Stress and Health Psychology
What is the part of the autonomic nervous system that activates the body's flight-or-flight response?
The sympathetic nervous system
Prepares the body to react to stress, danger, or physical exertion by increasing heart rate, dilating airways, and redirecting blood flow to the muscles
This therapy focuses on changing harmful thought patterns.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
By identifying and challenging distorted or harmful thought patterns, you can actively change how you feel and react to difficult situations.
Bethel has felt sad nearly every day for the past month. She no longer enjoys watching Love Island, has trouble sleeping, and struggles to concentrate in class.
Major Depressive Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder is characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest in activities, sleep disturbances, and difficulty concentrating.
These medications are commonly prescribed for depression.
Antidepressants
- They work by balancing neurotransmitters in the brain and are most effective when paired with psychotherapy.
Common types include SSRIs, SNRIs, and atypical antidepressants
Founder of psychoanalysis.
Sigmund Freud
A revolutionary method for treating mental illness by uncovering unconscious conflicts. He transformed modern psychology by emphasizing the power of the unconscious mind, dreams, childhood experiences, and sexuality in shaping adult personality.
What model represents stages of body's response to prolonged stress?
General Adaption Syndrome
1. Alarm, body recognizes stress
2. Resistance, body tries to fight the stress
3.Exhaustion, burnout occurs (prone to illness)
Aaron Beck is most associated with this therapy.
Cognitive Therapy
Based on the premise that thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected, and that changing dysfunctional thinking can lead to improvements in mood and functioning.
Maya constantly worries about school, family, and friendships. Even when nothing is wrong, she feels tense and anxious most days.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD involves excessive and uncontrollable worry about everyday situations for an extended period of time.
This biomedical treatment uses a controlled electric current to treat severe depression.
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Rapidly reverses severe symptoms of mental health conditions like treatment-resistant depression, bipolar disorder, catatonia, and schizophrenia.
Founder of person-centered therapy.
Carl Rogers
Rogers proposed that all people have an inherent drive toward self-actualization. The desire to fulfill their highest potential
This hormone is released by the adrenal glands during stress.
Cortisol
It plays an essential role in survival by managing energy (glucose) metabolism, controlling blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and dictating your "fight-or-flight" response.
This therapy uses reinforcement, punishment, and conditioning principles.
Behavior Therapy
Chris hears voices that others cannot hear and believes strangers are secretly sending him messages through the television.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia often includes hallucinations (hearing voices) and delusions (false beliefs).
Medications used to reduce symptoms of schizophrenia.
Antipsychotic medications
Psychiatric medications primarily used to manage psychosis, including delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia
Developed cognitive therapy for depression.
Aaron Beck
Shifted focus from unconscious childhood conflicts to helping patients identify and change negative thought patterns and distorted beliefs.
What is the body’s ability to maintain a stable internal state.
Homeostasis
Allows organisms to survive by keeping vital conditions like temperature, pH, and nutrient levels within the safe ranges required for optimal function.
Carl Rogers developed this humanistic approach.
Person-centered therapy
- Rogers believed that people inherently possess the capacity for growth and self-actualization.
Unconditional Positive Regard: Providing complete, non-judgmental acceptance and support, regardless of what the client says or feels.
One month, Wengal feels extremely energetic, sleeps only a few hours a night, and spends money recklessly on Sephora. A few weeks later, she experiences severe depression.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is characterized by alternating periods of mania and depression.
The effectiveness of a treatment compared to an inactive treatment.
Placebo effect
A phenomenon where a patient's physical or mental health improves after receiving a fake or inactive treatment
Driven by the brain-body connection, it relies on a patient’s expectations and belief that they are getting better.
Developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.
Albert Ellis
Ellis pioneered this highly influential therapy in the 1950s. It is based on the idea that psychological and behavioral problems stem from our own irrational beliefs, and teaches individuals to challenge these thoughts in order to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Researchers Holmes and Rahe developed this scale to measure life stress.
Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)
Assigns point values (Life Change Units) to 43 common life events, both positive and negative to calculate your risk of experiencing a stress-related health breakdown
Albert Ellis developed this therapy emphasizing irrational beliefs.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
This approach to cognitive-behavioral therapy emphasizes that it is not external events that cause emotional distress, but rather the irrational and self-defeating beliefs individuals hold about those events.
After a traumatic car accident, Ms.P experiences flashbacks, nightmares, and avoids driving altogether.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD can develop after a traumatic event and often involves flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, and heightened anxiety.
A treatment that combines medication and psychotherapy is called this.
Integrated treatment approach
Addresses multiple related conditions (such as a mental health disorder and substance abuse) simultaneously.
Proposed the General Adaptation Syndrome.
Hans Selye
Known as the "father of stress research," defined stress as the body's non-specific physiological response to any demand.