Unit 5 - Mental and Physical Health

health psychology

a field of psychology that focuses on how psychological, cultural, and behavioral factors influence health, illness, and healthcare

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of the interaction between psychological processes, the nervous system, and the immune system

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to stressors that are threatening/challenging

Approach and avoidance motives

Identified by Kurt Lewin, can either be approach-approach (least stressful), avoidance-avoidance, or approach-avoidance conflict

Glucocorticoid stress hormones

Cortisol

Hans Selye’s general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

The body’s response to stress

Phase 1 - alarm reaction

Phase 2 - resistance

Phase 3 - exhaustion

Tend-and-befriend response

Especially among women, may nurture themselves and others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend)

Coronary heart disease

Clogging of the vessels and hat nourish heart muscle; a leading cause of death in many developed countries

Type A vs Type B

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive hard driving impatient verbally aggressive and anger-prone people Vs

Easygoing relaxed ppl

Learned helplessness

Feeling helpless because of no personal control, which can lead to more vulnerability to ill health

External locus control vs internal locus control

External leads to more stress than internals, who experience greater happiness and control in life

self-control

the ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for long-term rewards

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of promoting strengths and virtues for well-being, resilience, and positive emotions, helping everyone thrive

Pillar 1 - positive well-being; P2 - positive traits; P3 - positive groups, communities, and cultures

subjective well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

people’s tendency to be helpful when in a good mood b/c strengthens social relationships

adaptation-level phenomenon

the tendency to judge stimuli relative to past experiences, leading to a baseline of expectations that influences perceptions of happiness

relative deprivation

the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom we compare ourselves

broaden-and-build theory

proposes that positive emotions broaden our awareness, which over time helps us build novel and meaningful skills and resilience that improves well-being

character strengths and virtues

a classification system to identify positive traits; organized into categories of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence

resilience

the personal strength that helps people cope with stress and recover from adversity and trauma

aerobic exercise

sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; helps alleviate depression and anxiety

mindfulness meditation

a reflective practice, which allows for experiences in a nonjudgemental and accepting manner

ex. when you scan your body

psychological disorder

a mental health condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, and behavior, affecting daily functioning

medical model

a framework for understanding psychological disorders as medical conditions that can be diagnosed, treated, and cured in a hospital

diathesis-stress model (vulnerability-stress model)

a theory that combines genetic predispositions with environmental stressors to explain influence in psychological disorders

epigenetics

the study of how environmental factors can influence gene expression, potentially affecting mental and physical health

comorbidity

the simultaneous presence of two or more disorders or medical conditions in a patient

DSM-5-TR

the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition

eclectic approach

a therapeutic strategy that incorporates techniques from various psychological theories and practices

anxiety disorders

a group of disorders characterized by excessive fear and anxiety and related maladaptive behaviors

social anxiety disorder

intense fear and avoidance of social situations

generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person may experience terror and accompanying chest pain, chocking, or other frightening sensations; often followed by worry of next attack

agoraphobia

fear or avoidance of situations, like in crowds or wide open places, where there could be a loss of control and panic

specific phobia

an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both

hoarding disorder

persistent difficulty parting with possessions regardless of value

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

haunting memories, hypervigilance, avoidance of stimuli, social withdraw, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia for more than 4 weeks after traumatic experience

one of the trauma- and stressor-related disorders

trauma-and stressor-related disorders

a group of disorders in which exposure to traumatic or stressful event causes psychological distress

neurotransmitters that affect anxiety disorders

serotonin and glutamate (heightens activity in brain’s alarm centers)

stimulus generalization

a person experiences a fear-provoking event and later develops a fear of similar events

anterior cingulate cortex

a brain region in the frontal lobe that monitors actions and checks for errors; hyperactive in OCD ppl

bipolar disorders

a group of disorders in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania

depressive disorders

a group of disorders characterized by an enduring sad, empty or irritable mood, along with physical and cognitive changes that affect a person’s ability to function

major depressive disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences 5 or more symptoms lasting two or more weeks, in the absence of drug use or a medical condition, at least one of which must be either 1) depressed mood or 2) loss of interest/pleasure

persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)

a disorder where people experience a depressed mood on more days than not for at least two years

bipolar I vs II disorder

I - most severe form where severe manic episodes occur; II - milder form characterized by hypomanic episodes and depressive episodes

mania

a state of elevated or irritable mood, increased activity or energy, often accompanied by racing thoughts and impulsive behavior

rumination

compulsive fretting; overthinking problems/causes; tends to happen with women

explanatory style

the way individuals interpret and explain events in their lives, particularly in terms of optimism or pessimism

neurotransmitters that work during periods of brain inactivity and hyperactivity in depression and bipolar disorders

norepinephrine - increases arousal and boosts mood

serotonin - helps regulate mood and anxiety; less when depressed

schizophrenia spectrum disorders

characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking or speech, disorganized/unusual motor behavior

includes schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder

psychotic disorders

marked by irrational ideas, distorted perceptions and loss of contact with reality

delusion

a false belief, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

chronic schizophrenia (process schizophrenia)

a form of schizophrenia in which symptoms usually appear by late adolescence or early adulthood

as people age, psychotic episodes last longer and recovery periods shorten

acute/reactive schizophrenia

can begin at any age, frequently in response to a traumatic event

recovery is much more likely

catatonia

positive symptoms - restlessness, agitation, compulsive mvmts of catatonic excitement

negative symptoms - motionless of catatonic stupor

impaired theory of mind

difficulty reading other peoples’ facial expressions and states of mind

dopamine hypothesis

a theory suggesting that low levels of dopamine may contribute to the symptoms of schizophrenia

ventricles

Fluid-filled cavities in the brain that produce and store cerebrospinal fluid, helping to cushion and protect the brain

in schizophrenia, ventricles become enlarged while cerebral tissue shrinks

word salad

a confused or incoherent mix of words and phrases, often seen in disorganized speech of individuals with schizophrenia

dissociative disorders

a controversial, rare group of disorders categorized by disruption in normal consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behavior

dissociative identity disorder (DID) (formally multiple personality disorder)

a rare dissociative disorder where a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating identities

dissociative amnesia

people with intact brains reportedly experience memory gaps; may not remember trauma-related specific events, people, places or aspects of identity and life history

research shows lower activity in hippocampus

personality disorders

group characterized by enduring inner experiences or behavior patterns that differ from cultural norms; begin in adolescence and stable over time; cause distress or impairment

divided into 3 clusters:

A - odd or eccentric - paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal

B - dramatic, emotional, or erratic - borderline, narcissistic, histrionic, and antisocial (less emotionally intelligent)

C - anxious or fearful - avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive

feeding and eating disorder

feeding usually for infants and young children; eating for self-feeding

anorexia nervosa

eating disorder that leads to a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight and maintains inaccurate self-perception; sometimes with excessive exercise

bulimia nervosa

eating disorder where person’s binge eating is followed by inappropriate weight-loss-promoting behaviorsuch as vomiting, laxative use, or excessive exercise, often accompanied by feelings of guilt or shame

neurodevelopmental disorders

central nervous system abnormalities that start in childhood and alter thinking and behavior

4 common disorders: specific learning, motor, autism spectrum, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

limitations in communication and social interaction, rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

Asperger syndrome - generally function at high level

man older than 40 has higher risk of fathering ASD child than man younger than 30

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

deinstitutionalization

the process of moving people with psychological disorders out of institutional facilities

psychotherapy

treatment involving interactions between therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties/achieve personal growth

biomedical therapy

prescribed medications/procedures that act directly on persons’ physiology

resistance

blocking from conscious of anxiety-laden material

interpretation (in psychoanalysis)

the analyst’s noting of supposed dream meanings, resistances and other significant behaviors and events in an effort to promote insight

transference (psychoanalysis)

the patient's transfer of emotions to the therapist, often reflecting feelings toward significant others

psychodynamic therapy

views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight

insight therapies

therapies aimed at increasing awareness of self and behavior patterns, often focusing on emotional and cognitive processes

psychodynamic and humanistic

person-centered therapy (client-centered therapy)

humanistic therapy by Carl Rogers in which therapists actively listen with acceptance, genuineness, and empathy to make clients grow

active listening

empathetic listening in which the listener echoes, restates and seeks clarification; part of person-centered therapy

unconditional positive regard (unconditional regard)

a caring, accepting and nonjudgemental attitude that is supposed to help clients develop self-awareness/acceptance

counterconditioning

behavior therapy procedures that use classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors; include exposure therapies and averse conditioning

exposure therapies

behavioral techniques such as systematic desensitization and virtual reality exposure therapy that treat anxieties by exposing ppl to feared things

systematic desensitization

associates pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli

used to treat phobias

virtual reality exposure therapy

treats anxiety through creative electronic stimulations which ppl can face fears in

aversive conditioning

associates unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior

cognitive therapy

teaches ppl new, more adaptive ways of thinking; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and emotional reactions

rational-emotive behavior theory (REBT)

confrontational cognitive therapy, by Albert Ellis, that challenges ppl’s illogical, self-defeating attitudes and assumptions

cognitive-behavioral therapy

a popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy

examples include dialectical behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy

family therapy

treats people in context of family system; views person’s unwanted behaviors as influenced by or directed at other family members

meta-analysis

a statistical procedure for analyzing the results of multiple studies to reach an overall conclusion

evidence-based practice

clinical decision making that integrates the best available research, clinical expertise, and patient values to improve outcomes

therapeutic allience

trust and mutual understanding between a therapist and client, who work together to overcome the problem

psychopharmacology

the study of the effects of drugs on the mind and behavior, particularly in the treatment of mental disorders

antipsychotic drugs

used to treat schizophrenia and other severe forms

antianxiety drugs

control anxiety and agitation

antidepressant drugs

treat depressive, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and posttraumatic stress disorders

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - treat disorders other than depressive ones

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized person

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

applications of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain’ stimulates or suppresses brain activity; like tDCS, produces no memory loss or serious side effects