7 - Physical disorders and health psychology

behavioral medicine

knowledge derived from behavioral science is applied to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems

health psychology

subfield of behavioral medicine

Two ways psychological and social factors influence health and physical problems

1.affect the basic biological processes that lead to illness and disease

2.Long-standing behavioral patterns may put people at risk to develop certain physical disorders

what percentage of young adults are infected by herpes (age 14-49)

15.5%

how is herpes a psychological disorder

-people choose not to reduce their risk by changing their behavior, such as by wearing a condom

-stress can trigger herpes recurrence

how is aids a psychological disorder

-aids is a disease of the immune system (impacted by stress) (promotes the progression of the disease)

-choose unprotected sex or sharing of contaminated needles

unhealthy psychological processes that impact life expectancy

-smoking

-lack of exercise

-poor eating habits

1936 rat study (and what it led to the development of)

-canada

-one group of rats injected with bad chemicals developed bad ulcers

-other group injected with water

-both developed the same physical problems

(daily injections were the problem, not the chemicals themselves)

(stress)

Led to a new field of study → stress physiology

Sustained stress

Body goes through several stages in response to sustained stress

-Alarm

-Resistance

-Exhaustion

Sustained stress: alarm

First phase

-