Psychology Mental State Exam and Theories

Mental State Examination

• Assessment of thought pattern in the mental state examination does not include orientation.
• Clarity, relevance, and flow are assessed during a mental state examination.

Neurotransmitters

• GABA is linked to anxiety.
• Serotonin and norepinephrine are linked to depression.
• Dopamine is linked to schizophrenia.

Therapies and Theories

• RBT (Rational Behavior Therapy) is a technique utilized in cognitive psychology.
• Carl Rogers believed it was important to label the person seeking therapy as a "client" not a "patient".
• Electrics therapy draws techniques from different therapies based on a client's needs.
• The "latent" stage of psychosexual development is characterized by dormant sexual feelings.
• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy was developed by Albert Ellis.
• Carl Rogers identified three important components of client-centered therapy: genuineness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard.

Defense Mechanisms

• Rationalization: When someone uses an acceptable reason to justify their inappropriate actions.
• Reaction Formation: Demonstrating feelings that are the opposite of one's actual feelings, often to hide the real emotion.
• Displacement: Shifting your feelings from the original target to a less threatening one.
• Projection: Placing your own undesirable thoughts and feelings onto someone else.
• Repression: Pushing troubling thoughts and memories into the unconscious mind to avoid dealing with them.
• Regression: Reverting to childlike behaviors in response to stress.

Mental Disorders

• Schizophrenia: The positive and negative symptoms scale (PANSS) is used for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Characterized by impaired social skills.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Characterized by deficit in nonverbal communication, understanding relationships, and social communication; does not include deficits in independent living.
• Learning Disorders: Are usually characterized by difficulties with perception and information processing.
• Communication Disorders: Include language disorder, speech and sound disorder, and childhood-onset fluency disorder.
• Child-onset Fluency Disorder: Caused by interruptions in speech fluency.
• Intellectual Disability: May be caused by viral infections, genetic factors, or hormonal imbalances, however is not linked to brain anatomy.

Other Key Concepts

• Learned Response: A behavior copied from another person.
• Catharsis: Releasing repressed emotions to relieve emotional distress.
• Validity: A test is valid when it accurately measures the intended quality.
• Reliability: A test is reliable when the results are consistent over multiple administrations.

The History of Mental Health

• In the Stone Age, abnormal behavior was believed to be caused by evil spirits.
• Franz Anton Mesmer used hypnosis to treat patients who were thought to have hysteria.

Important People

• Carl Rogers: Developed client-centered therapy, which emphasizes the individual's ability to heal themselves.
• Albert Ellis: Developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, which challenges irrational beliefs.
• Franz Anton Mesmer: A German physician known for his use of hypnosis and the practice of "mesmerism."

Important Facts

• Psychologist are the only professionals qualified to provide therapy to clients.
• Medical Doctors (MDs) are qualified to prescribe medication.
• DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) classifies mental disorders into five types of communication disorders.
• The presence of stuttering is also indicative of a communication disorder.
• Electroshock therapy is also known as brain stimulation.
• Trephination was an ancient practice used to cure mental illness by drilling holes into the skull.
• Rentla was used to cure people who were believed to be possessed by spiders.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding different types of therapies, defense mechanisms, neurotransmitters and how they relate to mental disorders is essential.
• There are various types of mental disorders requiring different approaches and treatments.
• An understanding of how different mental disorders are diagnosed and treated is critical for effective care.