AP Psych - Stress and Health

behavioral medicine

interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge + applies said knowledge to health and disease

health psychology

subfield of psychology that provided psychology’s contribution to **behavioral** **medicine**

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events (stressors) that we view as challenging

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

* named by **Hans Selye**
* how the body responds to stress
* three phases: alarm, resistance, exhaustion

coronary heart disease

clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart

Type A

* **Friedman** and **Rosenman**
* term for competitive, impatient, verbally aggressive, anger-prone people

Type B

* **Friedman** and **Rosenman**
* term for easygoing, relaxed people

psychophysiological illness

any stress-related physical illness

psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

study of how psychological, neural, endocrine processes affect immune system and health

lymphocytes

* white blood cells
* two types:
* *B lymphocytes* - form in bone marrow
* release antibodies that fight bacterial infections
* *T lymphocytes* - form in thymus/other lymphatic tissue
* attack cancer cells, viruses, foreign substances

coping

alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods

problem-focused coping

alleviating stress directly - by changing the stressor or the way we interact w/ it

emotion-focused coping

alleviating stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to a stress reaction

aerobic exercise

* sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness


* can also reduce stress, depression, and anxiety

biofeedback

a process by which electric monitoring of a physiological response is used to train someone to gain better control over said response

complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)

medical products and practices that are not part of traditional western medicine and can supplement treatment