UNIT 5 PSYCH

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural and endocrine process together affect the immune system and resulting health

stress

the process of appraising and responding to a threatening or challenging situation/ event

appraisal of an event

appraisals: uncertainty and the unknown equals danger ex: how would you respond to a test question you don't know (threat: "yikes this is beyond me!") (Challenge: "I have to apply all that I know!")

eustress

"good" stress, situations that are challenging but manageable and can lead to growth ex: marriage, starting a new job

distress

"bad" stress, situations that are different and have a negative impact ex: bullying, death of a loved one

adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

negative experiences that affect a child's brain and health as they grow into adults.

Alarm

your sympathetic nervous system is suddenly activated, heart rate zooms, blood is diverted to your skeletal muscles, feel the faintness of shock, now ready to fight back

resistance

your temp., blood pressure, and respiration remain high, your adrenal glands pump hormones into your bloodstream, fully engaged

fight-flight-freeze response

build in defense mechanism that causes physiological changes, (rapid heart rate, reduced perception of pain) to help someone protect themselves from a perceived threat

exhaustion

you become more vulnerable to illness or even, in extreme cases, collapse and death, mental exhaustion: you will crash at some point

tend-and-befriend response

focus on how women tend to want to gain support from others & men may withdraw socially, turn to alcohol or become aggressive

explain different ways people cope with stress applies to behavior and mental possess

-different ways of coping can possibly harm our brains

alleviating the stress they cause with emotion, cognitive or behavioral methods

problem focused coping

tend to try and fix the problem, feel a sense of control over a situation and think we can change circumstances or change ourselves to deal with the situations ex: talking to a family member to resolve a family fight

emotion focused coping

when we believe we cannot change a situation, we may resolve stress by reaching out to friends for support * can sometimes harm our mental health

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with that goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities thrive

subjective well being

is your perception of being happy / satisfied with your life. Happiness is related to our own experiences and to others success

resilience

the process and outcome of successfully adopting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

just saying that happy people are more likely to help others and do good things

what virtues and strengths are promoted in positive psychology

Wisdom, courage, humanity and love, justice, temperance, transcendence

aerobic exercise

it is an oxygen- consuming activity that increases heart and lung fitness. It increases arousal, leads to muscle relaxation and sounder sleep, triggers the production of neurotransmitters, and enhances self-image. It can relieve depression, and it is associated with longer life & better cognitive functioning in later life.

relaxation and meditation

they have been shown to reduce stress by relaxing muscles, lowering blood pressure, improving immune functioning and lesioning depression and anxiety

mindfulness meditation

a reflective practice of attending to current experiences in a non-judgmental and accepting manner

practicing gratitude

studies of people with an optimistic outlook show that their immune system is stronger, their blood pressure does not increase as sharply in response to stress, their recovery from heart surgery is faster, and their life expectancy is longer

post- traumatic growth

a positive psychological change that some individuals experience after a life crisis or traumatic event

psychological disorder

is a syndrome (collection of symptoms) marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior.

3 D's of psychological disorders

Dysfunctional: interfering with normal day-to-day functioning

Deviant: behavior is abnormal

Distressing/Maladaptive: behavior causes significant psychological, emotional, physical, or social harm

DSM-V

the most common tool for describing and estimating the prevalence of mental illness

Medical model

concept that psychological disorders have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured often through treatment in a hospital

psychopathology

an illness of the mind

Biopsychosocial Approach

There are 3 different factors (causes) that play into having a disorder (Biological, Psychological, Social-Cultural)

Culture-bound syndromes

are disorders which only seem to exist within certain cultures; they demonstrate how culture can play a role in both causing and defining a disorder.

example: Susto: (Latin America) severe anxiety, restlessness and a fear of black magic

Diathesis-Stress Model

This theory proposes that when a person with a predisposition to a disorder encounters significant stress, they are more likely to develop the condition.

Epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

** think of ww2 and holocaust

Humanistic

People with this view on psychological disorders think that the root cause is that are not living up to your full potential or are out of touch with your feelings (becoming the "best version of yourself")

Behavioral

People with this view on psychological disorders think that the root cause is due to reinforcement history (positive or negative reinforcement)

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic

People with this view on psychological disorders think that the root cause is due to your unconscious mind + childhood trauma (id , ego , superego )

cognitive

People with this view on psychological disorders think that the root cause is due to how you think ex: if you are thinking neg. thoughts and talking bad to yourself, you have a better chance of having depression

Sociocultural

People with this view on psychological disorders think that the root cause is due to a Dysfunctional Society ex: you are trying to live up to the expectations of your family or culture and are feeling depressed because it's not working

Biomedical/Neuroscience

People with this view on psychological disorders think that the root cause is due to factors such as genes, imbalance of neurotransmitters, or family history

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

A group of neurological disorders that impact the development and functioning of the brain and nervous system.

examples : Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Tourette's Syndrome

possible causes of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• genes (60-80%) -premature birth

• hormonal imbalances - childhood adversity

• social deprivation

ADHD

behavioral condition that makes focusing on everyday requests + routines challenging

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant impairment in social interactions and communication and restricted patterns of behavior, interest, and activity

Schizophrenia

is a disorder characterized by delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (false sensory experiences), disorganized thoughts, and/or inappropriate emotional expression.

the difference between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia

positive: ADDS to everyday life (hallucinations, delusions, catatonic excitement)

negative: TAKES AWAY from everyday experiences (flat effect, word salad, catatonic stupor)

Flat affect

The display of little or no emotion—a common negative symptom of schizophrenia.

acute vs chronic schizophrenia

acute: can begin at any point / age, usually in response to a traumatic event

chronic: when symptoms appear in adolescence, but psychotic episodes become more frequent + severe as they age

dopamine hypothesis

a theory that HIGH dopamine levels can cause schizophrenic symptoms

Major Depressive Disorder (depression)

is a mood disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or another medical condition, two or more weeks with five or more symptoms, at least one of which must be either depressed mood or loss of interest/please (anhedonia)

persistent Depressive Disorder

same as major depressive disorder but last longer (several years)

cycle of depression

1. experiences a stress educing event

2. negative explanatory style

3. depressed mood

4. cognitive + behavior changes

Postpartum depression

type of depression that occurs after childbirth due to changes in hormones; often a mild form of sadness called the "Baby Blues"

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Depression that is experienced during the winter months. Based not on temperature, but on amount of sunlight.; treated with light therapy.

Bipolar Disorder

is when a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and an overexcited state

the difference between bipolar 1 and 2

1- **more severe, if you have bipolar 1, you experience mania

2- if you have bipolar 2, you experience hypomania

++ both experience the same "low points" (depression) the only difference is that bipolar 1 experience a higher "up state" (mania)

Generalized anxiety disorder

are marked by distressing, persistent anxiety about events + activities

characterizes: desire to control people and events, avoiding activities or events, feeling worried about events that do not need that much worrying about

Panic disorder

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

social anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder involving the extreme and irrational fear of being embarrassed, judged, or scrutinized by others in social situations

phobia

is a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation.

++ We all have fears, but it is not classified as a phobia unless we have an extreme reaction to it.

example: if you have a phobia of spiders and bolt from the room when someone draws a cartoon spider during Pictionary, it's a phobia

agoraphobia

or the fear and avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one has felt loss of control or panic.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

or OCD, is an anxiety disorder marked by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both.

the difference between obsessions and compulsion in OCD

obsessions: constantly thinking about something (ex: "I really don't like how those 2 plates touch. They are too close compared to the distance between the other plates"

compulsions: respective unwanted actions (ex: activity changing all the plates so that they have exactly inch distance in between each other)

Dissociative disorders

are controversial and rare disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated from previous memories, thoughts, and/or feelings.

** commonly have a history of childhood abuse or trauma

Dissociative Amnesia

sudden loss of memory or change in identity due to memory loss

Dissociative Identity Disorder

a.k.a. multiple personality disorder; exhibits 2 or more distinct alternating personalities

Post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD)

haunting memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience.

Anorexia Nervosa

an eating disorder that involves a starvation diet and not giving yourself enough food even though you are already significantly underweight; sometimes engaging in excessive exercise

Bulimia Nervosa

an eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

binge eating disorder

an eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, normally in a short period of time and feeling guilty or distressed because you did so

the difference between Bulimia Nervosa + binge eating disorder

the difference is that with binge eating disorder, you do NOT follow episodes by vomiting, fasting or excessive exercise unlike Bulimia Nervosa

Personality disorders

are inflexible and enduring patterns of behavior that impair social functioning.

Personality disorder cluster A patterns

odd / eccentric behaviors

Personality disorder cluster B patterns

dramatic / emotional / erratic behaviors

Personality disorder cluster C patterns

shy / fearful / avoidant behaviors

++ normally very dependent

paranoid personally disorder ( cluster A )

long term patters or distrust and suspicions of others that is often without reason; they normally believe people are trying to do them harm when that is not the case at all

schizotypal personality disorder ( cluster A )

eccentric behavior, odd beliefs, discomfort in relationships, distorted patterns of thinking

Schizoid Personality Disorder ( Cluster A )

uncommon disorder in which people avoid social situations and shy away from integration from others; commonly seen as odd, and emotional less and lacks desire + skill to form close relationships

Antisocial Personality Disorder( cluster B)

Lack of empathy, morality; Disobeys laws, ethical rules, lacks conscience; Little or no regard for other people's feelings; Manipulative, impulsive, lacks sense of guilt; Reckless disregard for safety of self or others; Views the world as hostile and looks out only for themselves; May be charming, personable and friendly

Borderline Personality Disorder ( cluster B)

pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and emotions very impulsive, often demonstrating self-injurious behaviors; frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, related to an intolerance of being alone, need to have other people with them at all times; inappropriate anger, chronic feelings of emptiness

Histrionic Personality Disorder ( cluster B)

can't live if the attention is not on them, inappropriate sexual seductive behavior, displays rapidly shifting + shallow emotions

Narcissistic Personality Disorder ( cluster B)

pretty much just thinks that they are better than everyone else and only wants to talk to people who they think they are "equal" with; lacks empathy and is overly self-involved

Avoidant Personality Disorder ( cluster C):

avoids social situations because they are afraid of rejection and embarrassment; extremely shy and has feelings of inadequacy; doesn't like taking risks

dependent ( cluster C )

this personally disorder is extremely dependent on others and can't make their own simple decisions; belief that they can't take control over themselves

obsessive - compulsive ( cluster C )

chronic condition where everything has to be perfect! Excessive focus to details, order and rules, and need to achieve a perfect outcome

Psychotherapy

is a treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth.

Biomedical therapy

is the use of prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person's physiology.

eclectic approach

this approach to psychotherapy uses multiple different approaches to treat patients

Deinstitutionalization

where treatment shifted from inpatient psychiatric hospitalization to outpatient community mental health programs.

psychoanalysis

is a therapeutic approach which involves techniques to uncover content from the patient's unconscious mind.

free association

pretty much just letting the patient speak their mind + feelings and you try to uncover what is happening in their unconscious mind

dream interpretation

when a patient will tell you what they are dreaming, and you try to uncover what is happening in their unconscious mind

Challenges to Psychoanalysis : Resistance

blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material

simple def: the lack of a positive response by a client to the techniques being used

Challenges to Psychoanalysis :Transference

misplaced feelings for one's therapist (anger, resentment, love, lust, etc.)

Psychodynamic therapy

people with this view on treatment think the individuals is responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight.

Cognitive therapy

teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking

Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

is a confrontational cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis that vigorously challenges people's illogical, self-defeating attitudes and assumptions.

Behavior therapy

applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors.

counterconditioning

or procedures that use classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors.

Exposure therapy

forcing a patient to confront their fears

ex: putting a spider in someone's hands that has a phobia of spiders