Health and Abnormal Psychology Overview

Flashcards covering key concepts from Health and Abnormal Psychology.

Health Psychology

The study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare.

Stress

The psychological and physiological response to perceived challenges or threats.

Hypertension

Chronic high blood pressure, often stress-related, affecting cardiovascular health.

Immune Suppression

The reduction in the effectiveness of the immune system, often due to stress.

Daily Hassles

Everyday minor events that cause stress.

Eustress

Positive, motivating stress that enhances one’s functioning.

Distress

Negative stress that can lead to health problems or decreased functioning.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

The three-stage process that describes the physiological changes the body goes through when under stress: alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

Flight-Fight-Freeze Response

The body's automatic system designed to protect it from threat or danger.

Tend-and-Befriend Theory

A theory proposing that women are more likely to respond to stress with nurturing behaviors and forming alliances than fight-or-flight.

Abnormal Psychology

The study of psychological disorders and their treatment.

DSM-5-TR

The most recent edition of the manual used by clinicians to diagnose and classify mental disorders.

Behavioral Perspective

Focuses on observable behaviors and the ways in which they're learned.

Cognitive Perspective

The study of how we perceive, think, and solve problems.

Anxiety Disorders

Mental health disorders characterized by significant feelings of anxiety and fear.

Panic Disorder

An anxiety disorder that consists of sudden, overwhelming attacks of terror.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

A rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities.

Major Depressive Disorder

A disorder characterized by severe depression that occurs in episodes.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

An integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy.

Exposure Therapy

Behavioral techniques that treat anxieties by exposing people to the things they fear.

Psychotropic Medication Therapy

The treatment of psychiatric disorders with medication that affects brain chemistry.

Tardive Dyskinesia

A neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements of the face and jaw.