7 Physical Disorders And Health Psychology Flashcards
Health psychology
Subfield of behavioral medicine that study psychological factors important health promotion maintenance.
Behavioral medicine
Interdisciplinary approach applying behavioral science to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems. Also known as psychosomatic medicine.
General adaption syndrome (GAS)
Sequence of reactions to sustain stress described by Hans Selye. Three stages are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion, which may lead to death.
Stress
Body’s physiological response to a stressor, which is any event or change that requires adaption.
Self-efficacy
Perception of having the ability to cope with stress or challenges.
Immune system
Body’s means of identifying and eliminating any foreign materials that answer.
Antigens
Foreign material that enters the body, including bacteria and parasites.
Autoimmune disease
Condition in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue rather than antigens.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Painful, degenerative disease in which the immune system essentially attacks itself, resulting in stiffness, swelling, and even destruction of the joints. Cognitive-behavioral treatments can help relieve pain and stiffness.
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
Study of psychological influences on the neurological responding involved in the body’s immune response.
AIDS-related complex (ARC)
Group of minor health problems such as weight loss, fever, night sweats that appear after HIV infection but before development of full-blown AIDS.
Cancer
Category of often-fatal medical conditions involving abnormal cell growth and malignancy.
Psycho-oncology
Study of psychological factors involved in the course and treatment of cancer.
Cardiovascular disease
Afflictions in the mechanisms including the heart, blood vessels, and the controllers responsible for transporting blood to the body tissues and organs. Psychological factors may play important roles in such diseases and treatments.
Stroke/cerebral vascular accident (CVA)
Temporary blockage of blood vessels supplying the brain, or rupture vessels in the brain, resulting in temporary permanent loss of brain functioning.