Psychological Problems

• Mental health


  The state of mental well-being in which one can cope with the demands of daily life and engage with society.
• Social norms


  Socially expected standards of conduct, which influence behaviour, and bias our ability to judge objectively what is normal and what is not.
• Cultural relativism


  Variation in how something is seen between cultures, for example behaviour that is seen as a problem in one society (or in the past) may be considered normal in another.
• Isolation


  Effects of society on mental health: a challenge to mental health caused by modern lifestyles where people tend to live and work alone.
• Reduced stigma


  Effects of society on mental health: a term meaning better understanding and sympathy for people who have mental health problems
• Helplines


  Effects of society on mental health: services which provide a change to talk e.g. on the internet or by phone when people are struggling with stress etc

  
• Stress


  Effects of society on mental health: increases in this (via work, social interaction, social media or academic studies) can trigger mental health problems.
• Difficulty coping


  Potential impact of mental health problems; when a person struggles with normal, day-to-day tasks like getting dressed,.
• Relationships


  Potential impact of mental health problems; mental health problems can put strain on a person's ... with other people.
• Physical wellbeing


  Potential impact of mental health problems; a person may lose motivation to eat well and exercise, impacting on their ... ...
• Social care


  Potential impact of mental health problems; society may have to spend more money on ... ... for people with these problems.
• Crime


  Potential impact of mental health problems; society may experience higher rates of ... due to problems such as addictions.
• Economy


  Potential impact of mental health problems; the ... may be harmed if fewer people are able to work.
• Unipolar depression


  Also called 'major depression', a psychological disorder characterised by low mood, loss of interest in usual activities, as well as other symptoms.
• 2


  Number of weeks a person must show 5+ symptoms of unipolar depression in order to be diagnosed.
• Bipolar depression


  A disorder marked by alternating or intermixed periods of mania and depression.

  
• Sadness


  A 'normal' reaction to unpleasant life events, which should not be confused with clinical depression, even though the outward symptoms may be similar.
• Energy


  Other common symptoms of depression include changes in sleep patterns and appetite levels, decrease

  in self-confidence, and reduced ... levels.
• ICD


  Abbreviation for the International Classification of Diseases, one of two key diagnostic systems used to diagnose psychological problems.
• DSM-5


  American manual used to diagnose psychological problems (now in version 5)
• Biological


  One explanation of depression is that it has ... causes - it is due to genetics and/or an imbalance of neurotransmitters.
• Serotonin


  A neurotransmitter whose abnormal activity is linked to depression, as well as some other psychological problems.

  
• Monoamine hypothesis


  Main biological theory of depression, stating that basis of depression is a depletion in the levels of "monoamine" neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and/or dopamine in the central nervous system.
• MOAI


  Abbreviation for monoamine oxidase inhibitor, an older type of antidepressant medication which increases levels of monoamines in the brain by inhibiting the enzyme (monoamine oxidase, MOA) that breaks them down.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor


  Full name for SSRI, very widely used antidepressant drug that blocks the reuptake of serotonin

  
• Serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors

  Full name for SNRI, modern antidepressant drug that blocks the reuptake of serotonin and noradrenaline
• Cognitive triad


  Basis of Beck's psychological theory of depression, which states that depressed people have a 'triad' of negative schemas about themselves, the world, and the future.
• Attribution


  The process of explaining causes of behaviour. According to psychological explanations of depression, some people are biased to make more negative attributions (e.g. I failed the test because I am stupid).
• Reductionist


  Term for explanations or treatments that reduce to the simplest (usually biologically smaller) components. (v's holistic).
• Holistic


  Term for explanations of treatments that try to include the whole person, e.g. holistic medicine (v's reductionist).
• Social learning theory


  The theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
• Classical conditioning


  A type of learning in which one learns to link two or more unlinked stimuli and anticipate events
• Operant conditioning


  A type of learning in which behaviour is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher
• Irrational thoughts


  In CBT, the patient works with a therapist and learns to challenge ... ...
• Reuptake


  When a neuron reabsorbs released neurotransmitters
• Twin studies


  Research that compares behaviour in sets of twins so see if there are similarities in each pair. Useful in biological studies because identical twins share more DNA than fraternal twins or regular siblings
• Diathesis stress model


  Suggests that a person may be predisposed for a mental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress, e.g. a traumatic life event.
• Magnification


  An example of irrational thinking tackled by CBT - seeing problems as far bigger than they actually are.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy


  Full name for CBT, a way of treating psychological problems via meetings with therapist and behavioural tasks.
• Nature


  Side of the nature-nurture debate which states that genetic influences are responsible for psychological problems.