Q2 03 - Modern Models and Prevalence

Modern Perspectives

Modern Models
Biological
Psychological
Sociocultural
Diathesis-Stress

Biological
Emphasises role of:i) nervous system in mental disordersii) brain malfunctioniii) neurotransmitter imbalanceiv) genetic factors
Many mental disorders show a high degree of concordance amongst close relatives.
Techniques for observing brain functions have improved (MRI, PET)

Psychological
Often, disorders occur without any apparent underlying biological cause.
Psychological model emphasises the role of basic psychological processes, cognitive factors, and unconscious forces and conflicts within the individual

Sociocultural
Emphasis on the role of social variables (external factors) as potential causes of mental disorders.
E.g. poverty, unemployment, education, prejudice.

How do you think living in this environment would influence your psychological health?

Diathesis-Stress Model
Suggests disorders result from the joint effects of:i) a predisposition for a given disorder, termed a diathesisii) stressors in an individual’s environment that tend to activate or stimulate the predisposition or vulnerability
Other words – for various reasons, individuals show varying degrees of vulnerability to specific disorders and whether (and to what extent) it surfaces depends on the environment.
E.g. PTSD

Assessment and Diagnosis
Assessment – When the psychologist gather information on a new patient (kind of problems, current conditions, responses to various psychological tests).
Diagnosis – identification of the person’s problem(s).
Psychologists and other mental health professionals have an agreed-upon system for describing and classifying mental disorders.
Most widely used – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – IV (DSM-IV)

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – IV (DSM-IV)
Published by the American Psychiatric Association (1994).
Designed to help all mental health practitioners correctly diagnose specific disorders.
Describes about 250 disorders that are divided along five different categories, called axes.
Psychologist/Psychiatrist then assesses the person on each of these axes

Prevalence in Australia
The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing by ABS (2007)
Sample of 8,841 respondents aged between 16 and 85.
Women were more likely than men to have experienced symptoms of a mental disorder (22% of women compared to 18% of men) and young women reported the highest rates (30% for those women aged 16 to 24).
Young people were much more likely to report a mental disorder in the previous twelve-months (26%) and there was a steady reduction in this rate with increasing age.

PREVALENCE OF 12 MONTH DISORDERS

SERVICE USE BY DISORDER TYPE

SERVICE USE BY AGE AND SEX

MEDICATION USE BY DISORDER TYPE

Q2 03 - Modern Models and Prevalence

by Dickson College

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