NUR 3535C Comprehensive Study Guide -
Modules 1-3
MODULE 1: MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND
STRESS RESPONSE
Chapter 1: Mental Health and Mental Illness
Define mental health and mental illness
Mental Health:
● The successful adaptation to stressors from the internal or external environment
● Evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are age-appropriate and congruent
with local and cultural norms
● Culturally defined concept
● Involves both physical and psychological responses to stress
Key Traits of Mental Health:
● Capacity for rational thinking
● Effective communication skills
● Learning ability
● Emotional growth
● Resilience
● Healthy self-esteem
Mental Illness:
● Maladaptive responses to stressors from the internal or external environment
● Evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are incongruent with local and
cultural norms
● Interferes with the individual's social, occupational, or physical functioning
● Psychiatric disorders with definable diagnoses
● Significant dysfunction in mental functioning related to developmental, biological, or
physiological disturbances
● Culturally defined
Describe the continuum of mental health and mental illness
,Mental Health Continuum:
● Mental health and mental illness exist on a continuum rather than as discrete categories
● Individuals can move along this continuum based on their ability to adapt to stressors
● The continuum ranges from optimal mental health to severe mental illness
● Position on the continuum is determined by the degree to which thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors interfere with functioning
Classification Systems:
DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition):
● Official medical guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association
● Used for diagnosing psychiatric disorders
● Based on specific criteria influenced by multiprofessional clinical field trials
● Used by psychiatrists and PMHNPs to determine medical diagnoses
ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition):
● Clinical descriptions of mental and behavioral disorders
● Contains 2 broad classifications with subclassifications
● Codes used by insurance companies to identify payment for care of clients with
diagnosed disorders
Discuss risk and protective factors for mental illness and mental health
Risk Factors:
● Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) - sensitize people to stress in later life:
○ Any form of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse
○ Violence against a parent, particularly the mother
○ Living with people with substance use disorders
○ Living with mentally ill individuals
○ Living with individuals who have been incarcerated
● Poor social and economic circumstances
● Dysfunctional family situations
● Lack of positive peer groups
● Low socioeconomic status
● Limited educational advancement
● Negative environmental factors
● Adverse political climate and cultural considerations
● Negative social and economic policies
Protective Factors:
Individual Attributes and Behaviors:
, ● Resilience: Ability and capacity to secure resources needed to support well-being
● Characterized by:
○ Ability to secure needed resources
○ Capacity for regulating one's own emotions
○ Ability to overcome negative, self-defeating thoughts
○ Essential to recovery
Social Factors:
● Strong family support
● Positive schools and peer groups
● Higher socioeconomic status
● Educational advancement opportunities
Environmental Factors:
● Supportive political climate
● Cultural acceptance
● Positive social and economic policies
Chapter 10: Stress Response Theories and Management
Describe Stress Response Theories
Early Stress-Response Theories:
1. Fight-or-Flight Response (Walter Cannon, 1871-1945):
● Body prepares for situations perceived as threats to survival
● Physiological changes include:
○ Increased blood pressure
○ Increased heart rate
○ Increased respirations
○ Increased cardiac output
● New research indicates men and women have different neural responses to stress
● Critique: Primarily reflects male responses; females tend to respond by "tending and
befriending"
2. General Adaptation Syndrome - GAS (Hans Selye, 1907-1982):
Three Stages:
Alarm or Acute Stress Stage:
, ● Activates sympathetic nervous system
● Activates HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis to stay on alert
● Initial response to stressor
Resistance or Adaptation Stage:
● Sustained and optimal resistance to the stressor
● Recovery, repair, and renewal may occur
● Body attempts to maintain homeostasis
Exhaustion Stage:
● Resources are depleted
● Stress may become chronic
● Sustained physical responses to stress promote susceptibility to many diseases
Critique of GAS Theory:
● Different types of stressors bring different patterns of response
● The degree of stress is more important than the type
● GAS reflects primarily male responses
● Females tend to respond by "tending and befriending"
3. Stress as an Environmental Event:
Core Concepts:
Adaptation:
● Occurs when behavior maintains the integrity of the individual
● Positive response to change
Maladaptation:
● Occurs when one's physical or behavioral response to any change in their
internal/external environment results in disruption of integrity or persistent disequilibrium
● Considered negative or unhealthy
Stress Definition:
● An event that triggers an individual's adaptive physiological and psychological response
● The event (stressor):
○ Creates change in one's life pattern
○ Requires significant adjustment in lifestyle
○ Taxes available resources (internal/external)
● The change can be:
○ Positive (such as outstanding personal achievement)
Modules 1-3
MODULE 1: MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND
STRESS RESPONSE
Chapter 1: Mental Health and Mental Illness
Define mental health and mental illness
Mental Health:
● The successful adaptation to stressors from the internal or external environment
● Evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are age-appropriate and congruent
with local and cultural norms
● Culturally defined concept
● Involves both physical and psychological responses to stress
Key Traits of Mental Health:
● Capacity for rational thinking
● Effective communication skills
● Learning ability
● Emotional growth
● Resilience
● Healthy self-esteem
Mental Illness:
● Maladaptive responses to stressors from the internal or external environment
● Evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are incongruent with local and
cultural norms
● Interferes with the individual's social, occupational, or physical functioning
● Psychiatric disorders with definable diagnoses
● Significant dysfunction in mental functioning related to developmental, biological, or
physiological disturbances
● Culturally defined
Describe the continuum of mental health and mental illness
,Mental Health Continuum:
● Mental health and mental illness exist on a continuum rather than as discrete categories
● Individuals can move along this continuum based on their ability to adapt to stressors
● The continuum ranges from optimal mental health to severe mental illness
● Position on the continuum is determined by the degree to which thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors interfere with functioning
Classification Systems:
DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition):
● Official medical guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association
● Used for diagnosing psychiatric disorders
● Based on specific criteria influenced by multiprofessional clinical field trials
● Used by psychiatrists and PMHNPs to determine medical diagnoses
ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition):
● Clinical descriptions of mental and behavioral disorders
● Contains 2 broad classifications with subclassifications
● Codes used by insurance companies to identify payment for care of clients with
diagnosed disorders
Discuss risk and protective factors for mental illness and mental health
Risk Factors:
● Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) - sensitize people to stress in later life:
○ Any form of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse
○ Violence against a parent, particularly the mother
○ Living with people with substance use disorders
○ Living with mentally ill individuals
○ Living with individuals who have been incarcerated
● Poor social and economic circumstances
● Dysfunctional family situations
● Lack of positive peer groups
● Low socioeconomic status
● Limited educational advancement
● Negative environmental factors
● Adverse political climate and cultural considerations
● Negative social and economic policies
Protective Factors:
Individual Attributes and Behaviors:
, ● Resilience: Ability and capacity to secure resources needed to support well-being
● Characterized by:
○ Ability to secure needed resources
○ Capacity for regulating one's own emotions
○ Ability to overcome negative, self-defeating thoughts
○ Essential to recovery
Social Factors:
● Strong family support
● Positive schools and peer groups
● Higher socioeconomic status
● Educational advancement opportunities
Environmental Factors:
● Supportive political climate
● Cultural acceptance
● Positive social and economic policies
Chapter 10: Stress Response Theories and Management
Describe Stress Response Theories
Early Stress-Response Theories:
1. Fight-or-Flight Response (Walter Cannon, 1871-1945):
● Body prepares for situations perceived as threats to survival
● Physiological changes include:
○ Increased blood pressure
○ Increased heart rate
○ Increased respirations
○ Increased cardiac output
● New research indicates men and women have different neural responses to stress
● Critique: Primarily reflects male responses; females tend to respond by "tending and
befriending"
2. General Adaptation Syndrome - GAS (Hans Selye, 1907-1982):
Three Stages:
Alarm or Acute Stress Stage:
, ● Activates sympathetic nervous system
● Activates HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis to stay on alert
● Initial response to stressor
Resistance or Adaptation Stage:
● Sustained and optimal resistance to the stressor
● Recovery, repair, and renewal may occur
● Body attempts to maintain homeostasis
Exhaustion Stage:
● Resources are depleted
● Stress may become chronic
● Sustained physical responses to stress promote susceptibility to many diseases
Critique of GAS Theory:
● Different types of stressors bring different patterns of response
● The degree of stress is more important than the type
● GAS reflects primarily male responses
● Females tend to respond by "tending and befriending"
3. Stress as an Environmental Event:
Core Concepts:
Adaptation:
● Occurs when behavior maintains the integrity of the individual
● Positive response to change
Maladaptation:
● Occurs when one's physical or behavioral response to any change in their
internal/external environment results in disruption of integrity or persistent disequilibrium
● Considered negative or unhealthy
Stress Definition:
● An event that triggers an individual's adaptive physiological and psychological response
● The event (stressor):
○ Creates change in one's life pattern
○ Requires significant adjustment in lifestyle
○ Taxes available resources (internal/external)
● The change can be:
○ Positive (such as outstanding personal achievement)
