Health Psych Ch 13: Chronic Illnesses Causes, Management, and Coping

Shock

the first reaction most people experience when a physician diagnoses a serious health problem

Crisis theory

the adjustment people make to learning they have a serious chronic illness depends on their coping process

Crisis theory contributing theory (3)

• illness related factors

• background and personal factors

• physical and social environmental factors

Illness-related factors

disabling, disfiguring, painful, embarrassing, life-threatening

Background and personal factors

age, gender, SES, self-esteem, emotional maturity, religion, anf self-blame

Physical and social environment factors

hospital environment, home environment, social support

Coping begins with the…

cognitive appraisal of the meaning/significance of the health problem to one’s life

Tasks related to the illness or treatment involve learning to: (3)

• cope with the symptoms or disability the health problem causes

• adjust to the hospital environment, medical procedures, and regimens needed to treat the problem

• develop and maintain good relationships with practitioners

Tasks related to general psychosocial functioning involve striving to: (4)

• control negative feelinfgs and retain a positive outlook for the future

• maintain a satisfactory self-image and sense of competence

• preserve good relationships with family and friends

• prepare for an uncertain future

Coping strategies for chronic health problems (7)

• denying or minimizing the seriousness of the situation

• seeking information about the health problem and treatment procedures

• learning to provide one’s own medical care

• setting concrete, limited goals

• recruiting instrumental and emotional support

• considering possible future events

• gaining a manageable perspective on the health problem

Chronic diseases

last longer than 1 year and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both

? out of 10 Americans have atleast one chronic disease

6

? out of 10 Americans have two or more chronic diseases

4

Prevenable chronic diseases are caused by risk behaviors such as: (4)

• smoking

• poor nutrition

• physical inactivity

• excessive alcohol use

Epilepsy

a brain disorder caused by seizures

Seizures

spontaneous, excessive, and abnormal discharges of brain neurons as a result of scarring

Epilepsy affects ? people worldwide

50 million

Epilepsy and EEGs

can be used to diagnose epilepsy and prove information about the cause and location of brain dysfunction by recording electrical potentials/brain waves

Focal seizures

capture only a part of the brain

Focal seizure awareness impact

can occur with or without changes in awareness

Focal seizures motor impact

can have both motor and nonmotor symptoms

Focal to bilateral tonic clonic seizures

starts in a specific area of one side of the brain and then spreads to involve both sides

Generalized seizures

involves the entire brain

Generalized seizures motor (4)

• tonic-clonic (grand mal)

• clonic

• tonic (stiffness)

• atonic (limpness)

Treatment of epilepsy

• anticonvulsant (antiepileptic) medications*

• surgery

• exercise, emotion regulation, and social activities

Epilepsy surgery

patients who don’t respond to medications may have surgery (up to 80% of patients become seizure free after)

Anticonvulsant effectiveness

effective for about 60% of patients

Approximately ?% of older adults meet criteria for dementia

10

> ?% of all major neurocognitive disorder cases are caused by Alzheimer’s

60

? Americans have AD

6 million

? cause of death is AD

7th leading cause of death

Alzheimer’s disease caused by

• amyloid-predominant neuritic plaques

• tau-predominant neurofibrillary tangles

• loss of acetylcholine

acetylcholine

neurotransmitter critical for learning and memory

direct correlation between

extent of cortical atrophy in the temporal and parietal loves and the degree of cognitive impairment in individuals with AD

Alzheimers brain effects

reduced sized of gyri and increased size of sulci produced by cell loss in the diseased brain

Psychosocial interventions

• education, social support, and behavioral methods

• relaxation and biofeedback

• cognitive methods

• interpersonal and family therapy