Behavioural Perspectives of Mental Health

Question 1: Describe what is meant by a â€Å"behavioural perspective† of mental health and illness. Use examples from the literature to show how medical and behaviourally-based approaches differ. Behavioural perspectives concerning mental health and illness include bio medical and psychological approaches. Bio medical approaches incorporate pharmacological treatments, heritability, criterion – based diagnosis, and the ability to examine structures and functions of the brain. Psychological approaches comprise psychoanalytical, cognitive, non directive psychotherapy, and behavioural analysis.When making a behavioural perspective concerning a client’s mental health and illness it is important to â€Å"distinguish how problems are conceptualised, what is important to target for change, the process of behaviour and how to change the behaviour† (M. Burkhardt, personal communication, 2010). To distinguish how a behaviour is caused physicians need to examine the behaviour and consider the clients environmental antecendents and consequences concerning their behaviour (M. Burkhardt, personal communication, 2010).Behavioural perspectives concerning mental health and illness have changed over time and continually vary in regards to people’s thoughts, point of views, theories and studies. There are many psychological and biological theories and studies that can impact on the treatment decision, conflicting between psychological and pharmacological treatments (M. Burkhardt, personal communication, 2010). The choice of treatment can depend greatly on the client and physicians views and beliefs. Medical approaches are an important and popular intervention for many people who have been diagnosed with a mental health problem. There are many studies and research surrounding mental health and illness in regards to the medical approach of treatment, evidence in support of the medical approach and biological causation generally falls into two categories, family studies and brain structure/ function studies (Wyatt, 2009). Through the use of functional imaging scans researchers have found that there are differences in the activities of the brains with a range of psychiatric illnesses (Leach, 2009).Frith and Johnstone (2003) as cited in Leach (2009) suggest that â€Å"People diagnosed with schizophrenia have noticeable differences in certain aspects of their brain structures compared to others without that diagnosis†. Genetic factors have been linked to making a contribution to mental illnesses, â€Å"both depression and schizophrenia have been linked to differences in brain chemistry, and researches have suggested genetic patterns of inheritance for these conditions† (Leach, 2009).Studies have found that there are â€Å"biological differences to those who are and are not prone to depression, confirmed by the fact that drugs that have no effect on mood in normal people relieve depression in those who are ill, and the observation that a depressed mood can be precipitated in people who are prone to depressive illnesses simply by manipulating the tryptophan content in their diet† (Delgado et al, 1990 as cited in Kendell, 2009). Many clients who seek help for mental illnesses desire medications due to the fact that they are convinced that their illness are caused biochemically or genetically (Wyatt, 2009). Mental illnesses can be explained in many cases to be cause from a ‘chemical imbalance’ within the body, the medical approach to treat these chemical imbalances is through the use of pharmacological and psychotropic medications to improve their condition by re-balancing chemicals within their body. Behaviourally based approaches involving mental health and illness, consist of non-medical approaches studying client’s behaviours and thoughts, why they exist and what they can cause, also discussing and creating alternative measures to overcome these thoughts and behaviours.Behavioural analysis focuses on behaviours a client presents with and the relationship these behaviours have with the environment, by analysing these relationships, scientific principles of behavioural analysis can contribute to helping people change the way they think, feel and behave. Client’s behaviours are a response to particular circumstances and through the use of behavioural therapy these responses can be modified, changing harmful and unhelpful behaviours that the client may have.Behavioural treatment approaches explores the client’s present situation, considering where their distressing thoughts, feelings and behaviours come from, what reinforces them and how they can be changes (Leach, 2009). When examining a mental illness through the use of the behavioural analytical approach the first step is to have an insight of what the client say’s and does to themselves and others, if the client has severe depression and is participating in self injuries behaviours then it is important to find out what these behaviours are.To recognise and solve these behaviours there needs to be an understanding of the client’s physical condition, setting and environment and the events occurring prior and accompanying these behaviours, such as when the client is in a depressive state having feelings that they ‘don’t want to live’ or ‘fe el like this anymore’, that is when they perform these behaviours such as cutting their wrists, this needs to be established by the physician before interventions can be designed. To achieve positive results by decreasing and diminishing these behaviours their need to be consistency with the interventions and scientific methods.Another non-medical approach structured around behaviour is cognitive behavioural therapy, â€Å"the basic premise of this approach it that an individual’s appraisal of personal life events largely determines how she or he feels and behaves† (Leach, 2009). The key purpose of behavioural approaches is to help client’s understand their behaviours, beliefs and thoughts and how they can used interventions and scientific methods to overcome these issues. It is evident that the medical and behavioural aspects concerning mental health and illness differ greatly in the two separate approaches.Medical based approaches are centred around heritability, genetic factors, examining client’s brain structures and functions, and stabilising ‘chemical imbalances’ through the use of pharmacological and psychotropi c medications. In contrast the behavioural approach looks into the client’s thoughts, beliefs and behaviours, the relationship between behaviours and environment are considered, and once the cause and effects of the behaviours are established interventions and scientific methods are put into place to decrease and diminish these behaviours.