Psychological Defence Mechanisms

 

What are Psychological Defence Mechanisms?

Everybody has psychological defence mechanisms. They're the body's way of protecting itself from psychological pain. There are a few different kinds of psychological defence mechanisms. The easiest one to explain would be denial. This is something that most people experience when they're going through a bereavement. We show examples of this in our programme about psychological defence mechanisms. A widow has just attended her husband's funeral, but she feels like he is still around and could walk through the door any minute. She doesn't want to believe he is gone because it's too painful for her. Another example of denial would be a smoker not being able to accept that they're addicted to nicotine - 'I'm not addicted, I could quit any time, I just choose not to.' Another well known defence mechanism is regression. In our programme on the subject, we introduce a young boy who, at the age of 5, has started to wet the bed at night. It is found that this is due to home stresses caused by his parents' divorce.

Can psychological defence mechanisms cause harm?

The strange thing about psychological defence mechanisms, is that although they're the unconscious mind's method of defence, they can still end up causing harm. Psychosis can alter a person's perspective on reality, causing delusions and sometimes hallucinations. An example I can think of more recently would be somebody I came across on youtube. She told the story of how the death of her dog during a very stressful point in her life triggered psychosis - her voice changed (she was speaking like a child), and she spoke about trying to go into the forest at night to be with her dog. After a few weeks, she started to come out of her psychosis. It was a very scary ordeal for her and her family, as she couldn't remember much of what had gone on.

Other Psychological Defence Mechanisms

 The mechanisms mentioned are only a few of the defence mechanisms that we know of. There are others, such as dissociation, repression, displacement, and sublimation. Dissociation can be anything from a mild detachment from everything around you, to not being able to engage in any experience. It occurs as a result of stress, conflict or in some cases even boredom. Most victims of abuse have issues with dissociating, and develop dissociative disorders as a result of their trauma. Displacement is a very common defence mechanism. An example would be if somebody felt a lot of anger towards a person, and expressed their anger by breaking something (rather than hitting or yelling at that person). Sublimation is similar to this, but instead of doing something unacceptable to satisfy the anger, the person puts their negative feelings/energy into something more constructive and socially acceptable.

Our Programme on Psychological Defence Mechanisms

A few of these mechanisms are explored in our own programme, called, 'Psychological Defence Mechanisms', which is currently available to watch on our website. There are also many other programmes on various mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, schizophrenia, OCD and eating disorders.

Eating Disorder Treatment In The UK – How Does It Work And What Needs To Change?

What Is An Eating Disorder?

An eating disorder is a mental health condition that revolves around food, and using food to cope with uncomfortable feelings and sometimes other situations, such as trauma. This can mean eating too little or eating too much, worrying about weight or specific parts of the body and what they look like, and compensatory behaviour e.g. using laxatives to ‘get rid of’ food that has been consumed, or over-exercising.

Types Of Eating Disorder

- Anorexia Nervosa – Controlling weight by restricting food intake, over-exercising or a combination of the two.

- Bulimia Nervosa – Struggling to control the amount of food eaten and then taking unhealthy drastic action to ‘reverse’ this.

- Binge Eating Disorder – Regularly eating large amounts of food until past full, and struggling to control this behaviour.

Who Is Most Likely To Develop An Eating Disorder?

Eating disorder treatment in the UK isn’t as accessible as it should be. An eating disorder can affect anybody, but are most likely to develop in the teenage years. They can continue into adulthood if left untreated, and can put the sufferer at risk of many complications, such as diabetes, liver problems, heart problems, osteoporosis, and death. Eating disorders are often thought of as a teenage girl problem, however, many boys and men are also affected by eating disorders. Stigmatising the issue often leads boys and men to feel more shame about their behaviours and so they are less likely to seek help.

Eating Disorder Treatment In The UK

If you think you may be suffering with an eating disorder, you should visit your GP to address your concerns. Your GP should take you seriously and refer you to specialists who will be able to help with a diagnosis and treatment for your eating disorder. Eating disorder treatment in the UK varies depending on the disorder, and the severity of it. For example, someone with Bulimia Nervosa may require regular meetings with a therapist and see a lot of progress using a self-help book and eating plan which helps them repair their relationship with food and increase their self-esteem. Alongside this, blood tests should also be taken to ensure that there are no health problems as a result of the eating disorder behaviours. Somebody with a very severe case of Bulimia Nervosa may need constant supervision and therefore it would be better for them to be admitted as an in-patient so that they can be supervised through recovery.

Therapies

Therapy is a big part of eating disorder treatment in the UK, and elsewhere in the world. Depending on the eating disorder, the therapies that may be used are cognitive behavioural therapy, cognitive analytic therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and family interventions. Someone struggling with an eating disorder may also be referred to a self-help support group. 

Barriers To Treatment

Unfortunately, with mental health services being stretched and eating disorders being highly misunderstood by many, there can be barriers to treatment for those with eating disorders. One barrier is weight. For some eating disorders, like Anorexia Nervosa, being underweight is often a symptom. Depending on whereabouts in the United Kingdom you are, BMI may be taken into account when admitting somebody with an eating disorder. Sadly, this means a lot of people who are overweight but suffering with an eating disorder struggle to get treatment for it and aren’t taken seriously. It reinforces the idea that somebody can’t have an eating disorder unless they are underweight, which is not true at all. As well as this, sufferers may feel that they are not ‘sick enough’ to seek treatment, which may worsen disordered eating behaviours and put them at more risk.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – OCD Myths

What Do You Think OCD Is?

Most people have heard the term ‘OCD’, but the real question is, has it been used in the right context? Many associates ‘OCD’ with traits like being neat, clean and tidy. While these can come as a part of OCD, they’re not what defines it. OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder – this is shocking for some who use the term on a regular basis, as they might not realise it is an actual anxiety disorder.

 

What Is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Really?

Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterised by distressing intrusive thoughts and the compulsions or rituals that someone may perform to reduce their anxiety around these thoughts. Intrusive thoughts can be relating to the cleanliness or tidiness of a room, but there are many kinds of intrusive thoughts that can come with obsessive compulsive disorder, not just these. Sometimes obsessive compulsive disorder Treatments affects people in a way that has nothing to do with this. For example, intrusive thoughts can be worrying you might accidentally harm or kill somebody, unpleasant sexual thoughts, anything that you might not necessarily WANT to think, but that just comes into your head. Intrusive thoughts are something that everyone experiences, but not everyone can just dismiss them. To some, they feel extreme guilt or worry around the intrusive thought and they have to check things, count to a certain number, wash their hands a certain number of times in order to rid themselves of the thought. This is only temporary and often the dependence on the compulsions becomes more severe over time.

What Are Compulsions?

Compulsions can be all sorts of things. One that we would be familiar with from TV shows and films would be obsessive cleaning, and checking things are in place. Other compulsions include ‘neutralising bad thoughts’ by thinking good things to counteract the bad thought, ruminating, hand-washing and many more. One that a lot of people wouldn’t realise is a compulsion is reassurance seeking. This can come through in different ways – checking what people think of something you have said or done, or disguised in a normal conversation which is often guided by the person who needs the reassurance, until they find the reassurance they need. Some may say the same things to lots of different people in the form of ‘oversharing’ to get the reassurance they need over and over again. So obsessive compulsive disorder is not necessarily what the media portrays it as.

OCD Can Be Treated

Obsessive compulsive disorder affects each person differently. How severe it is can also vary, but there is treatment for OCD, usually in the form of talking therapies and exposure response prevention therapy. Exposure response prevention therapy challenges the patient to withstand their anxiety around not performing a compulsion until the anxiety starts to dip. Some may be able to do small exercises at their own home, while others might have OCD so severe that they need supervision and guidance by a professional.

Mental Health Education – What Do We Need?

 

Mental Health – What Is It?

Mental health is something that everybody has. Some people may have good mental health, others may have bad or ill mental health. Either way, it’s extremely important to take care of your mental health. Mental health education is an important part of learning how to take care of it.

 

Why Is Mental Health Education Important?

Mental health is an important part of life. The state of your mental health can be the difference between you struggling or performing well at work, maintaining relationships or struggling to keep them, and more. Mental health education may help people who are struggling to realise the cause, and what they can do to help. For example, somebody who struggles to concentrate at work may not realise that this is due to anxiety or low mood caused by underlying low self-esteem. Self-esteem can be a huge help in navigating life.

 

How Do We Know When Somebody Needs Help?

Signs of ill mental health vary from person to person. Somebody could withdraw from their usual activities and social life, their outlook on life could change to become quite bleak, and they may talk about death. These are quite obvious signs of a negative change in mental health. However, some people mask their emotions and continue as if nothing is wrong. This makes it harder to tell if there is a problem. Their symptoms may be things like lack of concentration and difficulty sleeping – these are things that others may not notice straight away.

 

How Can We Educate Further?

Communication is key when it comes to mental health education. Our workplaces need to have a certain amount of time allocated to education on mental health, in order to ensure employees have somewhere to go when they are struggling, or to help them recognise if they are struggling. Our schools need to also have these resources, so that children can grow up equipped with resilience and coping skills for difficult times. Some may argue that this is too much for a child, but it can help to develop an understanding of mental health problems that I argue would be very beneficial to them.

 

What Mental Health Problems Need To Be Spoken About?

Currently, there is a very generalised approach to mental health education for the general public, with a big focus on depression and anxiety. This is because the symptoms of depression and anxiety are much easier to relate to than symptoms that may come with other mental health problems. Most people can understand low mood and feeling anxious, because both of those things are things that everybody experiences to varying degrees.  Although knowing the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety and knowing what you can do about those things is important, it’s also vital that we speak about other mental health problems that have more stigma and less understanding attached to them. Examples of these mental health problems would be eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder (now more often known as emotionally unstable personality disorder), post-natal depression, post-partum psychosis, and dissociative identity disorder. Here at Mental Health TV, we create content on not just depression and anxiety, but other more stigmatised mental health problems like the ones listed above.

Pyschopharmacology Treatment – An Important Part Of Psychiatric Treatment

 What Is Psychopharmacology?

Psychopharmacology is the study of the effect that drugs have on peoples’ minds and behaviour. Without psychopharmacology, we wouldn’t have anti-anxiety medications, anti-psychotic medications or anti-depressants. Thanks to psychopharmacology, many lives have been changed for the better, and many find that their mental health problems are now manageable. However, this can’t be said for everybody, as the mind is a complicated thing, and everybody is different.

 

Why Do Psychotropic Medications Have A Bad Reputation?

Medications used to treat mental health problems have a lot of stigma attached to them. We’ve all heard people say things like, “They turn you into a different person,”, and, “They make you feel numb to everything.” Although exercising regularly, having a healthy diet and taking time for your own hobbies and relaxation all have a good effect on mental health, for some, this is not enough. Medication affects every person differently. Some people benefit greatly from mental health medication. They might find that anti-depressants take the edge off of their lows, allowing them to continue with their therapy, their routine or their work. They can make things more manageable. Like all medication, there is the possibility of side effects. Possible side effects are what the medication is supposed to prevent. To minimise risk, doctors insist on monitoring patients who are new to anti-depressants to make sure that they start to have the right effect.

 

Why Is Psychopharmacology Important?

For many, psychopharmacology treatment is life-saving. For those people, the ‘cure’ to their depression isn’t simply going on more walks in nature, or taking more time to relax. They need more. Unfortunately, many people that take medication for their mental health are judged for their decision to take medication. People sharing their negative beliefs with those who take medication for their mental health don’t realise that sometimes they’re acting as a saboteur to that person’s mental health.

 

Side Effects

Like any treatment requiring medication, psychopharmacology treatment has side effects. Side effects are a little less predictable with certain psychoactive medications. Some side effects may be weight gain and difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating or difficulty staying awake. Some may prefer their life without the side effects, and life may be more manageable without the medication. However, for some who need medications like anti-psychotics, weight gain or insomnia may be favourable to the alternative, which could be psychosis, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and anything else that could put them or others at risk.

 

What About Addiction?

Some substances used to help treat mental health problems have a bad reputation because they are addictive. This is true, but sometimes it is the best option for somebody who is suffering. Also, most   medications have some kind of withdrawal effect. Newer versions of anti-depressants are said to have less severe withdrawal than older ones. These are known as SSRIs (serotonin sensitive reuptake inhibitors). It’s important to be guided through treatment and monitored regularly by a psychiatrist or your GP to ensure things are under control.

Bereavement In Obstetrics – Could Abortion Be Seen As A Bereavement?

 Bereavement In Obstetrics

Bereavement in obstetrics is a difficult topic to cover. Due to recent news about the change to abortion laws in Texas, I think we should think about bereavement in obstetrics in relation to abortion. Although abortion is a choice, it can still come with guilt and grief that need to be processed.

What Is A Miscarriage? 

A bereavement in obstetrics can be anything from a miscarriage to stillbirth. Miscarriages are most likely to happen in the first 3 months of pregnancy and usually happen through no fault of the pregnant person. However, they bring a lot of grief and guilt to the mother, who may feel like it is their fault. Miscarriages can happen later in pregnancy. Any loss up until 24 weeks of pregnancy is considered a miscarriage, and anything after that is considered a stillbirth. 

Complications With Miscarriage

Miscarriage can be extremely challenging physically, as well as mentally. Miscarriages in the first trimester tend to have fewer complications, though it is possible that complications may arise. Sometimes, miscarriages are incomplete. This means that some tissue does not come away and is left in the womb. When this happens, bleeding and cramping can last longer than the expected amount of time. Although incomplete miscarriages can resolve on their own, occasionally further treatment is required to clear the womb. There is also a higher risk of infection. It is possible to have these kinds of complications with abortion as well.

Abortion Laws

Recently, in Texas, abortion laws became very strict. Abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy are now banned. There is up to a $10,000 reward for people who report illegal abortions. Having an abortion is not an easy choice to make and comes with a lot of guilt. A person may know that they want a child at some point in their life, but at the point in time that they become pregnant, they may be living in difficult circumstances. This can make the decision to have an abortion devastating. For some, contraception fails and they choose abortion because the pregnancy was something that they never wanted to happen. Most people who have abortions feel guilt about their decision, even if it was the right decision for them. Sadly, this law may put a lot of vulnerable people in danger. If someone is desperate for an abortion, they will find a way – and often it will be a higher risk than visiting an abortion clinic.

Bereavement In Obstetrics And Emotional Support

Some might ask if abortion counts as bereavement in obstetrics. I think it’s extremely important that anybody who has experienced a bereavement in obstetrics, including abortion, receive emotional support. I also think it’s important that the benefits of emotional support and possible counseling or therapy be explained to them, as some people might feel that they’re fine as they are. I also think it’s important that there is emotional support provided for both parents. Education on what causes miscarriages, that it isn’t always something in your control, and complications of miscarriages could also really help others in the future. I think that regardless of the fact that abortion is a choice, it still can and should be seen as  bereavement in obstetrics because there is still a huge amount of emotional and physical change that follows. 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – Misconceptions About OCD

 What Do You Think OCD Is?

Most people have heard the term ‘OCD’, but the real question is, has it been used in the right context? Many associate ‘OCD’ with traits like being neat, clean, and tidy. While these can come as a part of OCD, they’re not what defines it. OCD stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder – this is shocking for some who use the term on a regular basis, as they might not realize it is an actual anxiety disorder. 

What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Really?

Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by distressing intrusive thoughts and the compulsions or rituals that someone may perform to reduce their anxiety around these thoughts. Intrusive thoughts can be relating to the cleanliness or tidiness of a room, but there are many kinds of intrusive thoughts that can come with obsessive-compulsive disorder, not just these. Sometimes obsessive-compulsive disorder affects people in a way that has nothing to do with this. For example, intrusive thoughts can be worrying you might accidentally harm or kill somebody, unpleasant sexual thoughts, anything that you might not necessarily WANT to think, but that just comes into your head. Intrusive thoughts are something that everyone experiences, but not everyone can just dismiss them. To some, they feel extreme guilt or worry around the intrusive thought and they have to check things, count to a certain number, wash their hands a certain number of times in order to rid themselves of the thought. This is only temporary and often the dependence on the compulsions becomes more severe over time.

What Are Compulsions?

Compulsions can be all sorts of things. One that we would be familiar with from TV shows and films would be obsessive cleaning, and checking things are in place. Other compulsions include ‘neutralizing bad thoughts’ by thinking good things to counteract the bad thought, ruminating, hand-washing and many more. One that a lot of people wouldn’t realize is a compulsion is reassurance seeking. This can come through in different ways – checking what people think of something you have said or done, or disguised in a normal conversation which is often guided by the person who needs the reassurance until they find the reassurance they need. Some may say the same things to lots of different people in the form of ‘oversharing’ to get the reassurance they need over and over again. So obsessive-compulsive disorder is not necessarily what the media portrays it as.