Psychological problems — Edexcel GCSE Psychology
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Psychological problems explained
Psychological problems covers 9 specification points, including Understand the two mental health problems… and The symptoms and features according to the….
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Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
Understand the two mental health problems unipolar depression and addiction, including:
This section introduces two psychological problems: unipolar depression and addiction. Unipolar depression is a mood disorder characterised by persistent low mood and loss of interest in enjoyable activities. Addiction involves a dependence on a substance or behaviour, leading to a compulsion to engage in it despite harmful consequences. During guided reading, learners should focus on identifying the key symptoms and features for both conditions. Students must extract definitions from the text and compare how these two distinct mental health problems manifest. Noting the differences between mood disorders and dependency disorders will build a foundational understanding for evaluating subsequent biological and psychological explanations.
3.1.1 the symptoms and features according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of a. depression b. addiction
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) provides a standardised system for diagnosing mental health conditions. For depression, key features include a persistent low mood, loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities, and reduced energy levels leading to fatigue. Other symptoms involve disturbed sleep, changes in appetite, reduced concentration, and feelings of worthlessness. For addiction, the ICD outlines features such as a strong compulsion to take a substance, difficulties controlling behaviour, physiological withdrawal when use ceases, evidence of tolerance, and progressive neglect of alternative interests. Understanding these specific ICD criteria is essential for accurately identifying these psychological problems.
3.1.2 how the incidence of mental health problems changes over time
The incidence of mental health problems refers to the number of new cases diagnosed within a specific timeframe. Over recent decades, the recorded incidence of conditions like depression has increased significantly. This change over time can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, there is greater public awareness and reduced stigma, encouraging more people to seek help. Secondly, diagnostic criteria have evolved, meaning more behaviours are now recognised as psychological problems. Additionally, modern societal pressures, including economic stress and changing lifestyles, may genuinely increase the prevalence of these conditions. Understanding these trends helps healthcare providers allocate resources effectively.
3.1.3 how mental health problems affect individuals and society
Mental health problems have profound effects on both individuals and society. For individuals, effects include emotional distress, physical symptoms, loss of self-esteem, and difficulties in maintaining relationships or employment. For example, severe depression might lead to social isolation and inability to work. On a societal level, mental health problems impact the economy through lost productivity and increased healthcare costs. Society also faces challenges in providing adequate social care and combating stigma. Understanding these dual impacts highlights the importance of effective interventions and support systems to alleviate the burden on both the person and the wider community.
3.1.4 the influence of genes as an explanation, including strengths and weaknesses of each explanation a. depression b. addiction
The genetic explanation suggests that psychological problems like depression and addiction are inherited through DNA. For depression, individuals may inherit a genetic vulnerability (e.g., the 5-HTT gene variant) affecting serotonin levels. For addiction, genetic variations might influence dopamine receptors, making some more susceptible to dependency. A strength of this explanation is its scientific basis, supported by twin studies showing higher concordance rates for identical twins. However, a weakness is that it is reductionist, ignoring environmental factors like trauma or peer pressure. The diathesis-stress model offers a better approach, combining genetic predisposition with environmental triggers.
3.1.5 the use of cognitive theory as an explanation of depression, including strengths and weaknesses of the explanation
Cognitive theory explains depression as stemming from faulty or irrational thought processes. Aaron Beck proposed the negative cognitive triad, where individuals hold pessimistic views about themselves, the world, and the future. For example, a student failing a test might think "I am stupid" (self), "School is impossible" (world), and "I will never succeed" (future). Albert Ellis introduced the ABC model, suggesting that an Activating event triggers irrational Beliefs, leading to negative emotional Consequences. Strengths include its practical application in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is highly effective. However, a weakness is that it struggles to establish cause and effect; it is unclear whether negative thinking causes depression or if depression causes negative thinking. It also ignores biological factors like neurotransmitter imbalances.
3.1.6 the use of learning theory as an explanation of addiction, including strengths and weaknesses of the explanation
Learning theory explains addiction through classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning. Classical conditioning suggests addiction forms by associating a substance with environmental cues, like associating a pub with nicotine. Operant conditioning explains addiction via reinforcement: gambling thrills are positive reinforcement, while drinking to reduce anxiety is negative reinforcement. Social learning proposes individuals learn addictive behaviours by imitating role models. A strength is its application to treatments like aversion therapy. However, a weakness is that it ignores biological factors, such as genetic predispositions, and fails to explain why many people try addictive substances but never develop an addiction.
3.1.7 the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a treatment, including strengths and weaknesses of each therapy a. depression b. addiction
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) aims to change irrational thoughts and maladaptive behaviours. For depression, CBT helps patients identify negative thought patterns and challenge them, replacing them with rational beliefs. For addiction, CBT focuses on identifying triggers that lead to addictive behaviours, teaching coping strategies to avoid relapse. A key strength of CBT is its long-term effectiveness; it equips patients with lifelong skills to manage their condition. However, a major weakness is that it requires significant motivation, which can be difficult for those with severe depression or addiction. Furthermore, CBT does not address potential biological causes of these conditions, such as neurotransmitter imbalances.
3.1.8 the use of drugs as a treatment, including strengths and weaknesses of each treatment a. depression b. addiction
Drug therapy treats psychological problems by altering brain neurochemistry. For depression, antidepressants like SSRIs increase serotonin levels in the synaptic cleft, improving mood. For addiction, drugs can be used as substitutes to reduce withdrawal symptoms, or as aversives to create unpleasant associations with the substance. A major strength of drug therapy is that it requires less motivation from the patient compared to CBT, making it accessible for severe cases. However, a significant weakness is the risk of side effects, such as nausea or insomnia. Furthermore, drugs often only treat the symptoms rather than the underlying cause, leading to a high risk of relapse if the medication is stopped.
Your focus
- Define unipolar depression and identify its key characteristics from text.
- Define addiction and recognise its primary features in case studies.
- Distinguish between the symptoms of a mood disorder and a dependency disorder.
Show all 27 objectives
- State the key symptoms and features of depression according to the ICD.
- State the key symptoms and features of addiction according to the ICD.
- Apply knowledge of ICD symptoms to identify depression or addiction in a given scenario.
- Define the term incidence in the context of mental health problems.
- Describe how the incidence of mental health problems has changed over time.
- Explain the reasons behind the changing incidence rates of mental health problems.
- Describe how mental health problems affect individuals physically, emotionally, and socially.
- Explain the economic and social impacts of mental health problems on society.
- Distinguish between individual and societal effects of mental health issues.
- Describe the genetic explanations for both depression and addiction.
- Evaluate the strengths of the genetic explanation using scientific evidence like twin studies.
- Evaluate the weaknesses of the genetic explanation by discussing environmental factors and reductionism.
- Describe the cognitive theory of depression using Beck's negative triad and Ellis's ABC model.
- Assess the strengths of the cognitive explanation, including its application to therapy.
- Evaluate the weaknesses of the cognitive explanation, such as issues with causality and biological reductionism.
- Explain how classical and operant conditioning contribute to the development and maintenance of addiction.
- Describe the role of social learning theory in the initiation of addictive behaviours.
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of learning theory as an explanation for addiction.
- Describe how CBT is used to treat depression and addiction.
- Explain the strengths of using CBT for psychological problems.
- Assess the weaknesses of CBT as a treatment for depression and addiction.
- Describe how drug therapy is used to treat depression and addiction.
- Explain the strengths of using drug therapy for psychological problems.
- Assess the weaknesses of drug therapy, including side effects and relapse rates.
Psychological problems exam tips
Marking Points
- Identify persistent low mood and loss of interest as primary ICD symptoms of depression.
- Recognise physical symptoms of depression, such as changes in sleep patterns and appetite.
- Identify a strong compulsion to use a substance and difficulty controlling use as key ICD features of addiction.
- Recognise physiological withdrawal and tolerance as diagnostic criteria for addiction.
- Define incidence as the rate of new cases of a mental health problem over a specific period.
- Identify that the recorded incidence of mental health problems has generally increased over time.
- Explain that increased incidence may be due to reduced social stigma and better mental health awareness.
- Recognise that changes in diagnostic criteria can lead to higher recorded rates of mental health conditions.
- Identify individual effects such as emotional distress, physical illness, or loss of income.
- Identify societal effects such as increased burden on healthcare systems and social care.
- Recognise the economic impact on society due to absenteeism and lost productivity in the workplace.
- Understand how social stigma affects both the individual's recovery and societal cohesion.
- Explain that genetic explanations propose depression and addiction are inherited from parents through DNA.
- Describe how specific genes may affect neurotransmitter systems, such as serotonin in depression or dopamine in addiction.
- Evaluate the explanation by citing supporting evidence, such as twin or adoption studies demonstrating genetic links.
- Identify weaknesses, such as the failure to account for environmental influences and the reductionist nature of the theory.
- Identification of Beck's negative triad (self, world, future) as a cognitive explanation for depression.
- Explanation of Ellis's ABC model (Activating event, Belief, Consequence) in the context of depressive symptoms.
- Evaluation of the theory's strength through its successful application in developing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
- Evaluation of the theory's weakness regarding the difficulty in establishing whether faulty cognition is a cause or a symptom of depression.
- Recognition that cognitive theory may overlook biological explanations, such as the role of serotonin.
- Explanation of classical conditioning in addiction, focusing on the association between environmental cues and the addictive substance.
- Explanation of operant conditioning, detailing how positive reinforcement (pleasure) and negative reinforcement (avoiding withdrawal) maintain addiction.
- Application of social learning theory, describing how observing and imitating role models can initiate addictive behaviours.
- Evaluation of a strength, such as the development of effective behavioural treatments like aversion therapy.
- Evaluation of a weakness, noting the theory's failure to account for biological vulnerabilities or genetic predispositions to addiction.
- Identifies that CBT for depression involves challenging irrational thoughts and replacing them with rational ones.
- Recognises that CBT for addiction involves identifying triggers and learning coping skills to prevent relapse.
- Evaluates CBT by stating a strength, such as providing long-term skills that empower the patient.
- Evaluates CBT by stating a weakness, such as the high level of patient motivation and commitment required.
- Identifies that antidepressants treat depression by increasing neurotransmitter levels in the brain.
- Recognises that drug therapy for addiction can involve substitute prescribing or aversive medication.
- Evaluates drug therapy by stating a strength, such as requiring less patient effort than psychological therapies.
- Evaluates drug therapy by stating a weakness, such as the potential for negative side effects or relapse upon cessation.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Highlight key symptoms of both unipolar depression and addiction when reading case studies to quickly identify the disorder.
- 💡Create a comparison table listing the features of unipolar depression alongside those of addiction to clarify their distinct characteristics.
- 💡Ensure you can define both unipolar depression and addiction accurately without conflating their symptoms.
- 💡Memorise at least three specific ICD symptoms for both depression and addiction to use in applied scenarios.
- 💡Be prepared to read a short case study and identify whether the person is showing symptoms of depression or addiction based on the ICD criteria.
- 💡Ensure you use the correct terminology, such as 'tolerance' and 'withdrawal', when describing addiction features.
- 💡When asked why mental health statistics have changed, always consider both societal changes (like reduced stigma) and genuine increases in stress.
- 💡Use the term 'incidence' correctly in your answers to show a clear understanding of epidemiological terminology.
- 💡Be prepared to interpret simple graphs or data tables showing changes in mental health diagnoses over time.
- 💡Read the question carefully to determine whether it is asking for an impact on the individual or on society.
- 💡Use specific examples, such as days off work, to illustrate economic impacts on society.
- 💡Remember that effects can be interrelated, such as an individual's loss of employment leading to societal economic costs.
- 💡When evaluating, use the diathesis-stress model to explain why having a genetic vulnerability does not guarantee the disorder will develop.
- 💡Reference twin studies as a key strength to support the genetic explanation for both depression and addiction.
- 💡Clearly separate your evaluation points for depression and addiction if the question asks for both, though the underlying genetic principles are similar.
- 💡When evaluating cognitive theory, use the success of CBT as a concrete strength to support your argument.
- 💡Always link the components of Beck's triad or Ellis's ABC model back to the specific symptoms of depression.
- 💡Contrast cognitive theory with biological explanations to provide a well-rounded weakness regarding reductionism.
- 💡Use specific examples, such as gambling or smoking, to illustrate how operant and classical conditioning apply to addiction.
- 💡When discussing weaknesses, contrast learning theory with the biological explanation to highlight what learning theory omits.
- 💡Ensure you explicitly link the concepts of observation and imitation to the initiation of addiction when discussing social learning theory.
- 💡When evaluating CBT, always link the strength or weakness specifically to either depression or addiction.
- 💡Use the term 'irrational thoughts' when describing how CBT treats depression.
- 💡Mention 'functional analysis' or 'skills training' when explaining CBT for addiction.
- 💡Clearly distinguish between how drugs treat depression (altering neurotransmitters) and addiction (substitution or aversion).
- 💡When discussing weaknesses, provide specific examples of side effects rather than just saying 'it has side effects'.
- 💡Compare drug therapy to CBT to highlight its strengths, such as requiring less active participation from the patient.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing unipolar depression with bipolar depression; correction: unipolar depression involves only depressive episodes, whereas bipolar involves both manic and depressive states.
- Assuming addiction only applies to substances; correction: addiction can also involve behaviours, such as gambling or internet use.
- Treating everyday sadness as clinical depression; correction: unipolar depression requires symptoms to be persistent and severe enough to disrupt daily functioning.
- Confusing everyday sadness with clinical depression; correction: clinical depression requires specific ICD symptoms like persistent low mood over a sustained period.
- Assuming addiction only relates to illegal drugs; correction: addiction can involve legal substances like alcohol or prescribed medications, as well as behavioural addictions.
- Mixing up tolerance and withdrawal; correction: tolerance is needing more of a substance to get the same effect, whereas withdrawal refers to the physical symptoms experienced when stopping use.
- Confusing incidence with prevalence; correction: incidence refers to new cases in a given time, while prevalence is the total number of cases overall.
- Assuming an increase in incidence only means more people are becoming ill; correction: the increase is also heavily driven by more people coming forward due to reduced stigma.
- Believing mental health problems did not exist in the past; correction: they existed but were often undiagnosed, hidden, or classified differently.
- Confusing individual and societal effects; correction: ensure personal symptoms like isolation are categorised as individual, while economic costs are societal.
- Assuming mental health only affects the mind; correction: recognise that physical health and financial stability are also significantly impacted.
- Believing societal effects are only financial; correction: include social impacts like stigma, discrimination, and the need for social care infrastructure.
- Stating that genes directly cause depression or addiction; correction: explain that genes create a vulnerability or predisposition, not an absolute certainty.
- Confusing the genetic explanation with cognitive or learning theories; correction: focus strictly on biological inheritance and DNA rather than thought processes or conditioning.
- Failing to provide both strengths and weaknesses; correction: always include at least one piece of supporting evidence and one limitation when evaluating the explanation.
- Confusing the cognitive explanation with biological explanations. Correction: Ensure cognitive theory focuses on thought processes and schemas, not genetics or neurotransmitters.
- Stating that negative thoughts definitely cause depression. Correction: Note that the relationship is correlational, and it is difficult to prove whether negative thoughts precede depression or vice versa.
- Misidentifying the components of the ABC model. Correction: Clearly define A as Activating event, B as Beliefs (rational or irrational), and C as Consequences (emotional or behavioural).
- Confusing positive and negative reinforcement in the context of addiction. Correction: Remember that positive reinforcement adds a rewarding feeling (euphoria), while negative reinforcement removes an unpleasant feeling (withdrawal symptoms).
- Treating all learning theories as a single concept. Correction: Clearly distinguish between classical conditioning (association), operant conditioning (consequences), and social learning (observation).
- Stating that learning theory explains all addictions perfectly. Correction: Acknowledge that learning theory struggles to explain why some individuals are exposed to the same environmental factors but do not become addicted.
- Confusing CBT with psychoanalysis. Correction: CBT focuses on current conscious thoughts and behaviours, not unconscious childhood conflicts.
- Stating that CBT is a quick fix. Correction: CBT requires time, effort, and multiple sessions to be effective.
- Assuming CBT works for everyone. Correction: CBT requires high motivation, which severely depressed or addicted patients may lack.
- Stating that antidepressants cure depression permanently. Correction: Antidepressants manage symptoms but do not cure the underlying cause, and relapse is common if stopped.
- Confusing substitute drugs with aversive drugs. Correction: Substitute drugs replace the addiction with a safer alternative, while aversive drugs cause unpleasant physical reactions when the addictive substance is used.
- Claiming drug therapy requires high motivation. Correction: Drug therapy requires less motivation than psychological therapies like CBT, as the patient only needs to take the medication.