Unit 5.1-2, 5.5 Mental and Physical Health (NEW CED)

Health Psychology

A branch of psychology that focuses on how physical activities, psychological traits, and social relationships affect overall health and illness.

Stress

The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

Hypertension

High blood pressure, often associated with stress, which can increase the risk of heart and kidney diseases and stroke.

Immune Suppression

Reduction in the effectiveness of the immune system, which can be caused by various forms of stress.

Stressors

Events or conditions in your surroundings that may trigger stress.

Daily Hassles

Everyday minor events that cause stress, such as traffic jams or overwhelming chores.

Significant Life Changes

Major life transitions like moving, leaving a job, or divorcing, which can be stressful.

Catastrophes

Unpredictable, large-scale events that cause significant stress and alter the lives of many people.

Eustress (motivating)

Positive stress which results from striving toward a challenging goal.

Distress (debilitating)

Negative stress that can make a person sick or keep a person from reaching a goal.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood and can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

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

Alarm Reaction Phase

The initial reaction to a stressor, activating the body's defense systems.

Resistance Phase

The body's response after the initial shock of a stressful event, where the body attempts to return to normal functioning.

Flight-Fight-Freeze Response

A physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival.

Exhaustion Phase

The third stage of the GAS, during which the body depletes its resources in responding to a prolonged stressor.

Tend-and-Befriend Theory

A theory that suggests people seek social support and tend to others in times of stress.

Problem-focused Coping

Strategies aimed at tackling the cause of stress in practical ways which directly tackle the problem causing the stress.

Emotion-focused Coping

Strategies aimed at relieving or managing the emotional distress associated with stress.

Positive Psychology

The scientific study of human strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.

Subjective Well-being

An individual's own assessment of their happiness and satisfaction with life.

Resilience

The ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly.

Posttraumatic Growth

Positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity and other challenges in order to rise to a higher level of functioning.

Positive Emotions

Feelings that engage us, elevate us, and promote growth and well-being.

Gratitude

A feeling of thankfulness and appreciation, especially in response to someone doing something kind or helpful.

Signature Strengths & Virtues

Character strengths and virtues that are personally fulfilling, intrinsic to one's identity, and contribute to the collective well-being.

Categories of Virtues

Broad categories that encompass character strengths, such as wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.

Evidence-Based Interventions

Treatments based on scientific evidence.

Cultural Humility

An approach to engagement across cultures emphasizing openness and self-awareness of one's own cultural identities.

Therapeutic Alliance

The relationship between a healthcare professional and a client.

deinstitutionalization

transferring the treatment of mental illness from inpatient institutions to community-based facilities that emphasize outpatient care

Nonmaleficence

duty to do no harm

fidelity

the ethical principle of maintaining trust, honesty, and commitment in the therapeutic relationship, ensuring reliability and integrity in professional conduct

integrity

the ethical principle of being honest, transparent, and consistent in their professional actions, ensuring adherence to moral and ethical standards in all aspects of their practice.

Respect for People's Rights and Dignity

recognizing and honoring the inherent worth of all individuals, ensuring privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination, and treating clients with fairness and respect in clinical psychology.

Psychodynamic Therapies

focus on uncovering unconscious conflicts and past experiences to understand current behavior and emotions, aiming to increase self-awareness and insight into psychological issues.

Free Association

the patient speaking freely about thoughts, feelings, and memories as they come to mind, helping to uncover unconscious conflicts and underlying issues.

Dream Interpretation

analyzing the content of dreams to uncover unconscious thoughts and feelings, providing insights into unresolved conflicts and underlying psychological issues.

person-centered therapy

focuses on providing a supportive environment where clients can achieve self-discovery and personal growth, emphasizing empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness from the therapist.

Active Listening

involves the therapist fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what the client says, demonstrating empathy and validating the client's feelings and experiences.

unconditional positive regard

an attitude of complete acceptance and support that a therapist offers to a client, regardless of what the client says or does, fostering a safe and nonjudgmental therapeutic environment.

cognitive therapy

focus on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and beliefs to improve emotional regulation and develop healthier behaviors, aiming to address psychological issues through cognitive restructuring.

maladaptive thinking

negative and irrational thought patterns that contribute to emotional distress and dysfunctional behaviors, which therapy aims to identify and change.

Cognitive Restructuring

identifying and challenging negative thought patterns and beliefs, replacing them with more positive and realistic ones to improve emotional well-being and behavior.

Cognitive Triad

the negative thought patterns about oneself, the world, and the future that contribute to and sustain depression, which therapy aims to identify and change.

Applied Behavior Analysis

therapy that uses principles of learning and conditioning to improve specific behaviors, such as social skills, communication, and academic performance, through systematic interventions and reinforcement strategies

exposure therapy

technique that involves gradually and repeatedly exposing individuals to feared objects or situations in a controlled environment to reduce anxiety and improve coping mechanisms.

systematic desensitization

type of exposure therapy that involves gradually exposing individuals to anxiety-provoking stimuli while teaching them relaxation techniques to reduce fear and anxiety.

aversion therapy

behavioral technique that pairs unwanted behaviors with unpleasant stimuli to reduce or eliminate those behaviors by creating a negative association.

token economy

behavioral therapy systems where individuals earn tokens for displaying desired behaviors, which can later be exchanged for rewards, reinforcing positive behavior change.

Biofeedback

technique that uses electronic monitoring to provide individuals with information about physiological processes, such as heart rate or muscle tension, to help them learn to control these functions and improve health and performance.

cognitive behavioral therapy

treatments that combine cognitive and behavioral techniques to address dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors, aiming to improve emotional regulation and develop healthier coping strategies

rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on identifying and changing irrational beliefs and thought patterns to reduce emotional distress and promote healthier behaviors

Hypnosis

therapeutic technique that has shown effectiveness in treating pain and anxiety, but research does not support its use for retrieving accurate memories or age regression.

dialectical behavior therapy

type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on teaching skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness to help individuals manage intense emotions and improve relationships

Psychotropic Medication Therapy

involves the use of medications to treat mental health disorders by affecting brain chemistry, aiming to alleviate symptoms and improve functioning.

psychoactive medications

drugs that affect brain chemistry and are used to treat mental health disorders, alleviating symptoms and improving emotional and cognitive functioning

Antidepressants

psychoactive medications used to treat depressive disorders by altering brain chemistry, primarily increasing the levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine to improve mood and emotional state.

Lithium

psychoactive medication commonly used to treat bipolar disorder by stabilizing mood swings and reducing the frequency and severity of manic and depressive episodes.

antianxiety drugs

psychoactive drugs used to alleviate anxiety symptoms by affecting neurotransmitters in the brain, promoting relaxation and reducing excessive nervousness or worry.

tardive dyskinesia

potential side effect of long-term use of antipsychotic medications, characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements, such as grimacing, tongue movements, and jerking of the limbs

Antipsychotic Medications

psychoactive medications used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and other severe mental disorders by altering neurotransmitter activity in the brain, helping to reduce delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking

Psychosurgery

medical procedure that involves surgically altering brain tissue to treat severe mental disorders, typically used as a last resort when other treatments have failed.

lobotomy

surgical procedure that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex, historically used to treat severe mental disorders but now largely abandoned due to its severe and often harmful side effects.

Lesioning

procedure that involves creating small, targeted damage to specific areas of the brain to treat neurological or psychological disorders, often used to alleviate symptoms when other treatments are ineffective.

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain, commonly used to treat depression by improving mood and cognitive function

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

medical treatment that involves sending small electric currents through the brain to induce a brief seizure, often used to treat severe depression and other mental disorders when other treatments have been ineffective.