Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health

Health psychology

Study of how psychological factors affect health and illness.

Stressors

Events or conditions that cause stress.

Transient stress

Short-term stress response.

Chronic stress

Long-lasting stress.

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye’s model of stress response: alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

Alarm stage

Initial stress response activation.

Corticosterone

Stress hormone released during stress response.

Resistance stage

Body attempts to cope with stress.

Exhaustion stage

Body resources depleted from prolonged stress.

Type A personality

Competitive, time-urgent, hostile behavior pattern.

Type B personality

Relaxed, non-competitive behavior pattern.

Tend-and-befriend theory

Stress response involving nurturing and social bonding.

Problem-focused coping

Addressing the source of stress directly.

Emotion-focused coping

Managing emotional response to stress.

Gratitude

Positive emotion of appreciation.

Signature strengths

Personal traits that contribute to well-being.

Post-traumatic growth

Positive psychological change after trauma.

Disordered behavior

Behavior patterns that impair functioning.

DSM-5

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

ICD

International Classification of Diseases (mental disorders section included).

Psychoanalytic school

Focus on unconscious conflicts (Freud).

Humanistic school

Focus on personal growth and self-actualization.

Cognitive perspective

Focus on thoughts and mental processes.

Behavioral approach

Focus on learned behavior.

Biological view

Focus on genetics and brain processes.

Sociocultural approach

Focus on cultural and social influences.

Biopsychosocial perspective

Combines biological, psychological, and social factors.

Diathesis-stress model

Disorder results from vulnerability + stress.

Autism spectrum disorder

Developmental disorder affecting social communication.

ADHD

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Communication disorders

Impairments in speech/language.

Motor disorders

Impairments in movement control.

Specific learning disorders

Difficulties in academic skills.

Schizophrenia

Severe disorder involving distorted thinking and perception.

Delusions

False beliefs held despite evidence.

Hallucinations

False sensory perceptions.

Disorganized thinking

Rapid or illogical thought patterns.

Disorganized speech

Incoherent or fragmented speech.

Positive symptoms

Additions like hallucinations or delusions.

Negative symptoms

Reductions like flat affect or social withdrawal.

Catatonia

Immobilized or excessive motor behavior.

Persistent depressive disorder

Long-term mild depression.

Anxiolytics

Drugs that reduce anxiety.

Panic disorder

Recurrent panic attacks.

Panic attacks

Sudden intense fear episodes.

Ataque de nervios

Culture-specific anxiety-like episode.

Generalized anxiety disorder

Chronic excessive worry.

Specific phobias

Irrational fear of specific object or situation.

Agoraphobia

Fear of open or public spaces.

Social anxiety

Fear of social situations.

Tajin kyofusho

Japanese fear of offending others socially.

Obsessions

Intrusive unwanted thoughts.

Compulsions

Repetitive behaviors to reduce anxiety.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Disorder involving obsessions and compulsions.

Body dysmorphic disorder

Preoccupation with perceived physical flaws.

Hoarding disorder

Compulsive accumulation of items.

Derealization

Feeling world is unreal.

Depersonalization

Feeling detached from self.

Dissociative amnesia

Inability to recall important information.

Fugue

Traveling with loss of identity.

Dissociative identity disorder

Two or more distinct identities.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Anxiety following trauma exposure.

Anorexia nervosa

Eating disorder involving starvation.

Bulimia nervosa

Eating disorder involving bingeing and purging.

Purging

Removing food through vomiting or laxatives.

Binge eating disorder

Repeated episodes of excessive eating.

Paranoid personality disorder

Distrust and suspicion of others.

Schizoid personality disorder

Detachment from social relationships.

Schizotypal personality disorder

Eccentric behavior and thoughts.

Antisocial personality disorder

Disregard for others’ rights.

Borderline personality disorder

Instability in mood and relationships.

Histrionic personality disorder

Attention-seeking behavior.

Narcissistic personality disorder

Grandiosity and need for admiration.

Avoidant personality disorder

Social inhibition due to fear of rejection.

Dependent personality disorder

Excessive need to be cared for.

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Preoccupation with order and control.

Psychosurgery

Brain surgery to treat mental disorders.

Prefrontal lobotomy

Surgical severing of frontal brain connections.

Insight

Therapeutic awareness of underlying issues.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s therapy using unconscious exploration.

Free association

Saying thoughts without censorship.

Transference

Patient projects feelings onto therapist.

Countertransference

Therapist projects feelings onto patient.

Client-centered therapy

Rogers’ therapy emphasizing empathy.

Genuineness

Therapist authenticity.

Unconditional positive regard

Accepting client without judgment.

Accurate empathetic understanding

Deep understanding of client’s feelings.

Gestalt therapy

Focus on present awareness and wholeness.

Cognitive therapy

Changing distorted thinking patterns.

Negative triad

Cognitive distortions about self, world, future.

Arbitrary inference

Conclusions without evidence.

Dichotomous thinking

All-or-nothing thinking.

Rational emotive behavior therapy

Changing irrational beliefs.

Behavioral therapy

Changing behavior through learning principles.

Counterconditioning

Replacing unwanted responses.

Aversion therapy

Associating behavior with unpleasant stimulus.

Systematic desensitization

Gradual exposure to feared stimuli.

Extinction procedures

Removing reinforcement of behavior.

Flooding

Immediate exposure to fear stimulus.

Implosion therapy

Imaginal exposure to fear.