OCR Psychology A Level Book 2 sample

Application The historical context of mental health Topic 1 Part (c) of the exam question will require you to know the characteristics of one affective disorder, one psychotic disorder and one anxiety disorder. On this spread we will outline examples of each of these disorders: major depression, schizophrenia and phobias. There are several types of depression, including bipolar disorder, where the patient alternates between mania and depression. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is another type of depression that affects around 3% of the UK population during winter. ICD-10 symptoms of major depression A diagnosis of mild major depression requires the presence of two of the three key symptoms listed below plus another two symptoms. The presence of four or more symptoms in total would be considered moderate depression and seven or more is severe depression. For a diagnosis of any of the levels of depression, these symptoms should be present all or most of the time, and should persist for longer than two weeks. Key symptoms 1. Low mood Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g. feels sad, empty, hopeless) or observation made by others (e.g. appears tearful). 2. Loss of interest and pleasure Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation). 3. Reduced energy levels Typically people with depression have reduced levels of energy, making them lethargic. This has a knock-on effect, with people tending to withdraw from work, education and social life. In extreme cases this can be so severe that the person cannot get out of bed. Other symptoms 4. Changes in sleep patterns Depression is associated with changes to sleeping behaviour. People with depression may experience reduced sleep ( insomnia ), particularly premature waking, or an increased need for sleep ( hypersomnia ). 5. Changes in appetite levels Similarly, appetite and eating may increase or decrease, leading to weight gain or loss. The key point is that such behaviours are disrupted by depression. 6. Decrease in self-confidence People with depression tend to report reduced self-confidence and lowered self-esteem , in other words they like themselves less than usual. This can be quite extreme, with some people describing a sense of self-loathing, i.e. hating themselves. 7 –  Four further symptoms The list also includes: reduced concentration and attention, ideas of guilt and unworthiness, bleak and pessimistic views of the future, ideas of self-harm or suicide. Find out about famous people who have had clinical depression. There is a surprising amount of them. Affective disorders Affective disorders are also referred to as ‘mood disorders’ because such disorders have a significant effect on an individual’s emotional state. Affective disorders include major depression (or unipolar depression), manic episode, bipolar disorder (mania + depression) and seasonal affective disorder. Major depression Major depression (most commonly called depression as distinct from bipolar disorder) is the most common mental health disorder—it has been referred to as ‘the common cold’ of mental health. It is estimated that around one in five people are likely to experience depression at some point in their life, and one in 20 at any one time. Depression affects all age groups but tends to occur more in young people than older people. The most common age of onset is 20–30 (and there is a second life-time peak between 30 and 40). Almost twice as many females are diagnosed with depression than males, with a prevalence of 5.5% for females and 3.2% for males worldwide (Albert 2015). This might occur because females actually experience depression more or because more females report their feelings to their doctor or because doctors are more likely to diagnose a female with depression rather than a male with the same symptoms. Depression is found in all cultures throughout the world. Approximately 120 million people worldwide have depression. It occurs more in urban than rural areas. Depression can be exogenous (reactive) in response to a life event such as the death of a family member, or endogenous in cases where there is no specific event that is likely to have triggered the depression (and therefore it comes from inside the individual). Mental health disorders In the diagnostic systems, there are many types of disorders from personality disorders to substance abuse. DSM-I listed 106 mental disorders. This increased to a peak of 297 disorders in DSM-IV but has declined somewhat with the most recent edition. Nevertheless that’s a lot of different mental illnesses. The disorders are grouped into broader categories such as ‘affective disorders’ which share some key characteristics. Characteristics or symptoms of the disorder are listed in a manual such as ICD or DSM to enable diagnosis. Characteristics of three different types of disorder Chapter 1: Issues in mental health 20