Ap psych unit 5 terms

Health psychology

the study of how physical health

and wellness apply to behavior and mental processes

Stress

a state of tension caused by any thought or event that makes someone feel frustrated, angry, or nervous (can lead to disorders and disease)

Hypertension

a combination of high blood pressure and high psychological stress (also known as high blood pressure)

Immune suppression

when the immune system is unable to respond to infections and diseases as well as it normally would (can be caused by stress)

Stressors

specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten their well-being

Eustress

a positive (motivating) stress response that can be beneficial to a person's well-being

Distress

a negative (debilitating) type of stress that can cause unpleasant feelings, anxiety, and decreased performance

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

traumatic childhood experiences, such as abuse, neglect, violence exposure, or death of a parent, that are linked to mental and physical health problems later in life

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

describes a three-stage process the body goes through when exposed to any kind of stress, positive or negative

Alarm reaction phase

the first stage of GAS when the body reacts to a stressor with protective processes (fight-or-flight response)

Flight-flight-freeze response

an involuntary, physical response to a sudden and immediate stressor that results in fight (facing a threat aggressively), flight (fleeing danger), or freeze (inability to move or act against a threat)

Resistance phase

the second stage of GAS when the body attempts to resist or adapt to the stressor through continued activation of physiological responses

Exhaustion phase

the second stage of GAS when the body has depleted its resources and is unable to cope with stress (often results in fatigue, lethargy, irritability, decreased eating or sleeping, depression, anxiety)

Tend-and-befriend theory

a theory that humans, especially females, cope with stressors by nurturing others and self (tending) and seeking social support (befriending)

Problem-focused coping

a technique that directly addresses a problem in order to eliminate or reduce its impact (actively working to change the situation that's causing stress)

Emotion-focused coping

a technique that manages negative emotions in response to a stressor, rather than trying to change the stressor itself (often used when the problem can't be changed or addressed)

Evidence-based interventions

therapeutic treatments designed with the best available research that also consider patients' unique needs and preferences (also knowns as Evidence-Based Practice)

Cultural humility

a practice of therapists who honor a patient's beliefs, customs, and values while being aware of their own limitations and biases

Therapeutic alliance

the bond of trust between a patient and therapist and their agreement to work together for the patient's well-being

Psychotropic medication

a drug that treats mental illness by altering the brain and nervous system's chemical balance

Decentralized treatment (deinstitutionalization)

the practice of moving people with mental health conditions from long-term psychiatric hospitals to community-based care (sometimes with poor results)

Nonmaleficence

the ethical principle of not causing intentional harm to a patient

Fidelity

a measure of how closely a psychotherapeutic treatment follows the intended method

Integrity

a characteristic of a therapist who is truthful, trustworthy, and upholds high standards of professionalism

Respect

protecting a patient's rights, dignity, and privacy and making them a partner in decision-making

Psychodynamic therapies

treatments that focus on unconscious mental processes (usually about past experiences) and how these influence current behavior

Free association

a method of exploring the unconscious in which a person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Dream interpretation

the process of analyzing dreams to understand their meaning and uncover unconscious desires and conflicts

Cognitive therapies

treatments based on the theory that when a person changes their thoughts (as opposed to their behaviors), they can change how they feel and how they respond

Cognitive restructuring

a therapy that helps a patient: identify their negative or irrational beliefs, refute them, and modify them so they are adaptive and reasonable

Fear hierarchies

a form of exposure therapy to treat phobias in which a patient makes a list of feared situations ranked from least to most anxiety-provoking

Combating maladaptive thinking

the process of changing harmful thought patterns into more realistic ones

Cognitive triad

a person's negative thoughts about themselves, their world, and their future (which lead to feelings of depression according to cognitive therapists)

Applied behavior analysis

therapy that uses principles of conditioning to address mental

disorders and developmental disabilities

Exposure therapies

treatments for anxieties that safely expose people (in imagination or actuality) to the things they fear and avoid

Systematic desensitization

a treatment for phobias that gradually exposes a person to a feared stimulus while they are relaxed

Aversion therapies

treatments that pair a negative behavior with a negative stimulus to reduce or eliminate the behavior (also known as aversive conditioning or counter conditioning)

Token economies

a behavioral management technique that uses tokens to reward desired behaviors

Biofeedback

a technique that uses external devices to monitor a person's physiological state with the goal of controlling bodily functions to improve health

Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT)

a therapy based on the idea that thoughts and behaviors reinforce each other and that changing these can make a person feel better

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

a CBT treatment that helps people learn to accept reality and manage their emotions and relationship skills

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

a CBT treatment that that helps people identify self-defeating thoughts and feelings, challenge the nature of irrational and unproductive feelings, and replace them with healthier beliefs

Person-centered therapy

a treatment from the humanistic perspective that focuses on creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment for clients to help them develop self-acceptance and personal growth

Active listening

a crucial part of person-centered therapy in which the therapist closely listens then demonstrates that they understand through clarifying questions and feedback

Group therapy

treating several people with similar problems in regular meetings with a trained counselor or therapist

Hypnosis

a state of consciousness characterized by focused attention, increased suggestibility, and heightened mental relaxation used by therapists to treat pain and anxiety

Psychoactive medication

drugs that interact with specific neurotransmitters in the central nervous system to address possible biochemical causes of mental disorders

Antidepressants

psychoactive medications that alter the brain's use of neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) to improve mood and behavior

Antianxiety drugs

psychoactive medications that slow down brain activity and increase serotonin levels to alleviate fear, dread, uneasiness, and muscle tightness

Lithium

a psychoactive medication used as a mood stabilizer (most commonly for bipolar disorder, mania, and depression)

Antipsychotic medications

psychoactive medications that are used to treat symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions

Tardive dyskinesia

a side effect of long-term use of traditional psychoactive medications in which people have uncontrollable movements, tremors, or spasms (related to the regulation of dopamine

in the nervous system)

Psychosurgery

surgical procedures on brain tissue that remove or disconnect nerve pathways to treat mental disorders

Lesioning

a form of psychosurgery involving the removal or destruction of part of the brain

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

a non-invasive intervention that uses magnetic fields to stimulate the brain (used for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions)

Electroconvulsive therapy

a treatment that uses electric shock to induce a seizure in the brain most commonly for drug-resistant or severe disorders

Lobotomy

a now-rare psychosurgical procedure used to calm uncontrollably emotional or violent patients by cutting the nerves that connect the frontal lobes to the emotion-controlling centers of the inner brain

Neurodevelopmental disorders

a group of disorders with onset occurring during the developmental period with a focus on whether the person is exhibiting behaviors appropriate for their age or maturity range

Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

a neurodevelopmental disorder that makes it difficult for people to focus and control their actions

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social communication and interaction along with restricted and repetitive patterns in behaviors, interests, and activities

Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders

a serious mental illness characterized by incoherent or illogical thoughts, bizarre behavior and speech, and delusions or hallucinations, such as hearing voices

Delusions

a positive symptom on the schizophrenic spectrum involving false beliefs (may include delusions of persecution or grandeur)

Delusions of persecution

a positive symptom on the schizophrenic spectrum involving a person believing they are being harmed or mistreated by others

Delusions of grandeur

a positive symptom on the schizophrenic spectrum in which a person falsely believes they are more important or powerful than they actually are

Hallucinations

a positive symptom on the schizophrenic spectrum related to false perceptions (may involve one or more of the senses)

Disorganized thinking

a positive symptom on the schizophrenic spectrum characterized by incoherent and disjointed thought processes (e.g., rambling, illogical remarks, as well as difficulty understanding, remembering, or completing tasks)

Disorganized speech

a positive symptom on the schizophrenic spectrum characterized by incoherent speech

Word salad

a form of disorganized speech involving stringing together words in nonsensical ways

Disorganized motor behavior

a positive symptom on the schizophrenic spectrum characterized by unusual movements or behaviors that can range from childlike silliness to unpredictable agitation

Catatonia

a symptom of disorganized motor behavior that is a positive symptom of schizophrenia in which someone is awake but does not seem to respond to other people and their environment (may involve impaired communication, unusual movements, bizarre postures, limited reactivity)

Excited catatonia

a positive symptom of schizophrenia involving excessive movement, agitation, and unusual behavior

Catatonic stupor

a negative symptom of schizophrenia characterized as unresponsiveness (e.g., lack of movement, isolation, withdrawal, mutism, bizarre posture)

Flat affect

a negative symptom of schizophrenia characterized by a lack of emotional expression (e.g., no facial expression, no eye contact, monotone voice, no body language, apathy)

Negative symptoms

on the schizophrenic spectrum, these are symptoms that involve a decrease or absence of normal behaviors (e.g., the lack of movement or emotional expression)

Positive symptoms

the presence of psychotic behaviors on the schizophrenic spectrum such as hallucinations, delusions, inappropriate affect, and disorganized thinking/speech/behavior

Dopamine hypothesis

a theory that schizophrenia is caused by imbalances with certain neurotransmitters which create an excess of dopamine in the brain

Depressive disorders

mental disorders characterized by the presence of sad, empty, or irritable mood along with physical and cognitive changes that affect a person's ability to function

Major Depressive Disorder

a condition that causes a persistent low mood, loss of interest in activities, and feelings of hopelessness and sadness

Persistent Depressive Disorder

a chronic low-level depression that is not as severe, but may last longer Major Depressive Disorder (also known as dysthymia)

Bipolar disorders

serious mental illnesses that causes extreme mood swings, often unpredictably

Depression

sadness or despair that lasts more than days and interferes with the activities of daily life

Cycling

an aspect of bipolar disorders where a person experiences four or more distinct mood swings within a year

Mania

an aspect of bipolar disorders characterized by abnormal arousal (e.g., high energy, impulsivity, euphoria, irritability)

Bipolar I Disorder

a type of bipolar disorder marked by full manic and major depressive episodes

Bipolar II Disorder

a type of bipolar disorder marked by at least one mildly manic (hypomanic) episode and at least one major depressive episode

Anxiety disorders

mental health conditions characterized by excessive fear and/or anxiety with related disturbances to behavior

Specific phobia

an intense, irrational, and persistent fear of a particular object, situation, or activity that is much greater than the actual risk

Acrophobia

a specific phobia involving an irrational and excessive fear of heights

Arachnophobia

a specific phobia involving an irrational and excessive fear of spiders

Agoraphobia

an intense fear of specific social situations, including using public transportation, being in open spaces, being in enclosed spaces (e.g., shops, theaters, etc.), standing in line or being in a crowd, or being outside of the home alone

Panic disorder

an anxiety disorder characterized by repeated, unexpected panic attacks

Panic attack

unanticipated and overwhelming biological, cognitive, and

emotional experiences of anxiety

Ataque de nervios

a culture-bound anxiety disorder experienced mainly by people of

Caribbean or Iberian descent characterized by mental incapacitation fears, shakiness, chest tightness, palpitations, and a sense of inner heat

Social anxiety disorder

involves the intense fear of being judged or watched by others (may include agoraphobia)

Taijin kyofusho

a culture-bound anxiety disorder experienced mainly by Japanese people characterized by a fear that others are judging your body as undesirable, offensive, or unpleasing

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

prolonged experiences of nonspecific

anxiety characterized by chronic excessive worry along with three or more of the following: restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance

Obsessive-compulsive (and related) disorders

overlapping disorders involving unwanted thoughts along with behaviors that drive a person to do something over and over

Obsessions

unwanted, intrusive, and distressing thoughts or urges that are difficult to control (e.g., excessive concern about germs)

Compulsions

repetitive actions or mental events that are performed to reduce distress or prevent a feared outcome (e.g., excessive hand washing)

Hoarding disorder

a persistent difficulty discarding possessions even if they have no clear value