Abnormal Psych Ch. 5

Question 1

Health psychology

Answer 1

the effects of stress and other psychological factors in the development and maintenance of physical problems

Question 2

behavioral medicine

Answer 2

Concerned with psychological factors that may predispose an individual to medical problems

Question 3

stressors

Answer 3

an event, situation, or external stimulus that an individual perceives as a threat or challenge, and that causes a stress response in the body

Question 4

coping strategies

Answer 4

efforts to deal with stress

Question 5

distress

Answer 5

(bad stress) has the potential to do more damage

Question 6

Hans Selye noted that stress __________

Answer 6

could occur not only in negative situations but also positive ones

Question 7

predisposing factors

Answer 7

characteristics that increase the likelihood of a problem developing

Question 8

Individual characteristics identified as improving one’s ability to handle stress include:

Answer 8

-higher levels of optimism
-greater psychological control or mastery
-increased self-esteem
-better social support

Question 9

stress tolerance

Answer 9

a person’s ability to withstand stress without becoming severely impaired

Question 10

The key factors that make one stressor more serious than another are:

Answer 10

-The severity of the stressor
-Its chronicity (how long it lasts)
-Its timing
-How closely it affects our own lives
-How expected it is
-How controllable it is

Question 11

crisis

Answer 11

times when a stressful situation threatens to exceed, or does exceed, the adaptive capacities of a person

Question 12

resilience

Answer 12

Healthy psychological and physical functioning after a potentially traumatic event

Question 13

allostatic load

Answer 13

the biological cost of adapting to stress

Question 14

Sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system

Answer 14

one of two major components of the stress systems

a physiological response that helps the body maintain homeostasis, or return to a state of balance, in response to stress

Question 15

Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system

Answer 15

one of two major components of the stress systems

a neuroendocrine system that regulates the body’s stress response

your body’s main way of responding to stress

Question 16

cortisol

Answer 16

a hormone that helps the body manage stress, blood pressure, and immune function

Question 17

Psychoneuroimmunology

Answer 17

the study of the interactions between the nervous system and the immune system

Question 18

Stress-induced immunosuppression

Answer 18

when a person’s behavior and psychological state affect immune system functioning

Question 19

immune system

Answer 19

a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that protects the body from disease and infection

Question 20

Leukocytes (lymphocytes)

Answer 20

“white blood cells”
-a type of blood cell that help the body fight infection and disease
-immune cell that is made in the bone marrow and is found in the blood and in lymph tissue

Question 21

Two types of leukocytes

Answer 21

1) B-Cells: mature in the bone marrow
2) T-Cells: mature in the thymus

Question 22

Antigens

Answer 22

foreign bodies like viruses and bacteria, as well as internal invaders like tumors and cancer cells

Question 23

Cytokines

Answer 23

small protein molecules
-Serve as chemical messengers
-Allow immune cells to communicate with each other
-Play an important role in mediating the inflammatory and immune response

Question 24

two categories of cytokines

Answer 24

1) Proinflammatory (IL-1, IL-6, and TNF) affects the healing of wounds when production is disrupted
2) Anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) decrease the response that the immune system makes

Question 25

telomeres

Answer 25

protective end parts of chromosomes

Question 26

positive psychology

Answer 26

the scientific study of how to live a healthy and flourishing life

Question 27

emotional disclosure

Answer 27

a therapeutic technique that involves expressing emotions about a stressful or traumatic event

Question 28

biofeedback

Answer 28

a type of mind-body technique you use to control some of your body’s functions, such as your heart rate, breathing patterns and muscle responses

Question 29

cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Answer 29

a type of psychotherapy that helps people manage mental and emotional health issues by changing the way they think and behave

Question 30

Adjustment disorder

Answer 30

a psychological response to a common stressor (e.g., divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job) (Symptoms must begin within 3 months of the onset of the stressor for a diagnosis to be given
Symptoms lessen or disappear when the stressor ends or when they learn to adapt to the stressor)

Question 31

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 31

-mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event.
-intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended

Question 32

Acute stress disorder (ASD)

Answer 32

-is a diagnostic category that can be used when symptoms develop shortly after experiencing a traumatic even and last for at least 2 days
-If symptoms persist beyond four weeks, the diagnosis can be changed to PTSD

Question 33

the four main areas PTSD symptoms are grouped in

Answer 33

-Intrusion: recurrent reexperiencing of the traumatic event
-Avoidance: efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or reminders of the trauma
-Negative alterations in cognitions and mood: includes symptoms like feelings of detachment, negative emotional states (anger, shame), or distorted blame of self or others
-Arousal and reactivity: hypervigilance, excessive response when startled, aggression, and reckless behavior

Question 34

Stress-inoculation training

Answer 34

the use of cognitive-behavioral techniques to help people manage stressful situations

Question 35

Prolonged exposure

Answer 35

the patient is asked to vividly recount the traumatic event over and over, until there is a decrease in their emotional responses