Mental health
- Mental health problems are common: about 1 in 4 people in the UK experience one each year.
- Views of mental health vary between cultures and over time, and have changed as stigma has reduced.
- Mental health problems affect individuals (relationships, work, self-care) and society (the cost of care and lost working days).
Clinical depression
- Unipolar depression is a mood disorder with persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, tiredness, changes in sleep and appetite, poor concentration and feelings of worthlessness, lasting at least two weeks.
- Biological explanation: an imbalance of neurotransmitters, especially low levels of serotonin.
- Psychological explanation: negative schemas and faulty thinking, such as a negative attributional style (blaming yourself for bad events).
Treatments
- Antidepressants, such as SSRIs, increase the level of serotonin available in the brain. They can be effective but may have side effects and don't treat underlying causes.
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps people challenge negative thoughts and change behaviour. It deals with causes but takes time and effort.
- Wiles and colleagues found that adding CBT to usual care (including antidepressants) helped more patients improve than usual care alone.
Key terms
- Unipolar depression
- A mood disorder with persistent low mood and loss of interest.
- Serotonin
- A neurotransmitter linked to mood.
- Negative schema
- A negative mental framework about oneself or the world.
- Antidepressants
- Drugs that change neurotransmitter levels to lift mood.
- CBT
- Cognitive behavioural therapy: a talking therapy that challenges negative thoughts.
- Stigma
- Negative attitudes towards a group, such as people with mental illness.