Mental Illness: Impacts of Depression and Psychological Interventions

This report provides an overview of mental illness, focusing primarily on depression and its multifaceted impacts on individuals. It explores depression from biological, cognitive, and psychodynamic perspectives, highlighting dysfunctional behaviors, cognitive impairments, and psychosis as key influencing factors. The report discusses therapeutic interventions such as psychoanalysis and cognitive behavioral therapy, emphasizing their effectiveness in addressing negative thought patterns and unconscious mental processes. Furthermore, it examines how these therapies aid in self-analysis, self-reflection, and the development of coping strategies. The conclusion underscores that understanding and addressing the root causes of depression through psychological theories can significantly improve an individual's well-being and ability to manage future challenges. Desklib offers a wealth of similar resources for students seeking to deepen their understanding of psychology and mental health.

Mental illness

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1...................................................................................................................................................3
TASK 2...................................................................................................................................................3
TASK 3...................................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION
Mental disorder is a broad term that comprises various illness such as depression,
Dementia, Alzheimer’s illness and many more. In this report, it will cover impacts of depression
on humans from various perspectives such as biological/medical, cognitive, psychodynamic and
so on (Solaro, Gamberini and Masuccio, 2018).
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
Spider diagram is a visual brainstorming technique, often called as spider web chart or
web chart. In context with healthcare, it is used to highlight various possible difficulties that
people face when suffering from mental illness such as depression.
While talking about depression as a mental illness, it is generally a group of situations
that are related with elevation or decreasing moods of an individual. In this, there are various
factors that can influence depression such as dysfunctional behavior, cognitive impairment and
so on. In context with dysfunctional behavior, it is generally loss of functioning on a part of
person, or between a couple, or in a family (Sullivan, 2018). It deals with both relationships and
behavior which are not working effectively as well as having one or more unhealthy
characteristics towards each other like developing conflicts or having reduced communication. It
is mainly a breakdown among emotional, cognition or behavioral such as having disturbance in
thinking ability, behavior which mirrors specific dys-functioning in biological, psychological, or
the developmental processes which underlying the mental functions. In order to treat such
illness, there is a behavioral approach which can enable people having depression symptoms to
effectively learn how to overcome or deal with their negativity and can enhance positive
awareness via re-improvement of personal goals. In context with Psychosis, it is mainly a group
MENTAL
ILLNESS
(depression)
Emotional
Impairment.
Dysfunctional
behaviors.
Cognitive
Dysfunction.
Psychosis.
Biological
Dysfunction.
Motivation.

of symptoms that specifically results in having an impairment relationship with reality. Most of
the times, it is considered as a serious mental issue. As people who are generally experiencing
psychosis may involve either delusion or hallucination (Psychosis, 2020). There is the thing that
can effectively triggers psychosis such as a person having physical injury, excessive smoking or
drinking, inadequate sleep and many more. Sometimes, it may be caused by having side effects
with prescribed medications. In order to overcome or heal from psychosis, providing rest to body
can help enable the brain to heal effectively.
TASK 2
Covered in PowerPoint presentation.
TASK 3
In this, psychoanalysis is generally a psychotherapy in psychology that is based on
understanding of unconscious mental processes which generally identifies thought, feelings as
well as actions of an individual. In this, having therapies can significantly aid to determine as
well as can effectively link such unconscious processes to individuals and also help to any of
physical or psychological problems that an individual may be feeling or suffering from. Some
studies consider that to treat depression among people, psychoanalysis is an effective treatment
as it can help to cure various mental illnesses such as depression and other conditions as well.
The process generally meant to facilitate relief from pain and symptoms, increased actions of
self-awareness and decisions, and provide a wide scope with that an individual can effectively
able to observe themselves and correct particular issues at hand. According to psychodynamic
perspective, its therapy is greatly used to treat depression among people as it can aid to promote
self-analysis or self-reflection (Psychodynamic Therapy for Depression, 2020). The therapy can
enable an individual to improve strategies that are positively used to overcome the issues that are
specifically based on intentional actions or awareness, instead of reactive feelings as well as
behaviors. Psychodynamic therapy is a practice of Freudian’s psychoanalysis, generally based on
knowledge that behavior of an individual is mainly influenced by past experiences and an
unconscious mind. It includes an intense, an open-ended illustration of feelings of an individual,
frequently with various sessions in a week. In this, weekly sessions can involve an examination
of individual’s feelings so that they are aware of their feelings (Asrat, Schneider, Ambaw and
Lund, 2020).
During therapy, a person is supported so that he/she can freely share their emotions or
feelings that is happening in their mind. An individual can effectively able to share their thoughts
or feelings which can threaten or trouble them the most. Also, the feelings which an individual
may not know or recognized from their past. The therapy can help individuals to know about
situations that has troubled them or occurred in their past along with how to deal with such
things efficiently. With help of effective communication between therapist and a person, there is
development of effective relationships and build trust that can make a person to share all their
feelings or fears which troubled their mind. In addition, the psychotherapy can help individual to
effectively cope with their difficulties or challenging situations that how it can be overcome and
improve individual’s well-being.

In this, depression can result from various negative biases in thinking processes. While talking
about cognitive behavioral therapy, it is generally a common type of talk therapy that can work
for some people as well as can be a better treatment other than medications to treat depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can be works as an effective method if people having moderate
type of depression. It is only depending upon therapist that if they are skilled, then it can be a
best treatment for depression (Cognitive Theories of Major Depression – Aaron Beck, 2021). As
per therapists, depression is maintained by having constant negative thoughts, often called as
automatic thoughts. It means that reviews can be occurred without having conscious efforts such
as depressed individuals may involve some intuitive ideas like they are the world’s worst
unhappy individuals, they always fail in everything and so on. With help of cognitive behavioral
therapy, an individual can effectively learn to identify as well as can correct their negative
thoughts. With time, depressed individuals will be able to discover negative ideas and correct
deeply held thoughts but the false beliefs that can contribute towards depression. With help of
therapy, people can able to identify the issues which bother them and affect their mind as well.
This can make them much stronger to tackle with such issues. And, in future if it can occur again
then they will effectively deal with it. Furthermore, therapy can effectively aim to avoid negative
thought cycles such as feeling anxious, bad or scared. It can aid an individual to alter their
patterns of negative thoughts as well as enhances ways in which people can feel happy
(Haddock, Bentall and Slade, 2019).
CONCLUSION
From above discussion, it is concluded that depression can be caused by various things
such as having anxiety, fear, or negative thought process. It can generally affect a person’s life
negatively and make person to destroy their life, sometimes suicide also. In order to deal with
such situations or conditions, there are some perspectives of psychology that can help people to
overcome their illness so that they can live their life freely or independently. With help of
specific theories such as cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis therapy and many more,
people can effectively able to understand their thoughts and can able to control their negative
thoughts. Along with this, people can also able to understand, how to deal such situations or
illness if it can occur in future.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Asrat, B., Schneider, M., Ambaw, F. and Lund, C., 2020. Effectiveness of psychological
treatments for depressive symptoms among people living with HIV/AIDS in low-and
middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of affective
disorders, 270, pp.174-187.
Bucci, S., Schwannauer, M. and Berry, N., 2019. The digital revolution and its impact on mental
health care. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 92(2),
pp.277-297.
Cheffer, A., Castillo, A.R.G., Corrêa-Velloso, J., Gonçalves, M.C.B., Naaldijk, Y., Nascimento,
I.C., Burnstock, G. and Ulrich, H., 2018. Purinergic system in psychiatric
diseases. Molecular psychiatry, 23(1), pp.94-106.
Goodman, G. and Halfon, S., 2021. Session adherence to prototypical psychotherapy process as
a correlate of outcome in a naturalistic study of child mentalization-informed
psychodynamic play therapy. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration.
Haddock, G., Bentall, R.P. and Slade, P.D., 2019. Psychological treatment of auditory
hallucinations: focusing or distraction?. In Cognitive-behavioural interventions with
psychotic disorders (pp. 45-70). Routledge.
Hamza, C.A., Ewing, L., Heath, N.L. and Goldstein, A.L., 2021. When social isolation is nothing
new: A longitudinal study on psychological distress during COVID-19 among university
students with and without preexisting mental health concerns. Canadian
Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 62(1), p.20.
Jesulola, E., Micalos, P. and Baguley, I.J., 2018. Understanding the pathophysiology of
depression: From monoamines to the neurogenesis hypothesis model-are we there
yet?. Behavioural brain research, 341, pp.79-90.
McLemore, K.A., 2018. A minority stress perspective on transgender individuals’ experiences
with misgendering. Stigma and Health, 3(1), p.53.
Saltzman, L.Y., Hansel, T.C. and Bordnick, P.S., 2020. Loneliness, isolation, and social support
factors in post-COVID-19 mental health. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research,
Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), p.S55.
Solaro, C., Gamberini, G. and Masuccio, F.G., 2018. Depression in multiple sclerosis:
epidemiology, aetiology, diagnosis and treatment. CNS drugs, 32(2), pp.117-133.
Spencer, C., Mallory, A.B., Cafferky, B.M., Kimmes, J.G., Beck, A.R. and Stith, S.M., 2019.
Mental health factors and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization: A
meta-analysis. Psychology of Violence, 9(1), p.1.
Sullivan, M.D., 2018. Depression effects on long-term prescription opioid use, abuse, and
addiction. The Clinical journal of pain, 34(9), pp.878-884.

Online:
Psychodynamic Therapy for Depression, 2020 [Online] Available through:
https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/psychodynamic-therapy-for-depression
Psychosis, 2020 [Online] Available through: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-
of-mental-health-problems/psychosis/causes/
Cognitive Theories of Major Depression – Aaron Beck, 2021 [Online] Available through:
https://www.mentalhelp.net/depression/cognitive-theories/