AP Psych unit 5 part 1

Health Psychology

subfield that uses psychological and behavioral principles to study health, illness and healthcare

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events

stressors

that we appraise as threatening or challenging

distress

stress interpreted as detrimental

eustress

stress interpreted as beneficial or motivating

ex: travel and exercise

general adaptation syndrome

body’s 3 stage physiological response to stress

phase 1: alarm reaction

body activates fight or flight

phase 2: resistance

body attempts to cope with ongoing stress

phase 3: exhaustion

body’s resources are depleted, leading to burnout

• decreased immunity, body is most susceptible to illness

selye’s basic point

• although the human body copes well with temporary stress, prolonged stress can damage it

physiological effects of stress

• hypertension (high blood pressure), headaches, immune suppression

test and befriend theory

idea that people (especially women) respond to stress by seeking social support and nurturing others

problem focused coping

involves managing or fixing the distressing situation, either by changing our behavior or changing the situation

emotion focused coping

attempting to ease stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction

positive psychology

seeks to identify and promote factors that lead to well being, resilience, positive emotions

subjective well being (swb)

term that considers emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions

gratitude

positive emotional response that emerges from appreciating life

character strengths

psychological attributes or traits contributing to an individual’s positive functioning and well being

resilience

able to recover from adversity

psychopathology

study of psychological disorders

3 d’s (dysfunction, distress, deviance)

criteria used to identify psychological disorders

medical model

view that psych disorders have biological causes

psychodynamic perspective

disorders stem from unconscious conflicts and repressed thoughts

behavioral perspective

disorders are learned behaviors

biopsychosocial model

approach combining biological, social and psychological factors

diathesis-stress model

environmental stressors trigger the onset of a biologically based psych disorder in ppl who have a biologically based vulnterability

schizophrenia positive symptoms

are those that aren’t present in healthy people, behavioral additions to normal behavior

delusions (+)

false beliefs not based in reality

persecutory delusions

belief that one is going to be harmed, harassed

grandiose delusions

person believes they have exceptional abilities, wealth, power ,fame

hallucinations (+)

false perceptions, sensory experiences that occur without any external stimuli

disorganized speech (+)

effective communication is impaired

word salad

spewing out nonsensical jumble of words

catatonia

abnormal or lack of movement

flat affect (-)

reduced emotional expression

dopamine hypothesis

high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine have been linked to schizophrenia

environmental factors

prenatal virus exposure could potentially impact

OCD

characterized by the presence of obsessions and compulsions

obsessions

recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges and images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted

compulsions

repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to the rules that must be applied rigidly

ocd cycle

obsession increases anxiety and the compulsion reduces it

hoarding disorder

characterized by persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of actual value

panic disorder

marked by recuurrent panic attacks that occur in situations that would not normally elicit panic

ataque de nervios (attack of nerves)

cultural syndrome with some symptoms thta overlap with those of panic disorder

specific phobia disorder

overwhelming unreasonable and persistent sense of fear of a specific object or situation

acrophobia

fear of heights

arachnophobia

fear of spiders

agoraphobia

wide variety of fear or anxiety about being in specific situations in public

social anxiety disorder

persistent intense fear or anxiety regarding social situations in which the individual is being judged or watched

taijin kyofusho

cultural syndrome experienced by japanese people in which they fear others are judging their bodies

generalized anxiety disorder

excessive feelings of worry and unease without a clear cause

possible causes of asd

combination of genetic, physiological and environmental factors

• strong genetic component

adhd symptoms

characterized by ongoing problems with paying attention, and/or being hyperactive or impulsive

anorexia

• life threatening

• persistent restriction of caloric intake leading to extreme weight loss

bulimia nervosa

recurrent episodes of secretive binge eating

possible causes of feeding and eating disorders

influenced by a combination of factors, biopsychosocial model is well suited to understanding causes of eating disorders

dissasociations

feeling of disconnection from keu aspects of mental functioning

most significant risk factor

psychological trauma or other forms of overwhelming stress

dissociative amnesia with fugue

rare and severe disorder characterized by sudden, unexpected travel or wandering

DID

involves presence of atleast two distinct identities (alters) that appear along with impaired memory beyond mere forgetfulness

major depresssive disorder

depressed mood most of the time, reduced interest or enjoyment in activities

biological perspective of major depressive disorder

norepinephrine and serotonin tend to be inactive during depression

cognitive perspective of major depressive disorder

more likely to pay attention to negative information and recall negative events

bipolar 1

atleast one episode of mania lasting atleast 1 week, as well as episodes of major depression

mania

state of abnormally elavated mood and intensely high energy that disrupts daily life

bipolar 2

individuals with this have not experienced a manic episode, instead they have experienced one hypomanic episode

hypomania

same exact symptoms as mania but less severe

causes of biopolar disorder

neurotransmitters specifically norepinephrine and serotonin

• patterns of thinking can play a role

• irregular sleep patterns

personality disorders

enduring patterns of inner experience and behavior that deviate from the norms, are pervasive and inflexible, lead to personal distress or impairment, are stable over time, begin in adolescence or early adulthood

cluster a odd eccentric personality disorders

paranoid - pattern of distrust and suspicion about other people’s motives

schizoid - avoidance of social activity and interaction with others, limited range of emotional expression

schizotypal - odd ways of thinking, perceiving and communicating

cluster b dramatic emotional erratic

antisocial - disregard for others with no remorse/guilt

histrionic- excessive attention seeking behavior

narcissistic - inflated sense of self importance

borderline - emotional instability and impulsivity

cluster c anxious and fearful

avoidant - feeling of inadequacy and being socially judged, leads to avoidance of social situations

dependant personality disorder - feeling helplessness and a need to be taken care of and reassured

obsessive compulsive - excessively focused on order and perfection