Mental health

1500 BC-  Ancient Egyptian records recognised depression. Trephination used- drilling holes in head to release evil spirits. Other treatments incuded temple attendance and excorcism to drive demons out. 

Hippocrates- Scientific view. Madness as a result of an imbalance of the four humours. Depression a result of an imbalance of black bile. Believed certain diets would cure this.

1300's-1400's- Burning of witches common. Hysteria and epilepsy confused as witch craft. More prevalant in women so more women burnt as witches. Faded in 1500's due to greater understanding. 

1800's- Mental asylums. Housing and confining mentally ill. Lived in filth, chained and exhibited to public. Treatments included purges, bleedings and emetics. Gyrating chair aimed to shake up the blood and tissues to restore equilibrium.

1900's- Mental asylums viewed as poor treatment. Psychiatry recognised. Mental illness accepted as biological and unconsious conflicts of Freuds theory recognised. Talking therapies brought forward.

Today- biological. Chemical and medical techniques used. 

Statistical infrequency- Behaviour shown less than the normal amount for society. Statistically 3.35 percent of the UK,s population have schizophrenia. Depression diagnosed in 7.38 percent- still abnormal.

Failure to function adequately-If they cannot live life adequately- eg hold down a job, look after themselves. This could be considered abnormal. Eg. addiction can effect finances.

Deviance from social norms- Societies have social norms maintained through laws, guidelines and societal pressure. People who do not abise by this may be considered abnormal.

DSM- Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

What is the DSM? Contains information regarding every official psychiatric disorder containing criteria for diagnosis and an overview.

Holistic or reductionist? It is holistic as it looks as all the features of the way a person behabed to build an accurate diagnosis. It is also constantly being adapted to make diagnosis reliable and accurate.

New Diagnoses? Hoarding disorder- previously listed as part of OCD but is now recognised as its own disorder. Binge eating disorder- Eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling unable to control this.

Weaknesses- 

• Subjective- can change from one health professional to the next.
• Requires self report from people who may not see behaviour as abnormal. May lie due to social desirability.
• Ethnocentrism- different cultures perveive behaviour differently.
• Overlap- loss of pleaseure factor of depression and schizophrenia.
• Ignores biological symptoms only focuses on behavioural.

Strengths-

• Reliable way to categorise and diagnose behaviours. 
• Helps to direct appropiate treatment.
• Helps individual come to terms and understand why they are different

Things to consider-

Predictive validity-The extent to which the categories predict course or outcome of treatment.

Descriptive validity- The extent to which people diagnosed with the same disorder are similar.

Bio-chemical explanation- Neurotransmitters called monoamines. Include serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine. Depression disrupts the activity levels of these to neurotransmitters resulting in altered mood. Dopamine responsible for mood. Serotonin controls activity or noradrenaline and dopamine. If serotonin levels low affects dopamine affecting mood.

Enzymes- High levels of the enzyme that breaks down monoamines resulting in disrupted brain messages impacting mood.

Brain abnormality- Studies shown the frontal lobe (the region of the brain responsible for thinking, emotions etc) is smaller in depressed patients. Blood flow also does not draw on blood flow as it normally should. This could be cause for depression.

Genetic explanation- Half genes from each parent means its possible for one child to inherit mental illness and one to not. Certain genes interact with enviroment influencing depressive symptoms (interactionist. SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER GENE- 3 strands short/short, long/long, long/short. Believed that short/short is linked to less resillience so depression. Brunner- mutation of X chromosome disrupts monoamine activity. 

Mental health issues are learned.  Operant conditioning- People learn behaviours through reinforcment. Operant conditioning states depression is caused by removal of positive reinforcment. Eg. losing a job can remove positive reinforcment. This can result in social isolation so even less reinforcment.

Classical conditioning- Proposes depression is learned through associating certain things with negative states. For example going to work may be associated with depressive moods. By avoiding going to work they are further isolated causing more depression.

Social Learning theory- Children may see role models reacting to challenges in life in an unhealthy way. Therefore imitate this so become helpless frustrated and depressed.

Treatment- Flodding- Stimuli presented directly eg someone scared of spiders given spider.They realise nothing bad will happen. Associate with calm. Difficult to apply to depression

Adversion therapy- unpleasent association with symptoms. Eg electric shocks.

Positve reinforcment- Only reward when non- depressive symptoms shown.

Errors in cognitive processes explain mental health. (Though processes) Irrational cogntion involved in depression. The way the individual percieves the sitaution is the problem not the situation. 

Beck- Depression involves 3 dysfunctional beliefs. 1) i am worthless/flawed. 2) everything results in failure. 3)The future is hopeless. Individuals select information to confirm beliefs.

Over generalisation- one unfortunate event viewed as never ending struggle.

Filtering- Giving greater consideration and focus to negative aspects. 

Catastophisation- Feeling a situation is far worse than it is.

Treatment- Cognitve behavioural therapy- Taught cognitve and emotional regulation skills so patient becomes own therapist.Tries to reconstuct rational thoughts.

Rational therapy- Professional engages with patient asks to describe depressive episodes and develop a normalising reason for behaviour. Understand how beliefs contribute to illness.

.

Maslow- everyone able to fulfil potentil through psychological growth and reaching self actualisation. If anything prevents this is can cause mental and social issues. The further somones ideal self from there actual self the lower there self esteem.(Carl Rogers.)

Carl Rogers believed that the way people behave in order to receive the reward of social acceptability can effect our perceived actual self. 

Treatments-

Client centered therapy- Important the client can lead conversations and can lead conversations. Therapist gives time and suggestions to allow individual to make own decisions.

Key elements to humanist therapy:

• Empathy and Genuine understanding – Being able to put themselves in others shoes
• Acceptance – Providing unconditional positive regard.