definitions Flashcards
How many adults are getting treatment for a mental health issue
1 in 3
Most commonly treated with medication
Rates of mental health issues changing in children
1 in 9 in 2017 to 1 in 6 in 2020
What is a mental health disorder
Syndrome characterised by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation or behaviour that reflects dysfunction in the various functions that underlie mental function
What is not a mental health disorder
Culturally normal response to loss of family member
Socially deviant behaviour
Defining normal behaviour
Common
Positive bias to society
Expected and appropriate
No personal distress
Defining abnormal behaviour
Rare
Negative bias to society
Unexpected and inappropriate
Leads to personal distress
Social judgements on mental health disorders
Subjective to personal opinion
Objective measures for mental health disorders
Blood tests and MRI scanning
Where does atypical behaviour originate
- Age, sex and hereditary factors
- Individual lifestyle factors
- Social and community networks
- Living and working conditions
- General cultural conditions
Nature vs nurture
Diathesis (stressor) can link biological and environmental factors
Understanding disorders
All factors can affect each other and loop around - all factors of understanding disorders are linked
Disorder loop
Aetiology (cause) to presentation and assessment to diagnosis and identification to treatment and therapy - loops back around
Indicators of abnormality
Distress
Maladaptive behaviour
Statistical deviance
Violation of societal standards
Social discomfort (from observers)
Unpredictable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour
Why define abnormal behaviour
Common names for complex clinical conditions
Easy to structure certain disorders
Helps healthcare professionals
Why you shouldn’t define abnormal behaviour
Can create stigmas and stereotypes
Can affect a person’s self concept
People will avoid those labelled with mental health disorder
Culture effects
Different cultures can experience psychological stress differently
Can shape how clinical elements are presented
Point prevalence
How many people have disorder at one point in time
One year prevelance
How many people have disorder during a year
Lifetime prevelance
How many people gave had disorder at any point in their life
Comorbididty
Presence of two or more disorders in a patient
High in those with severe mental health disorders
Sufficient cause
Guarantees occurrence of a disorder
Contributory cause
Increases the probability of a disorder but may not be necessary or sufficient for a disorder to develop
Distal risk factor
Causal factor that doesn’t show effect until later in life
Proximal risk factor
Causal factor that shows effect immediately
