Failure to function adequately: -A person may cross the line between 'normal' and 'abnormal' at the point that they cannot cope with the demands of everyday life anymore. -David Rosenhan and Martin Seligman (1989) proposed some signs that can be used to determine when someone is not coping. These include: *When a person no longer conforms to standard interpersonal rules, for example maintaining eye contact *When a person experiences severe personal distress *When a persons behaviour becomes irrational or dangerous to themselves or others
What des ideal mental health look like? Marie Jahoda (1958) suggested that we are in good mental health if we meet the following criteria: *We have no symptoms of distress *We are rational and can perceive ourselves accurately *We self-actualise *We can cope with stress *We have a realistic view of the world *We have good self-esteem and lack guilt *We are independent of other people *We can successfully work, love and enjoy our leisure
Behavioural characteristics of phobias: Panic/avoidance/endurance The latest version of the DSM recognises the following categories of phobia and related anxiety disorder: *Specific phobia = phobia of an object *Social anxiety = phobia of a social situation *Agoraphobia = phobia of being outside or in a public space
Behaviour characteristics of depression: Activity levels/disruption to sleep and eating behaviour/aggression an self-harm The latest version of the DSM recognises the following categories of depression and depressive disorder: *Major depressive disorder = severe but often short term depression *Persistent depressive disorder = long-term or recurring depression *Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder = childhood temper tantrums *Premenstrual dysphoric disorder = disruption to mood prior to and during menstruation
Behavioural characteristics of OCD: Compulsions are repetitive/ compulsions reduce anxiety/avoidance
The Behavioural approach to explaining phobias: -emphasises the role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour Hobart Mowrer (1960) proposed the two-process model based on the behaviour approach to phobias. This states that phobias are acquired by classical conditioning and then continue because of operant conditioning.
Systematic desensitisation: SD is a behavioural therapy designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through the principle of classical conditioning. If the sufferer can learn to relax in the presence of the phobic stimulus in order to be cured. - A new response is then learned. There are three processes involved in SD: 1) The anxiety hierarchy - put together by the patient and therapist - it is a list of situations related to a phobic stimulus 2) Relaxation - the therapist teaches the sufferer how to relax 3) Exposure - finally the patient is exposed to the phobia, whilst in a relaxed state - this takes place over several sessions
The Cognitive approach to explaining depression: Aaron Beck (1967) suggested a cognitive approach to explaining why some people are more vulnerable to depression than others. Beck suggested three parts to this cognitive vulnerability: 1) Faulty information processing = when depressed we attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives 2) Negative self-schemas = a schema is developed through experiences - if we have negative self-schemas we interpret all situations in a negative way 3 The negative triad = involves three stages a) Negative view on the world b) Negative view on the future c) Negative view on the self
The Biological approach to explaining OCD: Candidate genes: researchers have identified genes, which create vulnerability for OCD, called candidate genes. OCD is polygenic: like many conditions, OCD seems to be polygenic. This means that OCD is not caused by one single gene but that several genes are involved. Different types of OCD: one group of genes may cause OCD in one person but a different group of genes may cause this disorder in another person.
Drug therapy: Drug therapy for mental disorder aims to increase or decree levels of neurotransmitters in the brain or to increase/decrease their activity. SSRIs - treatment Alternatives to SSRIs > Tricyclics and SNRIs
Pedagogy: -Ask students to create a case study of a person regarding one of the perspectives -Create a mind map of all of the perspectives -On the mind map use different colours to evaluate -Ask students to think about if they have any phobias and to assess them against the perspective given