Knowledge derived from behavioral science is applied to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems; an interdisciplinary field in which psychologists, physicians, and other health professionals work closely together to develop new treatments and preventive strategies
Behavioral Medicine
Not interdisciplinary and it is usually considered a subfield of behavioral medicine; practitioners study psychological factors that are important to the promotion and maintenance of health; they also analyze and recommend improvements in health-care systems and health-policy formation within the discipline of psychology
Health Psychology
An incurable sexually transmitted infection; although this is a biological disease, it spreads rapidly because people choose not to reduce their risk by changing their behavior, such as by simply using a condom
Genital Herpes
contains several stages in response to sustained stress
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
The first phase of general adaptation syndrome wherein there is a type of ___ response to immediate danger or threat
Alarm
With continuing stress, we seem to pass into a stage of ___, in which we mobilize various coping mechanisms to respond to the stress; the second phase of general adaptation syndrome
Resistance
If the stress is too intense or lasts too long, we may enter a stage of ___, in which our bodies suffer permanent damage or death; the third phase of general adaptation syndrome
Exhaustion
secreted by the hypothalamus and stimulates the pituitary gland
Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (CRF)
if you are under too much pressure, you may become tense and irritable or develop a headache or an upset stomach
Stress
if something really is threatening and you believe there is little you can do about it
Anxiety
individuals who always perceive life as threatening may lose hope about ever having control; no longer trying to cope
Depression
Psychological factors – specifically a sense of control and confidence that we can cope with stress or challenges, called ___ – that differ most markedly among these emotions, leading to different feelings
Self-Efficacy
protects the body from any foreign materials that may enter it
Immune System
can be any of a number of substances, usually bacteria, viruses, or parasites
Antigen
2 main parts of the immune system
humoral and cellular
White blood cells that do most of the work
Leukocytes
Might be considered one of the body’s first lines of defense: They surround identifiable antigens and destroy them; also signal lymphocytes, which consist of 2 groups, B cells and T cells
macrophages
Operate within the humoral part of the immune system, releasing molecules that seek antigens in blood and other bodily fluids with the purpose of neutralizing them
B Cells
After the antigens are neutralized, a subgroup called ___ are created so that the next time that antigen is encountered, the immune system response will be even faster
Memory B Cells
Operate in the cellular branch of the immune system
T Cells
directly destroys viruses and cancer cells
Killer T Cells
T4 cells are called ___ because they enhance the immune system response by signaling B cells to produce antibodies and telling other T cells to destroy the antigen
helper T cells
suppress the production of antibodies by B cells when they are no longer needed
Suppressor T Cells
the object of study is psychological influences on the neurological responding implicated on our immune response
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
symptoms include minor health problems such as weight loss, fever, and night sweats
AIDS-Related Complex (ARC)
the development and course of different varieties of cancer are subject to psychosocial influences
Psychoncology
temporary blockages of blood vessels leading to the brain or a rupture of blood vessels in the brain that result in temporary or permanent brain damage and loss of functioning
Stroke
Blood pressure increases when the blood vessels leading to organs and peripheral areas constrict (become narrower), forcing increasing amounts of blood to muscles in central parts of the body
Hypertension
chest pain resulting from partial obstruction of the arteries
Angina Pectoris/Angina
occurs when the fatty substance or plaque builds up inside the arteries and causes an obstruction
Atherosclerosis
the name for deficiency of blood to a body part caused by the narrowing of the arteries by too much plaque
Ischemia
the death of heart tissue when a specific artery becomes clogged with plaque
Myocardial Infarction/Heart Attack
excessive competitive drive, a sense of always being pressured for time, impatience, incredible amounts of energy that may show up in accelerated speech and motor activity, and angry outbursts
Type A Behavior Pattern
more relaxed, less concerned about deadlines, and seldom feels the pressure or, perhaps, the excitement of challenges or overriding ambition
Type B Behavior Pattern
typically follows an injury and disappears once the injury heals or is effectively treated, often within a month
Acute Pain
May begin with an acute episode but does not decrease over time, even when the injury has healed or effective treatments have been administered
Chronic Pain
Include changing the way one sits or walks, continually complaining about pain to others, grimacing, and, most important, avoiding various activities, particularly those involving work or leisure; overt manifestations of pain
Pain Behaviors
An emotional component of pain called ___ sometimes accompanies pain and sometimes does not
Suffering
People who have lost an arm or leg feel excruciating pain in the limb that is no longer there
Phantom Limb Pain
The behavior clearly seems under the control of social consequences but these consequences have an uncertain relation to the amount of pain being experienced
Operant Control of Pain