health sci 1111
Pseudoscience and Self-Help
Scientific evidence is often screwed by social media, not backed by facts, which affects decision-making. Pseudoscience is the spread of misinformation and word of mouth. We must stay away and move closer to fact-based scientific evidence.
Dunning Kruger Effect -> the less you know = overestimate their ability, ignorance
Misinformation can lead to disease and infection; anti-vax are led by personal beliefs and misinformation, most definitely not by science.
Early Life Inputs
Epigenetic Patterns-> genome flexibility, beyond fixed DNA code, can affect gene expression and carried within gametes
-Early life stressors form the person you become, neglect, trauma, illness, loss, poverty, etc
The importance of early development = shapes mental wellbeing
Critical Window vs. Sensitive Window
crucial for normal development, not extremely detrimental
Prenatal= exposure to trauma
Infant emotional attachment= children and primary caregivers
People who were small at birth have an increased risk of developing, e.g. coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes later in life. Not only a small body size at birth but also non-optimal growth during infancy is associated with an increased risk for the disease above.
CHD- Coronary heart disease, more likely to develop if small at birth
Dutch Hunger Winter Study
Effects of maternal undernutrition during the Dutch famine in 1944-45. Gestation with a focus on chronic cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, aging and mental health.
ACE study-> How childhood trauma shapes the person and mental welfare. The study also emphasizes the importance of early intervention and support to prevent the long-term impacts of ACEs. It has since influenced public health policy and trauma-informed care approaches aimed at helping people with histories of childhood adversity.
Childhood trauma impacts the way we respond to stress- it could be different than others.
Toxic Stress-> Prolonged stress during critical or sensitive windows, long-term severe effects- get sick often, physical effects
Helsinki Birth Cohort-> 20% more likely to be depressed at follow, intergenerational effects among women
Gene Regulation->Cell identity- exposure to the environment
Imprinting - sex differences depending on who they are inherited from
Early Life stressors can have long-term and potentially intergenerational impacts on health and well-being. Through intervention, we can tackle this!!
Mental Health and Mindset
Fixed mindset
Not open to things changing or other perspectives, stuck in your ways, unable to believe that something could be different
Restricts many efforts and attempts
View their ability as fixed
Growth mindset
It allows for new opportunities and success because you can view things from many different perspectives and are open to seeing things from others’ sides, a growth mindset is so beneficial and leads to a well-rounded and open mindset.
Approach as “okay, i don't understand” or “I’m not very good at this” later turns into, “Even though i am not very good at this, i am going to try one more time.”
A growth mindset is not just EFFORT; must be good strategy and support in said process
PROBLEM SOLVING !!!!
CAROL DWECK -> Examined praise and person to person feedback, and its impact on childhood development.
How everyday interactions shape mindsets->
-The language we use tells others what we believe and what we value
-Feedback tells us what is expected of us and what goals we should have
Many Factors that contribute to potentially developing a mental disorder,
Adolescent- relationships
Early Life stressors
Exposure to others
Substance abuse
Sexual behaviors
Some of the examples above can lead to other ones,
Multifactorial Causation
Combination of many factors that lead to disorders
Social and environmental factors
Must think about all factors prior to intervening
Interventions include these three stages
Prevention
Promotion
Treatment
Why do some people avoid challenges, while others seek it out?
Praise = acknowledging the fact there can be change, influences students' response to failure.
Neuroplasticity
The brain's ability to adapt
Strengthening or weakening our neurons and their pathways
Used to believe that the brain only developed in childhood and then declined later in life- predicated on brain damage patients would rarely make a recovery, inability to observe the inner workings of the brain, the brain was seen as a machine.
Neurogenesis -> Birth of new neurons and glial cells
Plasticity-> New neural connections,
Use it or lose it
Use it and improve it
Time
Salience
Age
Repetition
Impacts on brain development;
Learning environments impact brain development
Psychoactive drugs can impact brain development
Early stress & Parent child relationships also contribute
Peer relationships
Physical Development
Intestinal Flora- linked to brain
Neuroplasticity can also be maladaptive, chronic pain, PTSD
Phantom Limbs-> Limb that has been amputated; still feel pain in said limb
Difficulty getting relief from pain
Phenomenon described by neuroplasticity
Meditation and Neuroplasticity
Keep our brains young = meditation
Resilience
Overcoming negative effects of risk exposure adapting or coping successfully with traumatic experiences
Content Specific
Culture Specific
PROMOTIVE AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS AND PROCESSES
Promotive Factors- characteristics, conditions or resources that enhance positive development eg. access to quality education
Promotive Process- actions, behaviors and strategies that are engaged in to promote positive outcomes eg. commitment to studying and learning
Protective Factors- Shield or buffer against the development of negative outcomes or risks eg. strong social support
Protective Process- actions, behaviors, or strategies that individuals or communities use to reduce or mitigate the impact of adverse situations or stressors
eg. seeking help during difficult times
Promotive = predictors of higher levels of better outcomes
Protective = compensate for risks, predictors of lower level of psychological symptoms
Assets = reside within an individual , coping skills, competance
Resources = emotional supports , parental support
Categories of resilience models
Compensatory…..
Where a resilience factor counteracts a risk factor
Has direct effect on outcome
Decreasing the possibility of a negative outcome
Independent of the effect of the risk factor
eg.mindfulness
Protective….
Assets and resources lower the risk of a negative outcome
Protective factors may neutralize the effects of risks, weaken, but not
completely remove them, or enhance the positive effect of another
promotive factor in producing a positive outcome
Protective Stabilizing= More risk more negative outcome
Challenge….
Exposures to both low and high levels of a risk factor are associated
with negative outcomes, but moderate levels of the risk are related to
less negative (or positive) outcomes.
Inoculation….
A little bit of challenge so that you know how to deal with it
Intervention to Cultivate Resilience
Goal of intervention research; What protects individuals and systems from breaking down when things go wrong in some circumstances?
Everyday Stressors and Social Suffering
Housing and homelessness
Social Relationship
Ill health
Government
Faith
Morals
Which model of resilience suggests that low levels of exposure to stress can actually promote better outcomes?
a) Compensatory Model
b) Challenge Model
c) Inoculation Model
d) Protective-Reactive Model
Answer: c) Inoculation Model
In the context of resilience, which of the following is a key difference between protective and promotive factors?
a) Protective factors neutralize risk, while promotive factors encourage positive outcomes despite risk.
b) Promotive factors are more effective in high-risk situations, while protective factors work better in low-risk situations.
c) Protective factors mitigate risk, whereas promotive factors eliminate it entirely.
d) Promotive factors operate in the absence of risk, while protective factors only work in its presence.
ANSWER: a)
Courage and Vulnerability
Barriers to expressing vulnerability include-
-Stigmatization
-Sign of weakness
ESPECIALLY BY THE CERTAIN GROUPS___
Minority groups- stems from fear of further discrimination
Survivors of Trauma - fear of retraumatization and trust issues
Children- peer pressure
Men - toxic masculinity
Toxic Masculinity
Promotes traditional male behaviour of “be a man,” “men don’t cry,” etc
Encourages emotional suppression and reluctance to show vulnerability
We can challenge by recognizing vulranbiluity is a sign of strength, not weakness, open conversations surrounding emotions an, mental health and coping skills.
Resilience and Vulnerability can go hand in hand.
Vulnerability is an essential asset to building trust in relationships and developing deeper connections. This is why, inherently, women have deeper connections than men do, and that is why when female friendships begin to struggle, it is more painful and upsetting.
Courage
Capacity and strength to act meaningfully and with integrity in the face of acknowledged vulnerability.
About connection and community
TUTORIAL—- People who come forward and open up about their trauma are courageous, and I admire them.
I believe that vulnerability plays a huge role in creative expression as it can help others be vulnerable as well; movies, music, and artists opening up about their struggles can vastly help others. Relatable aspect.
I think that as a society, we all need to do better and make everyone feel included and valued. I believe that one way we can continue to do this is by offering mental health resources and letting people know there are others who go through similar things.
7. Attention or Time management?
Time and well-being are linked through the quality of life
Time itself is a precious commodity; it structures all of our days and the way we live
Time is closely linked to happiness, prioritizing
Gallup Poll -
48% of individuals feel as though they don’t have enough time to do the things they want
Too much timeless enjoyment of activities
Time use survey, different activities such as relaxing, leisure, socializing, and exercising. Tracked subjective well-being. Less than 2 hours of free time is a drop in subjective well-being. 2-5 hours of free time per day is ideal for wellbeing.
Passive leisure= doom scroll
Active leisure = going and doing things, moving your body
Social connection is so important for wellbeing- brief interactions.
Time is a resource for health =
-Time needed for production and consumption
- Time is needed to build social connections/ relationships, exercise, work, play and other activities
Unequal access to time = value is assigned to time, economically saved or spent, shouldn’t be “wasted.”
Parents who have newborn- total 10 hours of discretionary time per week
Multidimensional = poverty and social exclusion
WHAT IS LAZINESS??????
Warning sign that something or some process is no longer working
Hard work being emphasized over health and other life impacts
People who are dealing with mental health struggles are labelled as lazy
“I think when we start listening to laziness, we can really question a lot
of unfair social standards .... And it's just all of this drive towards
meeting a really arbitrary standard of perfection. When we stop pushing
ourselves to kind of overachieve by this completely arbitrary metric, we
can say, ‘OK, what actually feels good for my body? How do I actually
want to spend my time?”
Devon Price
Pilot Study (2018)
Multiple laughter yoga sessions improved psychological well-being by reducing tension anxiety while also lowering stress indicators.
Problem with time management
Limited hours in the day tend to underestimate how long tasks take, which often makes us feel worse.
Attention Management
-Limiting distraction
- Getting things done at the right time when you’re motivated to do so
Multitasking is ineffective, has decreased quality, hinders learning and information retention, and compromises creativity.
Procrastination- Pay yourself first, limit your work in progress, resist the allure of middling priorities
Sleep
We sleep because it’s for memory consolidation, emotional regulation, brain function and energy conservation.
Circadian Clock- internal 24-hour clock, 8 hours in bed, 10-hour time period to eat within, usually 7 am-7 pm
Klietman and Richardson Experiment = Spent six weeks in the darkness for a study that demonstrated humans have an internal circadian rhythm
Variations in the Circadian cycle due to
Genetics
A molecular clock consists of a network of timekeeping genes and their associated proteins, such as
CRY
CLOCK
PER
Sex differences Females reach maximum lateness at 19.5 years old, while for men, it’s around 21 years old. They disappear at 50 when females begin menopause.
Age
Environmental Influences
Medical Conditions
Early Birds
- .5 of the population
-commonly familial
{ Sleep Cycles disordered }
JET LAG - treatments light exposure and melatonin consumption
SHIFT WORK DISORDER - treatments would be more traditional schedule
DELAYED SLEEP- trouble falling asleep or waking up
CIRCADIAN MISALIGNMENT - leads to negative health outcomes, late chronotypes, and shift workers have a higher chance of ending up with depression. Long-term shift work leads to dementia and cancer
!!Chronotype is like night owl or early bird!!
Knowing your chronotype is useful when making decisions and such
Temperature influences sleep Thermoregulation is reduced during sleep, so the body will wake up to regulate temperature instead of staying asleep
•Sleeping in an environment warm enough to raise body temperature can reduce REM and Deep/slow-wave sleep
Blue light technology interferes with melatonin production in the brain
SLEEP RESTORES AND REPAIRS
muscles, tissues and cells
Immune function- produces and releases cytokinesis, reduces the production of antibodies
Brain Detoxification = Noriphinerphrine is boosted when we are awake, and levels go back down when we sleep.
The glymphatic system becomes more active, facilitating the removal of waste products
Daylight savings = Higher rate of pregnancy loss when spring daylight savings time was within 21 days after embryo transfer
Sleep deprivation - too little sleep results in an increased concentration of hormone which makes you feel hungry.
^Ghrelin Levels and lower Leptin levels
Long term sleep deprivation increases the risk of Alzheimer’s,
Mindfulness
2 components
1. Self-regulation of attention, focus on immediate experience and moment
2. Attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance
Mindfulness has peaked more interest recently- Mindful activities
-Visualization -Sensory Awareness
- Colouring or drawing -Progressive relaxation
-Observing nature -Mindful Breathing
-Journaling
-Gratitude practice
!!Mindfulness is not equal to meditation!!
The practice of being present mentally and physically
Intention
Attention
Attitude
Seminal Study By Jon Kabat Zinn
1979
Rationale- stress reduction and relaxation program
Those who live with chronic pain were often told to just learn to live with pain
Mindfulness meditation was unfamiliar in the US
Based upon theoretical considerations of pain perception and attention
Pain signals somatic damage
Chronic pain = no benefit
Development of a psychological model
Learned attentional and attitudinal shift
METHODS
51 individuals with chronic pain -> 10-week program
- Three mindfulness practices
-Group format
-Expectation of relief
-Non-goal orientation
-Self-responsibility
RESULTS
After 10 weeks
Reductions in mood disturbance and psychiatric symptoms
Pain reduction maintained at - 2,5. 4 . 7. months
Interventions
Stress reduction
Acceptance and commitment therapy
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Dialectical behavior therapy
Mindfulness-based stress reduction
Implemented globally
Program - 8weeks
2.5 hour classes
1 day of silence
Practices include body scans and yoga. Sitting meditations, mindful eating and walking
Mechanisms of Action
Attention regulation
Body awareness
Emotional Regulation
Change in perspective on the self
Physical Impacts
Balances nervous system
Lower blood pressure
Pain management
Improved sleep
Weight management
Reduced inflammation
Heart health
Functional Changes
• Attention regulation
• Body awareness
• Emotion Regulation
• Memory Processes
• Inter-Hemispherical Communication
Structural Changes
• Cortical thickness
• Grey-matter volume
• Frontopolar cortex
• Sensory cortices and insula
• Hippocampus
• Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), mid-cingulate cortex, and
orbitofrontal cortex
• Superior longitudinal fasciculus and corpus callosum
Happiness
Bhutanh constitution
1. Psycological Wellbeing, life satisfaction, positive emotion, negative emotion
2. Health - self-reported health status, disability, mental health
3. Time use- work, sleep
4. Education- literacy, schooling , value
5. Cultural diversity and resilience- cultural participation
6. Community Vitality- donation, safety, family
7. Good governance- political participation, services
8. Environment- Wildlife damage, ecological issues
9. Living standards- Assets, Income, Housing
Hedoic- satisfaction
Eudimonic- Fufilment with life
Happiness’s effect on health
Improved physical, better immune system and lower cardiovascular diseases
More social- stronger networks and relationships
More productive- happy workers tend to make more money
Better citizens- more likely to donate time and money
Happiness found increased test scores!!
Social Support
Emotional
Appraisal
Informational
Instrumental
Bradford Hill Criteria
Temporality
Strength
Bilogical gradient
Consistency
Specificity
Plausability
Coherence
Analogy
Experiment
Brain Sleep Detoxification
-glymphatic system in the brain becomes more active in the brain during sleep, resulting in the removal of waste products
-sleep deprivation leads to waste builduo in the brain and is linked to alzhimers
Sleep Deprivation= increase Ghrelin Levels and decrease of leptin levels
Dr. Ann Masten - considering systems when understanding resilience is important for how it incorporates how people work with one another
London Taxi Study- increased grey matter in the posterior hippocampus
Cantrill Ladder- measures of life satisfaction
Toxic Masculinity- begins in early adolescence by everyday things, emotional suppression
Multitasking is extremely inefficient, hinders memory and education
Toxic Stress leads to epigenetic changes
Music therapy- helps cancer paitents is the reduction in serum cortisol
REM sleep- happens in cycles of 90 minuetes at a time
Circadian Clock- translation and transcription feedback loops , molecular components= CLOCK / BMAL1
CRY
PER
Bucharest early intervention- investigate effects of ealy deprivation and institutionalization on social development
Daylight savings and pregnancy- higher rate of pregnancy loss when day light savings occur within 21 days of embryo transfer