases

5. physical withdrawal symptoms

symptoms of behavioural addiction

1. ignore the evidence that the activity is unhealthy

2. need to do the activity regularly

3. spend more time doing activity than other things they used to enjoy

4. reducing activity is very difficult

genotype

set of genes in our dna which is responsible for a particular trait (phenotype)

monozygotic and dizygotic

monozygotic: share 100% of genes

dizygotic: share 50% of genes

genetic explanation of addiction

identical twins: if one was a smoker there is a high chance the other twin will also smoke

genes: heavy users of cocaine are likely to have a particular version of dopamine receptor

gene and alcoholism: adopted children with one biological parent with alcohol addiction are highly likely to show signs of alcohol addiction themselves

environmental influences: alcohol misuse in adoptive family, child has a greater risk of developing the same addiction

strengths of genetic explanations of addiction

1. lots of scientific evidence

2. twin and adoption studies could explain addiction

weaknesses of genetic explanation of addiction

1. some people are more likely

2. reductionist: fails to take other social factors into account

3. explains only some people why they’re addicts

learning theory of addiction

classical conditioning

operant conditioning

social learning theory

classical conditioning

• learn through associations

• experience one thing → automatically triggers other thing

operant conditioning

• behaviour repeated when they lead to positive consequences

social learning theory

behaviour learned as a result of observing people and modeling their behaviour

positive reinforcement

adding a pleasant reward to increase behaviour

negative reinforcement

removing something unpleasant to increase a behaviour

vicarious reinforcement

repeating a behaviour that someone else got a reinforcement for

strengths of learning theory of addiction

• Assumes addictive behaviors can be unlearned, allowing development of effective treatments.

• Operant conditioning (OC) acknowledges biological factors, like brain release of ‘feel good’ chemicals reinforcing drug use.

weaknesses of learning theory of addiction

• Mainly ignores biological causes of addiction.

• Does not explain why many try addictive substances but only some become addicted.

treating addiction

1. medication → cope with effects of detoxification

   • SSRIs: increases amount of serotonin in brain

2. detoxification → when addicts tries to stop taking the substance they are addicted to

CBT - cognitive behavioural therapy

help people understand triggers for their addictive behaviours and how to control them

stages of CBT

1. functional analysis → identify triggers

2. skills training → learn and use new skills to avoid engaging in the addictive behaviours

3. homework → between sessions patients are asked to keep a diary of important events and record progress

strengths of drug therapy for addiction

1. research evidence

2. help patients access other types of therapy

weaknesses of drug therapy for addiction

1. evidence is mixed

2. patients may become dependent on medication

strengths of CBT for addiction

1. supported by research

2. aims to give patient control on their own behaviour by building new forever skills

weakness of CBT for addiction

1. requires patient to have motivation to stop

2. learning coping skills does not mean it will reduce the problem behaviour

Young et al study?

CBT on internet addicts

Young et al aim

investigate the effect of using CBT to treat a group of patients diagnosed with internet addiction (how the problem behaviour improves during the therapy, after the therapy session have ended)

procedure of young et al

• 114 participants recruited from the Centre for Online Addiction

• Completed the Internet Addiction Test (IAT)

• Online CBT sessions

• 3rd, 8th & 12th online therapy session – 6 months after

• 12 questions – rated their behaviour and or feelings on a 5-point Likert-type scale.

• Measured clients’ attitudes towards CBT sessions, including the relationship the client felt towards their therapist.

findings

questions in questionnaire: motivation to stop using online apps, time management, relationship function, sexual function

There was some improvement over the 12 weeks of therapy

There was no significant drop in ratings 6 months after

strength of young

• Generalisability: Large sample of internet users, relevant to at-risk groups.

• Reliability: Used a standardized questionnaire based on addiction criteria.

• Application: Helps develop treatments like CBT.

• Validity: Measures key addiction symptoms accurately.

• Ethics: Low risk, with informed consent and confidentiality.

weaknesses of young

• Generalisability: Sample may not represent all ages or cultures.

• Reliability: Self-reports can be biased or inaccurate.

• Application: Focuses on diagnosis, not causes of addiction.

• Validity: May oversimplify addiction, missing biological factors.

• Ethics: Risk of stigma from labeling participants as addicted.

depression

An extreme lowering of mood that is persistent which affects day to day functioning.

key symptoms of depression

• Disturbed sleep

• Poor concentration or indecisiveness

• Low self-confidence

• Poor or increased appetite

• Suicidal thoughts or acts

• Guilt or self blame

• Agitation or slowing of movements

features of depression

mild: 4 symptoms

moderate: 5-6 symptoms

severe: 7+ symptoms

genetic explanation of depression

Genetic Predisposition: Tendency to become depressed as a result of their genes

Diathesis-stress model: People have gene but is only triggered by a stressful event

evaluation of genetic explaination

• Lots of research evidence.

• We can explain depression by looking at genes people might inherit.

• Reductionist – fails to take in to account other factors that can explain why someone may develop depression.

cognitive explanation of depression

ellis abc model

evaluation of cognitive explanation of depression

• Takes into account the events in the person’s life

• It is difficult to tell whether irrational thought are a cause or a symptom of depression

• Some types of depression may not be so easily explained by thought possesses.

• The Cognitive Theory explanation has been applied to CBT

treatments of depression

drug therapy: antidepressants (SSRIs)

blocks the reuptake of serotonin, increases levels of serotonin in the brain, improving mood

evaluation of drug therapy

• Drugs improve symptoms but do not treat the disorder: Patients become more likely to relapse after treatment

• Drug therapy can have unpleasant side effects: Drowsy, nauseous and dizziness.

• They improve patients symptoms enough for them to access other psychological therapies.

• Evidence to support: 50-60% of patients with moderate to severe symptoms show improvements compared to 20-30% who were given a placebo

evaluations of CBT

• Long term benefits: Matthejts Beltman et al. (2010) Depressed patients treated with CBT improved more than those still waiting for treatment or not receiving treatment.

• Patients learn to control their own symptoms: It may be longer lasting than only using antidepressants – reduces feelings of helplessness.

• Patients must be motivated to change for CBT to be effective: If patients are unmotivated, CBT will not be effective

• Ethical Issues: CBT assumes patients’ thoughts are wrong and attempts to change the way they think

caspi et al study?

This study looks at whether a gene (5-HTT) linked to the neurotransmitter serotonin makes some people more likely to be depressed after stressful life events than others.

aim of caspi

To investigate why stressful life events seem to lead to depression in some people and not others.

procedure of caspi

 There was 847 participants split into three groups depending on the length of their allele.

It was a longitudinal study as participants were researched from an early age

• Group one: 2 copies of the short allele

• Group two: one short and one long allele

• Group three: two copies of the long allele

Participants were asked to complete two questionnaires

1. Stressful life events between 21-26 years old.

2. Symptoms of depression before one year prior to their 26th birthday

findings of caspi

Participants with a short version of the 5-HTT gene who experienced stressful life events were more likely to be diagnosed with depression.

strengths of caspi

• Large sample including both males and females improves generalisability.

• Used standardized measures and natural gene variation, enhancing reliability.

• Demonstrated gene-environment interaction, useful for targeted depression treatments.

• Biological basis and multiple measures support validity.

• Low physical risk to participants, meeting ethical standards.

weaknesses of caspi

• Sample limited to ages 21–26 and lacked cultural diversity, reducing generalisability.

• Relied on self-report data, which may be biased and less reliable.

• Oversimplifies depression by focusing mainly on genetics, ignoring social and cognitive factors.

• Reductionist approach and some replication issues limit validity.

• Possible psychological distress from recalling stressful events raises ethical concerns.