PSYA02 03/27

Introduction

  • The lecture begins with a personal greeting from the instructor and an introduction to the topic of stress and coping mechanisms.

  • Mention of a few square cut questions that will be particularly challenging, especially regarding psychopharmacology and neurotransmitters.

SSRIs and Serotonin Balance

  • SSRIs: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.
      - Function:
        - SSRIs prevent serotonin from rebinding to the presynaptic neuron, allowing more serotonin to remain available in the synaptic cleft.
        - Important to clarify this function in the context of psychopharmacology.

Coping with Stressors

  • Overview of coping strategies for mental illnesses like Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

  • Key Concepts to Understand:
      1. General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS):
         - A model proposed by Hans Selye to explain the physiological response to stress.
             - Alarm Phase: Initial reaction to stress when the body identifies a threat.
             - Resistance Phase: Adaptation to ongoing stress, where the body tries to cope with stressors.
             - Exhaustion Phase: The body’s resources are depleted after prolonged stress, leading to potential illness or health deterioration.
      2. Stress Scales:
         - Tools used to quantify levels of stress experienced based on various life events.
         - Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale: Based on correlating stressful life events with health outcomes.
      3. Perceived Control Over Stressors:
         - The belief in one’s ability to influence an outcome related to stress, which can reduce perceived stress levels.
      4. Primary and Secondary Appraisal:
         - Primary Appraisal: Initial judgment about the significance of a stressor (is it threatening?).
         - Secondary Appraisal: Evaluation of available resources to cope with the stress.
      5. Coping Mechanisms:
         - Various ways individuals manage stress, categorized into several types, including active, repressive, and rational coping strategies.

Definitions

  • Stress:
        - The physical and psychological response to internal or external stressors, affecting well-being.

  • Stressors:
        - Specific events or chronic pressures that challenge an individual’s well-being and require coping responses.

  • Health Psychology:
        - A subfield of psychology focusing on the interplay between physical health and psychological well-being.

Adaptation and Stress Response

  • Stress is an evolved response designed to help organisms allocate resources to deal effectively with perceived threats.
        - Activation of adrenal glands leads to increased cortisol and glucose levels, enhancing physical performance (fight or flight response).

Chronic vs. Acute Stressors

  • Acute Stressors: One-time events that have a clear beginning and end.

  • Chronic Stressors: Ongoing scenarios that create persistent pressure (e.g., daily noise in urban settings).

Interaction Between Psychological Stress and Physical Illness

  • Correlation: High levels of psychological stress are often associated with physical illnesses, such as colds or chronic conditions.

  • Stress scales are used to assess how life events influence health outcomes based on patient experiences.

Stress Research and Scales

  • Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale:
        - A historic assessment tool correlating stressful life events with medical records, identifying significant stressors impacting health.
        - Higher scores on this scale indicate a greater correlation with potential health problems.

  • Current relevance of stress scales, including creating context-appropriate assessments for different populations (e.g., university students).

Perceived Control Experimentation

  • Glass and Singer Study (1970s): Examined how control over stressors affects performance under stress, showing participants with perceived control made fewer errors despite environmental stressors.

Coping Strategies

Types of Coping

  1. Repressive Coping: Avoiding situations or thoughts associated with the stressor.

  2. Rational Coping: Actively facing the stressor and figuring out ways to overcome it, involving both primary and secondary appraisals.

  3. Stress Inoculation: Developing positive ways to think about stressors, reaffirming oneself.

  4. Mindfulness and Meditation: - Focusing on the present and learning to dismiss distracting thoughts based on a foundational principle of meditation.

  5. Exercise: Especially aerobic exercise correlates with lower stress levels, enhancing mood and promoting well-being.
       - Raises endorphins and serotonin levels; has physiological effects that reduce stress responses.
       

Additional Coping Resources

  • Food and Sleep: Role of nutrition and adequate sleep in managing stress responses.

  • Social Support: Importance of social connections and relationships in buffering stress.

  • Relaxation Techniques: Recognizing how stress can manifest physically in muscle tension and using techniques to consciously reduce that tension.

Implications of Stress Management

  • A balanced approach to managing stress is necessary for physical and psychological well-being. Stressors, both acute and chronic, require effective coping mechanisms to prevent long-term adverse health outcomes.

  • The complexities of culture and individual circumstances affect how stressors are perceived and managed.

Conclusion

  • Recap of coping mechanisms discussed, emphasizing that individual differences in stress appraisal and control significantly influence stress responses.

  • Encouragement to incorporate learned strategies into personal practices for mental health and stress management.

Final Remarks

  • Upcoming session details involving stress and health discussions and preparations for examination stress alleviation.