Mental Health and Physical Health
Topic 5.1: Introduction to Health Psychology
Health Psychology: the study of how psychological factors influence health, illness, and health-related behaviors
Stressors: events or situations that stimulate a stress response (perceived as harmful, threatening, or challenging)
Eustress: When stress is positive and motivating.
Distress: When stress is negative and debilitating
ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences): Stressful or traumatic experiences during childhood, including abuse, neglect, and a range of household dysfunction, such as witnessing domestic violence or growing up with substance abuse, mental disorders, parental discord, or crime in the home.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): Seyle's describes the general response humans and other animals have to a stressful event
Alarm Reaction Stage of the GAS: the initial reaction to a stressor; activates protective processes within the body
Resistance Stage of the GAS: Second phase of the GAS, during which the body adapts to and maintains resources to cope with the stressor.
Exhaustion Stage of the GAS: third phase of the GAS, during which the body's resources become depleted
Tend and Befriend Theory: suggests that females are more likely than males to respond to stress by nurturing others and seeking social support
Problem Focused Coping: managing or changing a stressor; used if problem seems alterable
Emotion Focused Coping: try to feel better about situation; used if problem is out of our control
Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology: branch of psychology that focuses on understanding what makes life most worth living
Subjective Well-being: how individuals perceive and evaluate their lives, encompassing happiness, life satisfaction, and positive emotions.
Positive Subjective Experience: feelings, thoughts, or emotions that are perceived as pleasant, enjoyable, or satisfying, as reported by an individual.
Positive Objective Experience: observable, measurable events or experiences that are objectively positive or beneficial as perceived by an external observer.
Post-Traumatic Growth: positive psychology changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crisis
Topic 5.3: Explaining and Classifying Psychological Disorders
Dysfunction: how well or poorly a person can carry out daily activities and complete their daily responsibilities
Perception of Distress: experiences negative emotions, pain, or stress related to an individual's behavior or mental processes
Deviation from Social Norm: Behaviors that are very different from what is considered normal in a culture, such as unpredictable emotional reactions or difficulty understanding social expectations.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM): contains diagnostic labels and descriptions that provide a common language and shared concepts for communication and research to classify psychological disorders
International Classification of Mental Disorders (ICD): a globally recognized diagnostic tool for classifying diseases, including mental disorders.
Eclectic Approach: draw from multiple psychological perspectives when diagnosing and treating clients.
Behavioral Perspective on Mental Disorders: Learned behaviors, such as avoidance or unhealthy coping mechanisms, can contribute to mental disorders. Conditioning plays a role in shaping behavior. Therapy often focuses on relearning healthier responses through reinforcement and behavioral techniques.
Maladaptive Learned Associations: negative patterns of behavior or thought that have been reinforced over time and are not beneficial for an individual's well-being.
Psychodynamic Perspective on Mental Disorders: Childhood experiences can influence adult emotions and behaviors.Unconscious fears, desires, or traumas may contribute to psychological distress. Therapy helps uncover these hidden influences and bring them into awareness.
Humanistic Perspective on Mental Disorders: Mental disorders may arise when people feel disconnected, unsupported, or unable to reach their full potential. A lack of personal growth and social support can lead to distress. Therapy encourages self-acceptance, personal growth, and building meaningful connections.
Cognitive Perspective on Mental Disorders: The way people think affects how they feel and behave. Negative thought patterns, unrealistic beliefs, and distorted perceptions can lead to mental health challenges. Therapy helps individuals recognize and change unhelpful thoughts.
Evolutionary Perspective on Mental Disorders: Some behaviors and mental processes that were once useful for survival may contribute to psychological disorders today. Traits that helped early humans adapt might now lead to difficulties in modern life. Understanding these traits can help in managing and adapting responses.
Socio-cultural Perspective on Mental Disorders: Social and cultural environments shape mental health. The way people experience and express psychological distress can be influenced by relationships, community expectations, and societal pressures. Therapy may focus on understanding external influences and building coping strategies.
Biological Perspective on Mental Disorders: Mental disorders can have a physiological or genetic basis. Brain function, neurotransmitters, and inherited traits all play a role in mental health. Medical treatments, such as medication, can help restore balance alongside therapy.
Biopsychosocial Model (Interaction Model): assumes biological, psychological, and socio-cultural interaction to produce specific physiological disorders; treatment often combines medical, psychological, and social support approaches.
Diathesis-Stress Model (Interaction Model): explains that some people have a genetic or biological vulnerability to developing a disorder, but it only becomes active when combined with stressful life events.
Topic 5.4: Selection of Categories of Psychological Disorders
Neurodevelopmental Disorders: These disorders typically appear during childhood and affect a person's ability to function in daily life. Disorders impact how the brain develops and processes information (delay in developmental milestones, difficulty with social interactions and communication, problems with attention or memory or learning, challenges with motor skills or coordination).
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a child who by age 7 displays extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity; treated with medication and other therapy
Autism Spectrum Disorder: neurodevelopmental disorder marked by social communication challenges, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors
Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders: psychological disorder marked by disturbed perceptions, disorganized thinking and speech, and diminished inappropriate emotions
Delusions: false beliefs; believe something untrue dispute evidence of the contrary
Delusions of persecution - type of delusion where one believe others are out to harm them
Delusions of grandeur - type of delusion where one believe they have special powers or importance
Hallucinations: false perceptions; experiencing sensations that are not real, such as hearing voices or seeing things that are not there
Disorganized Thinking, Speech: difficulty organizing thoughts, leading to fragmented or confused speech
Word Salad: words are strung together without logical meaning, caused by jumbling ideas (disorganized thinking)
Disorganized Motor Behavior: unpredictable or unusual movements, ranging from agitation to a complete lack of movements
Catatonia (Catatonic Stupor): can manifest as excessive movement or remaining motionless for long periods
Stupor (Catatonic Stupor): a state of unresponsiveness where a person is awake but lacks movement or speech
Flat Affect: showing little to no emotion (neg symptom)
Positive Symptoms: symptoms of schizophrenia involving the presence of unusual behaviors or experience (hallucinations, talk in disorganized/diluted ways, and exhibit inappropriate laughter, tears, or rage)
Negative Symptoms: symptoms of schizophrenia involving absence of typical behaviors (toneless voice, expressionless faces, or mute and rigid bodies)
Dopamine Hypothesis: schizophrenic patients have increased dopamine receptors, which may intensify brain signals, creating positive symptoms such as hallucinations and paranoia
Depressive Disorders (symptoms, causes): symptoms: causes: traumatic and stressful life events (losses)
Major Depressive Disorder: prolonged hopelessness and lethargy; at least 5 signs of depression last 2 + weeks, one must be either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure
Persistent Depressive Disorder: mildly depressed mood more often than not for 2+ years and 2 other symptoms (problems regulating appetite or sleep, low energy or self esteem, difficulty concentrating/making decisions, hopelessness feeling)
Bipolar Disorders (symptoms, causes): person alternates between depression episodes and mania episodes;
Mania episodes: elevated or irritable mood, increased energy, little sleep, racing thoughts and distractible, poor judgment/recklessness
Depressive episodes: persistent sadness, loss of interest in activities, change of sleep or appetite, fatigue/low energy, and difficulty concentrating
Mania: episodes of hyperactive and wildly optimistic, impulsive behavior
Bipolar Cycling: the pattern of alternating mood episodes experienced by individuals with bipolar disorder
Bipolar I Disorder: bipolar disorder with full blown mania episodes
Bipolar II Disorder: bipolar disorder with hypomanic episodes (less severe mania) and one major depressive episode; no mania episodes
Anxiety Disorders (symptoms, causes): anxiety= response to threat of future loss anxious feelings and behaviors form a pattern of distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors to reduce anxiety
Specific Phobia: irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation
Acrophobia: fear of heights
Arachnophobia: fear of spiders
Agoraphobia: fear of a situation we perceive to be unsafe or difficult to escape
Panic Disorder: Anxiety disorder in which person experiences frequent and unexpected panic attacks that last 1 month or persistent concern over having them; anxiety escalates into periodic episodes of intense dread
Panic Attack: sudden episodes of extreme anxiety; physical symptoms include increased heart rate, trembling, or adrenaline rushes
Ataque de Nervios: a Latin American anxiety related problem similar to a panic attack, but is usually triggered by an upsetting event and consists of screaming, crying, shaking, numbness.
Social Anxiety disorder: intense fear of being judged or watched by others
Taijin Kyofusho: Japanese fear of offending or embarrassing others
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): excessive and uncontrollable fears that don't seem to be attached to a particular object; feel persistently and uncontrollably tense and apprehensive, for no apparent reason
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (symptoms, causes): causes: biological ( Deficiency in serotonin, norepinephrine, disfunctional in specific brain areas)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: involves both obsessions and compulsions that are time-consuming and cause significant distress or impairment
Obsessions: intrusive, unwanted thoughts that usually cause major anxiety or distress; individual attempts to suppress thoughts by neutralizing them with other thoughts/actions (compulsions)
Compulsions: repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession; aimed to prevent or reduce anxiety or distress; not realistic and clearly excessive
Hoarding Disorder: persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them, leading to clutter that impairs living spaces and causes distress
Dissociative Disorders (symptoms, causes): conditions in which conscious awareness seems to become separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings. Symptoms: may experience a disconnect between their thoughts, emotions, identity, or surroundings. cause: Extreme form of dissociative coping (extreme physical or sexual abuse in childhood)
Dissociation: sense of being unreal, of being separated from body, of watching oneself as if in a movie
Dissociative Amnesia (with and without fugue): inability to recall important personal information, often related to a stressful or traumatic event; fugue involves amnesia accompanied by unexpected travel or wandering and confusion about one's identity
Dissociative Identity Disorder: presence of 2 or more distinct and altering personalities; symptoms: may feel disattached from their thoughts, feelings, or body (depersonalization) or from their surroundings (derealization)
Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders (symptoms, causes): intense psychological distress and can significantly impact daily functioning.
trama developed after exposure to a highly stressful or life-threatening event (cause).
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: intense psychological distress, following exposure to a traumatic or stressful event, that can significantly impact daily function. Symptoms include: flashbacks and nightmares, avoidance behavior, negative changes in mood and thinking, detachment from others, hyperarousal.
Hypervigilance: increased anxiety and heightened sense of threat detection (sensitivity to sensory stimuli)
Feeding and Eating disorders (symptoms, causes): psychological factors overwhelm the homeostatic drive of hunger; causes: cultural pressures, low self-esteem, and negative emotions interact with stressful life experiences and genetics
Anorexia Nervosa: a person maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight because they view themselves as fat
Bulimia Nervosa: secretly binge and then compensate by purging, fasting, or excessively exercising. Weight fluctuations within or above normal rage makes it easy to hide; depression and anxiety during/following binge
Personality Disorders (symptoms, causes):psychological disorders marked by inflexible, disruptive, and enduring behavior patterns that impair social and other functioning - whether the sufferer realizes it or not (ego synthetic)
Cluster A Personality Disorders – Odd or Eccentric (3) - odd and detached
Paranoid Personality Disorder: characterized by paranoia and a pervasive, long-standing suspiciousness and generalized mistrust of others
Schizoid Personality Disorder: pattern of indifference to social relationships, with a limited range of emotional expressions and experiences.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder: pattern of social and interpersonal difficulties that include a sense of discomfort with close relationships, eccentric behavior, and unusual thoughts and perceptions of reality…symptoms: distorted thinking, behave strangely, and avoid intimacy
Cluster B Personality Disorders – Dramatic, Emotional, or Erratic (4) - self-destructive, frequent hospitalization
Antisocial Personality Disorder: exhibits lack of conscience for wrongdoings/for others, even towards friends and family, and sometimes by aggressive and fearless behavior. Cause: genetic predispositions may interact with the environment to provide the altered brain activity associated with this disorder; psychopath or sociopath; childhood begins with excessive lying, fighting, stealing, violence, or manipulation, impairment in fear conditioning. Adults are either criminals and disfunctional or con artists and ruthless executives.
Histrionic Personality Disorder: pattern of excess attention-seeking emotions, usually beginning in early adulthood, including inappropriate seductive behavior and an excessive need for approval; “acting a part”, attention-seeking, dramatic and dangerous risk-takers;
Narcissistic Personality Disorder: exaggerated feelings of self-importance, excessive need for admiration, and a lack of empathy
Borderline Personality disorder: intense and unstable emotions, impulsive behaviors, and difficulty maintaining healthy relationships; often experience a profound fear of abandonment, leading to turbulent relationships and self-image issues. Causes: Disruption in attachment relationships in early childhood, biological temperament
Cluster C Personality Disorders – Anxious or Fearful (3)
Avoidant Personality Disorder: feelings of extreme social inhibition, inadequacy, and sensitivity to negative criticism and rejection, causing significant inability to maintain relationships in day-to-day life.
Dependent Personality Disorder: inability to be alone, developing symptoms of anxiety when they’re not around others, needing constant reassurance from others to function.
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency
Topic 5.5: Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Evidence Based Interventions: treatments that have been scientifically tested and proven effective
Cultural Humility: recognizing and respecting a client’s cultural background, values, and experiences.
Therapeutic Alliance: a bond of trust and mutual understanding between a therapist and client, who work together construction to overcome the clients problems
Psychotropic Medication: Medications like antipsychotics, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers helped manage symptoms, allowing many individuals to function outside of institutions.
Deinstitutionalization: the large-scale release of patients from hospitals and asylums, occurred due to advances in psychotropic medications and a shift toward community-based care.
Psychodynamic Therapy Techniques:psychoanalysis; focuses on uncovering unconscious thoughts, emotions, and past experiences that influence present behavior. This approach helps individuals gain insight into unresolved conflicts and emotional struggles.
Free Association: Clients are encouraged to speak freely about whatever comes to mind without censorship. This helps uncover hidden thoughts, memories, and emotions that may be influencing behavior.
Dream Interpretation: Dreams are analyzed to reveal unconscious desires, fears, and conflicts. Therapists look for symbolic meanings to help clients understand deeper emotional issues.
Cognitive Therapy Techniques: focuses on identifying and changing maladaptive thought patterns that contribute to emotional distress and unhealthy behaviors. This approach helps individuals develop more balanced and constructive ways of thinking.
Cognitive Restructuring: Identifying and challenging negative or irrational thoughts and replacing them with more realistic and positive beliefs.
Fear Hierarchies: Gradually exposing individuals to feared situations in a structured way, helping them reduce anxiety through controlled exposure.
Cognitive Triad: suggests that negative thinking patterns contribute to mental health issues. These negative thoughts often focus on: oneself, the world, and the future
Applied Behavior Analysis: uses principles of conditioning and reinforcement to modify behavior. This approach is often used to treat mental disorders, anxiety, and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder
Exposure Therapy: Help individuals confront fears gradually in a controlled environment.
Systematic Desensitization: A step-by-step method where a person is gradually exposed to their fear while practicing relaxation techniques.
Aversion Therapy: Pairs unwanted behaviors with unpleasant stimuli to discourage those behaviors, such as using a bitter substance to stop nail-biting.
Token Economy: Uses a reward system where individuals earn tokens for desired behaviors, which can later be exchanged for privileges or rewards.
Biofeedback: Sensors track heart rate, muscle tension, or breathing, providing real-time feedback. Clients learn relaxation techniques to regulate the SNS and PNS, reducing symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Teaches clients how to accept their emotions (mindfulness) while working on changing harmful behaviors. (regulation techniques) Focuses on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy: confrontational cognitive therapy that helps clients recognize and replace exaggerated/unrealistic thoughts with more logical/constructive ones. Emphasizes that emotions are influenced by how we interpret events rather than the events themselves.
Humanistic Therapy: focus on present and going forward, conscious thoughts, and to take responsibility for your own actions - vs blaming childhood anxiety
Person-Centered Therapy: therapist should use genuineness, acceptance and empathy to show unconditional positive regard towards their clients; humanistic technique by Carol Rogers
Active Listening: empathetic listening where the listeners echoes, restates, and clarifies; Central to Roger’s client-centered therapy
Unconditional Positive Regard: an attitude of acceptance and warmth towards another person, regardless of their behavior or beliefs.
Group vs. Individual Therapy: While individual therapy focuses on personalized support, group therapy provides shared experiences and peer encouragement.
Biological Interventions/Therapy: Therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors; The behaviors are the problems- so we must change the behaviors.
Psychoactive Medications: used to treat mental disorders by modifying neurotransmitter activity in the central nervous system. These drugs help regulate mood, anxiety, and thought processes by targeting specific brain chemicals.
Antidepressants: increase the availability of serotonin and norepinephrine, are used for depressions. Known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors, Zoloft and Paxil and Prozac, also used to treat Anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD.
Antianxiety Medications: depress central nervous system activity, are used to treat anxiety disorder, OCD, and PTSD. These drugs, such as Xanax or Ativan, can be physically and psychologically addictive.
Lithium: Mood stabilizing drug that is used to treat bipolar disorder, smooths out high and lows of bipolar disorder. Side effects include extreme thirst.
Antipsychotic Medications: used in treating schizophrenia, block dopamine activity. Side effects may include tardive dyskinesia or increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Chlorpromazine, risperidone, and olanzapine.
Tardive Dyskinesia: involuntary movements of facial muscles, tongue, and limbs
Surgery/Invasive Interventions: directly alter brain activity to help manage symptoms
Psychosurgery (can include lesioning): surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to change behavior. Last-resort treatment because its effects are irreversible.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain; used to stimulate or suppress brain activity. Cures depression, painless, can be performed while awake. Unlike ECT, it produces no seizures, memory loss, or other serious side effects (headaches can result).
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient, is an effective treatment for severely depressed people who have not responded to other therapies. Side effect - slight amnesia before and after therapy, seizures
Lobotomy: a psychosurgical procedure once used to calm uncontrollably emotional or violent patients. The procedure cut the nerves connecting the frontal lobes to the emotion-controlling centers of the inter brain. Side effect - produced a permanent lethargic, immature, uncreative person. Irreversible.