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Psychological problems
infoWhy this? Studying depression and addiction develops mental health literacy by clarifying their characteristics, diagnosis, and effects on individuals and society. Comparing biological and psychological explanations, alongside evidence for therapies, helps us judge how explanations inform treatment and how effectiveness can be assessed.
scheduleWhy now? Taught after the cognitive and biological topics, this unit brings together knowledge of thought processes, synaptic transmission, and nature–nurture explanations to make sense of mental health problems and their treatment. Examining peer influence on addiction also provides a bridge to the following Social Influence unit.
neurologyYou need to know
- Characteristics of mental health
- How the incidence of significant mental health problems changes over time
- The effects of significant mental health problems of individuals and society
- Differences between unipolar and bipolar depression and sadness
- The use of International Classification of Diseases in diagnosing unipolar depression
- Biological explanation (influence of nature): imbalance of neurotransmitters
- Psychological explanation (influence of nurture): negative schemas and attributions
- Interventions or therapies for depression: antidepressant medications and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
- Wiles' study of the effectiveness of CBT.
- The differences between addiction/dependence and substance misuse/abuse.
- The use of International Classification of Diseases in diagnosing addiction (dependence syndrome).
- Biological explanations (influence of nature): hereditary factors/genetic vulnerability. Kaj's twin study of alcohol abuse.
- Psychological explanation (influence of nurture): Peer influence.
- Interventions or therapies for addiction: aversion therapy, self-management programmes
rocket_launchYou must be able to
- Demonstrate understanding of the characteristics and impact of mental health problems, explaining how they affect individuals and society.
- Apply knowledge of diagnostic criteria and psychological theories to analyse unipolar and bipolar depression as well as addiction.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions and therapies, including discussing empirical studies such as Wiles' study of CBT.
Revision Quiz
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