Chapter 9 - Physical Disorders and Health Psychology Flashcards
Major contributors to illness
- Psychological
- Behavioral
Psychosomatic medicine
Psychological factors affect somatic (physical) function
Behavioral Medicine
Knowledge derived from behavioral science is applied to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.
Heath Psychology
[Subfield of Behavioral Medicine] Practitioners
Promote the maintenance of health along with analyzing and recommending improvements in health-care systems and health-policy formation within the field of psychology.
Psychological and Social Factors influence health in 2 ways
- Affect the basic biological processes that lead to illness and diseases
- Long-standing behavioral patterns may put people at risk to develop certain physical disorders.
General Adaption Syndrome (GAS)
Body goes through several stages in response to sustained stress
1. Alarm response to immediate danger or threat
2. Stage of resistance where we mobilize various coping mechanisms to respond to continuing stress
3. Stage of exhaustion in which our bodies suffer permeant damage or death if the stress is too intense or lasts too long.
Self-efficacy
Psychological factors in the sense of control and confidence allows us to cope with stress or challenges
Immune System
Protects the body from any foreign materials that may enter it, including cold viruses
(effect of stress on susceptibility to infections is mediated through the immune system.
Antigen
Any number of substances usually bacteria, viruses, or parasites
[Immune system identifies antigens and eliminates them in the body]
Two main parts of the immune system
- Humoral
- Cellular
Leukocytes
White blood cells that do most of the work, include:
*Macrophages - surround identifiable antigens and destroy them
* Lymphocytes - contain two groups (B cells and T cells) are signaled by the macrophages
B cells
Operate within the humoral part of the immune system, releasing molecules (immunoglobulins acting as antibodies) that seek antigens to neutralize them.
- Memory B cells - created after the antigens have been neutralized so next time the antigen is encountered, the immune system may respond top the antigen faster.
T cells
Operate within the cellular brain of the immune system
- Killer T cells - directly destroys viruses and cancer cells
- Memory T cells - are created to speed future response to the same antigen
- Helper T cells (aka T4 cells) - enhance the immune system response by signaling B cells to produce antibodies and telling other T cells to destroy the antigen.
- Suppressor T cells - suppress the production of antibodies by B cells when they are no longer needed.
Autoimmune disease
(such as Rheumatoid arthritis)
With too many T4 cells, the immune system is overreactive and may attack the body’s normal cells rather than antigens causing the body to be subject to invasion by a number of antigens.
Immunotherapy
Anticancer viruses genetically engineered to enter cancer cells, stimulating the patient’s own immune system to destroy the cancer throughout the patient’s body.
Psychoneuroimmunology
Object of study is psychological influences on the neurological responding implicated in our immune response.
[connections between the nervous system and the immune system.]
AIDS-related complex
After several months to several years with no symptoms, patients may develop minor health problems such as weight loss, fever, and night sweats.
Cognitive-behavioral stress-management (CBSM)
Have positive effects on the immune systems of individuals who are already symptomatic.
Cancer
Different varieties of cancer are subject to psychosocial influences
Psychoncology
Treating cancer patients with psychotherapy relieves their anxiety, depression and sometimes pain.
Cardiovascular Disease
Consists of the heart, blood vessels, and complex control mechanisms for regulating their function.
Strokes aka Cerebral Vascular Accidents
temporary blockages of blood vessels leading to the brain or a rupture of blood vessels in the brain that result in temporary or permanent brain damage and loss of functioning.
Hypertension
(High blood pressure) is a major risk factor not only for stroke and heart disease ut also for kidney disease.
Essential Hypertension
Specific psychical abnormalities, such as kidney disease or tumors on the adrenal glands with no specific psychical cause.
Coronary Heart Disease
Blockage of the arteries supplying the blood to the heart muscle (the myocardium)
Angina Pectoris
Chest pain resulting from partial obstruction of the arteries
Atherosclerosis
Fatty substance or plaque builds up inside the the arteries and causes an obstruction.
Ischemia
Deficiency of blood to a body part caused by the narrowing of the arteries by too much plaque
Myocardial infarction (aka heart attack)
The death of heart tissue when a specific artery becomes clogged with plaque.
Mycardial Stunning
Heart failure
Type A Behavior
Excessive competitive drive, sense of always being pressured for time, impatience, incredible amounts of energy that may show up in accelerated speech and motor activity, and angry outbursts.
Type B Behavior
More relaxed, less concerned about deadlines, and seldom feels the pressure or, perhaps, the excitement of challenges or overwhelming ambition.
Acute Pain
Typically follows an injury and disappears once the injury heals or is effectively treated.
Chronic Pain
May begin with an acute episode but does not decrease over time, even when the injury has healed or effective treatments have been administered.
[typically in the muscles, joints, or tendons]
Pain Behaviors
include changing the way one sits or walks, continually complaining about pain to others, grimacing, and, most important, avoiding various activities, particulary these involving work or leisure.
Suffering
Emotional component of pain
Endogenous (natural) opioids
Exists within the body called endorphins and enkephalins (much like neurotransmitters).
They are implicated in a variety of psychological symptoms and conditions including tolerance and dependence, eating disorders, and stress reactions.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Most common in women
Symptoms include:
* Subjective memory impairment
* Tender lymph nodes
* Sore throat
* Muscle Pain
* Joint Pain
* Headache
* Unrefreshing sleep
* Postexertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours
Biofeedback
Process of making patients aware of specific physiological functions, that, ordinarily they would not notice consciously , such as heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, in specific areas of the body, electroencephalogram rhythms (brain waves), and patterns of blood flow.
Relaxation Response
Person silently repeats a mantra (focusing attention solely on the repeated syllable) to minimize distraction by closing the mind to intruding thoughts)
Comprehensive Stress-and Pain-reduction program
Individuals work hard to identify unrealistic negative thoughts and to develop new appraisals and attitudes almost instantaneously when negative thoughts occur.
*During time-management training, patients are taught to prioritize their activities and pay less attention to nonessential demands.
- During assertiveness training, they learn to stand up for themselves in an appropriate way.
