PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

• ICD-10


  International Classification of Diseases, used by the WHO (World Health Organisation), includes 10 groups such as delusional disorders, mood disorders, etc. and clinical/personality disorders are part of the same group
• Mental health is on the rise, there is not more mental illness these days than ever before, people are just more likely to seek help these days
• Changes in addiction over time
• How mental health affects the individual and society

  • Social
  • Emotional
  • Occupation
  • Healthcare
  • Crime
  • Cost
• Addiction


  People need to have or do a particular thing - a substance or activity - in order to be able to go about their normal routine
• Withdrawal

  A set of unpleasant physical or psychological symptoms someone gets when they are trying to quit or cannot satisfy their addiction
• Types of addiction

  • Dependence disorder: dependent on a substance such as alcohol and cocaine
  • Behavioural addiction: dependent on an activity such as gambling
• Genotype


  The set of genes in our DNA which is responsible for a particular trait (Phenotype)
• Genetic explanation for addiction

  • Studied through family studies, twin studies, adoption studies
  • Identical twins (monozygotic) share 100% genes, Non-identical twins (dizygotic) share 50% genes
  • Concordance means the presence of the same trait in both members of a pair of twins
• Evaluation of the genetic explanation of addiction

  • Strengths
  • Weaknesses
• Classical Conditioning


  Behaviour is learned through associations - two or more things happen around the same time they become linked
• Operant Conditioning

  Behaviour are repeated when they lead to positive consequences (form of reinforcement such as rewards)
• Social Learning Theory

  Behaviour is learned as a result of observing other people - role models - and modelling their behaviour
• Evaluation of Learning Theories of Addiction

  • Strengths
  • Weaknesses
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

  Helps people to understand triggers for their addictive behaviours and learn how to control and manage them
• Study 1: Young et al (2009) - CBT and internet addicts


  • Aim: to investigate the effect of using CBT to treat a group of patients diagnosed with internet addiction
  • Procedure: 114 participants recruited, completed the Internet Addiction Test, had online CBT sessions, rated their behaviour and feelings
  • Findings: There was some improvement over the 12 weeks of therapy, and no significant drop in ratings 6 months after
  • Conclusions: CBT is an effective treatment for internet addiction, with long term benefits
• Evaluation of Young et al study

  • Strengths
  • Weaknesses
• 96% said the biggest problem caused was the time taken up by using online apps
• Online apps can add a time limit to prevent people from spending time on the app which makes them less likely to become addicted
• Using the same questions and rating scales at session 3, 8, 12 and after 6 months was reliable
• Online CBT might encourage more people to access treatment for addictions if other types of therapy are not appropriate
• Slightly more males (58%) than females (42%) were included in the study which means the sample is less representative of women
• Different types of internet addiction were identified. This means it is not clear whether all types achieved the same effects of treatment (30% Males- pornography, 30% Females – online chat rooms)
• Questionnaires about their own feelings and behaviour may be inaccurate because participants might lie or give socially desirable responses. This means data might not be a valid picture of how their behaviour has changed during treatment
• Using online CBT can contribute to an individuals online addiction so the treatment may be less effective
• Unipolar depression

  Mood is pulled in one direction. An extreme lowering of mood that is persistent which affects day to day functioning
• 1 in 6 people report feeling this way
• Depression is a common illness worldwide, with more than 300 million people affected
• Close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year
• Key symptoms: ICD-10

  • Persistent sadness or low mood
  • Loss of interests or motivation
  • Fatigue or low energy
  • 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
• At least ONE, most days, most of the time for at least 2 WEEKS
• 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
• Cognitive triad

  Three negative thought patterns (Cognitive biases)
• Negative self-schema

  Whole belief system is covered in negativity
• Ellis's ABC model

  Three stages that can cause us to develop negative thought processes – depression
• 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
• Anti-depressants

  Raise the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and noradrenaline which are thought to affect mood