Psychological Problems (3)
what is bipolar depression?
phases of extreme depression followed by phases of mania
what is unipolar depression?
constant low mood and depression
what is the biological explanation for depression? (4 points)
- low levels of serotonin in the body
- serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for sleep, apetite and calm mood.
- low serotonin means the 'calm mood' message won't get transmitted to the next neuron, causing low mood
- serotonin levels may be low due to genes (nature) or a diet low in carbohydrates (nurture) as carbs give the body neccesary ingredients to produce seritonin
what is the psychological explanation for depression?
faulty attributions are a cognitive style common in depressed individuals which involve mistakenly blaming negative events on themselves or stable causes, eg thinking things are always bad
what are faulty internal attributions?
blaming negative events on themselves rather than external factors
what are faulty stable attributions?
believing things do not change and stay bad forever
what are faulty global attributions?
believing something negative happens all over the world instead of blaming the negative experience eg. all people are horrible
what do SSRI's do?
block the re-uptake ports in the pre synaptic neuron, forcing the body ti make more serotonin abailable to bind to the post synaptic meuron
what are some negative side effects of SSRI's
nausea, weight gain, insomnia
what is a positive for using SSRI's
less time consuming than therapy, cheaper and reduces symptoms
what are all characteristics of addiction?
tolerance
persistence despite harm
difficulty controlling use
higher priority given to substance
withdrawal
strong desire
what are the 3 main features of self management programmes fir addiction?
- surrendering control to a higher power
- admitting and sharing guilt
- recovery is lifelong
what are self management programmes for addiction?
when individuals organise and run the treatment themselves, typically a 12-step recovery programme
what are the 12 steps to addiction self management programmes?
1. admit powerlessness over addiction
2. find hope (typically through belief in any higher power)
3. surrender control to said higher power
4. take a personal inventory focusing on wrongs done
5. share inventory with higher power, oneself, ans another person, admitying wrongs done
6. become ready to have the higher power correct shortcomings in ones character
7. ask higher power to remove those shortcomings
8. make a list of people harmed
9. make amends, if possible, for past wrongs
10. continue personal inventory and recognise wrongs immediately
11. use prayer and meditation to continue connection with the higher power
12. carry the message of the 12 steps to othees in need
what is reductionism
only explaining/ treating behaviour by only looking at one possible cause
what is holism
the idea that human behaviour should be viewed/ treated by looking at the whole experience not separate parts