Mental and Physical Health Study Guide

Mental and Physical Health Overview

Well-Being

  • Definition: A state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.
  • Significance: Central to mental health; encompasses emotional, physical, and social aspects.

Stress and Eustress

  • Stress:
    • Definition: An emotional or physical tension.
    • Effects: Can lead to various health issues, including mental disorders.
  • Eustress:
    • Definition: Positive stress that motivates individuals to achieve goals.
    • Examples: Preparing for a performance or competition.

Hypertension

  • Definition: High blood pressure which can result from long-term stress.
  • Implications: Increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

  • Definition: Potentially traumatic events occurring from ages 0-17.
  • Impact: Can lead to lasting negative effects on health and well-being.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

  • Definition: Three-stage process (Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion) describing the body's response to stress.
    • Alarm: Initial reaction to perceived stress.
    • Resistance: The body tries to adapt and cope.
    • Exhaustion: Body's resources are depleted, leading to collapse.

Effects of Stress on the Heart

  • Chronic stress negatively impacts cardiovascular health, increasing heart disease risk.

Personality Types: Type A and Type B

  • Type A: Characterized by competitiveness, impatience, and hostility.
  • Type B: More relaxed, easygoing personality.

Catharsis

  • Definition: The process of releasing strong or repressed emotions.
  • Importance: Can alleviate stress and emotional burdens.

Tend-and-Befriend Theory

  • Definition: Response to stress that involves nurturing others or seeking social support.
  • Relevance: Highlights the importance of social connections during stressful times.

Coping Strategies

  • Problem-focused Coping: Addresses the root cause of stress.
  • Emotion-focused Coping: Manages emotional responses to stress.

Behavioral Medicine

  • Definition: An interdisciplinary field integrating behavioral and biomedical sciences to prevent, diagnose, and treat illnesses.

Lymphocytes

  • Definition: A type of white blood cell involved in the immune response.
  • Role: Key players in fighting infections and diseases.

Psychoneuroimmunology

  • Definition: The study of the interaction between the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system.

Anxiety Disorders

  • Definition: Disorders characterized by excessive fear, worry, and anxiety.
  • Examples: Phobias, panic disorder, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorder.

Medical Model

  • Definition: A framework for understanding and treating illness, emphasizing biological causes.

Adaptation-Level Phenomenon

  • Definition: Our judgments and perceptions are influenced by previous experiences, making us less sensitive to constant stimuli.

Relative Deprivation

  • Definition: Discontent arising from perceiving a gap between expectations and reality, often compared to others.

Positive Psychology

  • Overview: Focuses on human strengths, well-being, and optimal functioning.
  • Character Strengths/Virtues: Wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, transcendence.

Posttraumatic Growth

  • Definition: Positive psychological changes following trauma.

The 3 D’s of Abnormality

  • Concepts:
    • Deviance: Behavior that differs from societal norms.
    • Distress: Emotional suffering from abnormal behavior.
    • Dysfunction: Difficulty in functioning in daily life.

David Rosenhan Study

  • Study Focus: Examined the validity of psychiatric diagnoses.

DSM-5

  • Definition: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; a classification system for mental disorders.

Diathesis-Stress Model

  • Concept: Mental disorders result from interaction between predisposed conditions and environmental stresses.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

  • Examples: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).

Schizophrenia

  • Definition: A severe mental disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.
  • Symptoms: Impaired functioning, varying severity.

Depressive Disorders

  • Definition: Characterized by persistent sadness.
    • MDD: Major Depressive Disorder.
    • PDD: Persistent Depressive Disorder.

Difference Between Fear and Phobia

  • Fear: Normal response to danger.
  • Phobia: Excessive and irrational fear of specific objects or situations.

Bipolar Disorders

  • Types:
    • Bipolar I: Involves manic episodes.
    • Bipolar II: Involves hypomanic episodes.

Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

  • Definition: Characterized by unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
  • Hoarding: Accumulation of items to the point where it disrupts daily life.

Dissociative Disorders

  • Examples:
    • Dissociative Amnesia: Memory loss related to specific events.
    • Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): Characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities.

Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

  • Example: PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), a mental health condition triggered by traumatic events.

Feeding and Eating Disorders

  • Definition: Serious mental illnesses related to unhealthy eating behaviors and distorted body image concerns.

Personality Disorders

  • Categories:
    • Odd: Suspicious behavior.
    • Dramatic or Emotional: Flamboyant or erratic behaviors.
    • Anxious or Fearful: Patterns of behavior related to anxiety and fear.