Psychological Problems | OCR GCSE Psychology (J203)
Psychological Problems
- 93 questions
- 5 subtopics
- Component 01
- Component 01
Psychological Problems is examined in Component 01, Studies and applications in psychology 1.
It covers mental health, prevalence and changing attitudes, stigma, discrimination and the effects of mental health problems, schizophrenia and its explanations, clinical depression and its explanations and treatments and neuropsychology.
Sample questions from Psychological Problems
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Mental health, prevalence and changing attitudes
How does the prevalence of mental health problems differ between men and women?
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Women are more likely than men to report common problems such as anxiety and depression. Men are more likely to die by suicide and less likely to seek help. -
Mental health, prevalence and changing attitudes
Give an example of a change in the classification of mental disorders.
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Homosexuality was once classified as a mental disorder. The World Health Organization removed it from the ICD in 1990. -
Stigma, discrimination and the effects of mental health problems
How can discrimination affect a person before diagnosis?
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A person struggling at work may be treated unfairly or dismissed without support. The unfair treatment can make their mental health worse. -
Stigma, discrimination and the effects of mental health problems
What are the benefits of care in the community?
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People can live more independently and stay close to family and friends. People avoid the isolation of long stays in institutions. -
Schizophrenia and its explanations
What evidence supports the dopamine hypothesis?
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Drugs such as amphetamines, which increase dopamine, can produce schizophrenia-like symptoms. Antipsychotic drugs that block dopamine reduce symptoms. -
Schizophrenia and its explanations
How might neurological damage contribute to schizophrenia?
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Damage to the developing brain, for example from a lack of oxygen at birth or a viral infection during pregnancy, may disrupt areas such as the frontal and temporal lobes. Head injuries later in life have also been linked to a higher risk of schizophrenia. -
Clinical depression and its explanations
What is a criticism of the social rank theory?
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The theory reduces a complex illness to a single evolutionary cause, which is reductionist. A holistic view would also consider thoughts, relationships and brain chemistry. -
Clinical depression and its explanations
How common was depression among adults in England in the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/4?
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The survey identified 3.8% of adults with depression in the week before they were assessed. Among 16 to 64 year olds, depression rose from 2.6% in 2007 to 4.4% in 2023/4.
The 5 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Mental health, prevalence and changing attitudes | The mental health continuum, how common mental health problems are in England by sex, age and sexual orientation, changes in classification, and the Mental Health Act 1959. | 15 |
| Stigma, discrimination and the effects of mental health problems | Stigma and discrimination before and after diagnosis, the effects on the individual and society, care in the community, and how stigma can be reduced. | 13 |
| Schizophrenia and its explanations | The ICD's clinical characteristics, hallucinations and delusions, statistics by age, sex and ethnicity, the dopamine hypothesis and brain structure, social drift theory, and Daniel's study. | 29 |
| Clinical depression and its explanations | The ICD's characteristics of clinical depression and its statistics, social rank theory, the ABC model of rational and irrational beliefs, and Tandoc's study of Facebook use and envy. | 22 |
| Treatments and neuropsychology | Antipsychotics and antidepressants, psychotherapy for schizophrenia and depression and the drawbacks of each, and how neuropsychological tests and brain imaging are used. | 14 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 577 questions with their answers.