UNIT%201:%20INTRODUCTION%20TO%20PSYCHOLOGY

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UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

• AREA OF STUDY 2
• LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT

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WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS?
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WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS?

• PSYCHOTIC ILLNESS
• Involves loss of contact with reality. Difficulty
  with making sense of thoughts, feelings or what
  is actually happening around them
• NON-PSYCHOTIC ILLNESS
• Remain touch with reality despite their
  dysfunctional thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
  They may experience intense and/or prolonged
  feelings of sadness, anxiety and fear to such an
  extent that they have difficulty coping with
  daily activities

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INCIDENCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN AUSTRALIA
Males More likely to experience substance abuse
disorders such as alcohol and drug
dependence Females More likely to experience
anxiety related disorders as well as depression
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CLASSIFYING MENTAL ILLNESS
First developed in 1952 and revised a number of
times Classification system for mental
disorders Disorders are classified based on a
set of recognised symptoms A qualified mental
health professional evaluates a clients condition
on five separate scales of information
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LABELLING SOMEONE WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS

• GOOD
• Helps clinical psychologists recognise and
  specifically describe a mental illness
• Helpful when mental professionals communicate
  with one another, provides a common language

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LABELLING SOMEONE WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS

• BAD
• Can influence individuals in how they feel about
  themselves, as well as how they are viewed by
  society
• Once a label has been given to a person it may be
  there for life
• ROSENHAN (1978)
• SHOWED HOW LABELLING SOMEONE WITH A MENTAL
  ILLNESS CAN INFLUENCE HOW WE VIEW THAT PERSON

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HOMEWORK

• Learning Activity 6.1 (pg.250)
• Learning Activity 6.3 (pg.253)
• Learning Activity 6.5 (pg.256)