Exam 1 Flashcards
Health Psychology
understanding psychological influences on how people stay healthy, why people become ill, how they respond when ill
objective signs body is not functioning properly
high blood pressure, high cholesterol
subjective symptoms of disease or injury
pain, nausea
wellness/illness continuum
left side: death
right side: optimal wellness
estimated contributions of factors to health status
genetic: 20%
Behaviour: 40%
medical care: 10%
Other: 30%
What do health psychologists focus on?
- health promotion and maintenance
- prevention and treatment of illness
- ethology and correlates of health, illness, dysfunction
- studying of impact of health institutions and health professionals on peoples behaviour
health psychology roles
- educational, scientific and professional contributions of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health
- prevention and treatment of illness
- identification of the causes and correlates of health and illness
- improvement of health care system and formulation of health policy
early views of mind-body relationships
Greeks: Humoral theory-> imbalance of fluids (blood, black bile, yellow bile, phlegm)
Middle Ages: mysticism and demonology, evil spirits in body, gods punishment
supernatural or magical beliefs of where disease resulted from
- sorcery
- breach of social taboo
- object intrusion
- supernatural possession
- losing ones soul
Early treatments
- confession and appeasing of gods
- magical sucking to remove intrusive object
- drive out evil spirits by using vile concoctions such as torture or animal excrement
- trephination (make hole in skull to make evil spirit leave, physician performs ritual)
Hippocrates treatments
PHLEGMATIC: phlegm, cold + headaches, hot baths + warm food
SANGUINE: blood, epilepsy, blood letting
MELANCHOLIC: black bile, hepatitis, hot baths
CHOLERIC: yellow bile, jaundice, blood letting + liquid diet
evolving view of diseases ACT-MB-G
anatomical pathology disease was localized in anatomy (16th-18th century)
tissue pathology: specific tissues could become diseased while others remain healthy (late 18th century)
cellular pathology: belief that life resided in cells and so cells are place for disease (19th century)
germ theory: particles in air could cause disease
magic bullet: specific cure can be found for every aliment to restore health
biopsychosocial model: mind, body, environment interact causing disease
Freuds conversion hysteria
- unconscious conflicts produce physical disturbance that symbolize repressed psychological conflicts
- patient converts conflict into nervous system disturbance
psychosomatic medicine (Dunbar and Alexander)
- disorders thought to be psychosomatic in origin (anxiety cause ulcers)
- shape belief that bodily disorders caused by emotional conflicts
- criticized that particular conflict or personality is not enough to produce illness
behavioural medicine
- focus on objective and clinically relevant interactions that demonstrate connections between body and mind suggested by psychosomatic medicine
biomedical model
- illness explained by somatic bodily processes
- potential liabilities: reductionist model, single factor model, assumes mind-body dualism, emphasize illness over health
biopsychosocial model
- health and illness are consequences of interplay of bio, psyc, and soc factors
biomed vs biopsycsoc models
biomed: reductionist, single cause, mind-body dualism, emphasize illness over health
biopsycsoc: macro and micro level, multiple factors, mind + body inseparable, emphasize both health and illness
biopsychosocial model of disease
BIOLOGY: genetic, anatomy, physiology
PATHOGENS: germs, toxins
BEH RISK FACTORS: diet, exercise, smoking, safe sex, seat belts
SOCIAL: family, society, friends
biopsycsoc advantages
- macro and micro levels interact to produce state of health or illness
- systems theory approach
- all levels linked hierarchically, change on one level impacts change in all other levels
biopsycsoc clinical implications
- diagnosis should consider bio, psychological and social factors in assessing individuals health or illness
- recommendations for treatments must also include all 3 factors, better to target treatment
- relationship between patient and practitioner matters
why is health psychology needed?
- to develop understanding of health and illness
- changing patterns of illness create need for understanding affecting lifestyle factors
- advances research and technology
- health care contributions
- increased medical acceptance
careers in practice
physicians, nurses, allied health professionals better understand and manage psychological and social aspects of health
careers in research
research in public health, psychology and medicine in variety of settings such as academia, public health departments and health Canada
health psyc important contributions
- techniques useful in changing behaviours
- committed to keep people healthy
- develop reliable and valid measures for assessing health factors
- solid foundation of scientific methods for studying behaviours
morbidity
of cases of disease that exist
mortality
of deaths due to particular causes
Nervous system parts
CELL BODY: source of life of cell
DENDRITES: branches in cell bodies that act as receivers of messages from adjacent neurons
AXON: projection through which messages travel
SYNAPTIC KNOBS: tips of branches at end of axon. send messages to adjacent neurons
SYNAPSE: fluid filled gap between neurons
Frontal Lobe
- motor activity
- higher level intelligence
- planning
- problem solving
- emotions
- self-awareness
Parietal lobe
- bodily sensations (pain, heat etc.)
- body movement
Occipital Lobe
- primary visual area of the brain
Temporal Lobe
- hearing
- vision
- smell
- memory
left vs right hemisphere
R: music, spatial orientation, left hand, creativity, insight
L: language, number skill, right hand, written language, reasoning, scientific fucntions
hindbrain
MEDULLA: receive sensory information from heart
PONS: links hindbrain and midbrain
CEREBELLUM: major pathway for sensory and motor impulses moving between forebrain and hindbrain
forebrain main sections
DIENCEPHALON:
- thalamus, recognition and relay of sensory stimuli
- hypothalamus, regulate heart and blood pressure
TELECEPHALON:
- two hemispheres of cerebral cortex
Spinal cord
transmits messages from the brain to other areas of the body
EFFERENT: away from the brain out to the body, produce muscle action
AFFERENT: from the periphery to the brain, relays information from the sensory organs
Peripheral nervous system
neurons that convert messages to and from rest of body.
AUTONOMIC: sympathetic (call to activity) parasympathetic (call to rest)
somatic nervous system
sensory and motor functions of skin and muscles
autonomic nervous system
- controls what is involuntary, automatic activity
- carry messages between spinal cord and smooth muscles of internal organs
- consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system
- mobilizing and expending energy in response to emergencies
- fight or flight response
- prepare body for strenuous activity
parasympathetic nervous system
- restore equilibrium, regulate calming process
- decrease arousal, slow breathing and heart rate, lowers heart rate and blood pressure etc.
nervous system disorders
- epilepsy
- parkinsons disease
- cerebral palsy
- alzheimers disease
- multiple sclerosis
- Huntingtons disease
- paraplegia, quadriplegia (damage in spinal cord)
endocrine system
- complements nervous system in controlling bodily activities
- regulated by hypothalamus and pituitary gland
- communicates via chemical substances called hormones
adrenal gland
- located on top of each other kidney releases hormones in response to stress:
- CORTISOL: control swelling but continued Hugh levels lead to high blood pressure, ulcers
- EPINEPHRINE AND NOREPINEPHRINE: produce bodily reactions for quick energy
sympathetic activation
- events perceived to be stressful create sympathetic nervous system arousal
- triggers adrenal glands to release catecholamines
- blood pressure, heart rate increases and many other changes
HPA Activation
- hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical axis
- pituitary gland releases hormone ACTH triggering adrenal release of glucocorticoids especially cortisol
- recurring activation compromises functioning, creating allostatic load
thyroid gland
- produces thyroxin that regulates activity level and growth
- HYPOTHYROIDISM: insufficient thyroid hormones (low activity levels and weight gain)
- HYPERTHYROIDISM: Over-secretion of thyroid hormones (hyperactivity and weight loss, insomnia, tremors etc)
Pancreas
below stomach, regulates level of blood sugar by producing insulin
endocrine system disorders
DIABETES:
- Type I: insulin dependent
- Type II: Insufficient insulin or insensitivity to it
Digestive System Parts
MOUTH: break down food particles, salivary gland action
STOMACH: initially protein digestion, food is liquefied and mixed
SMALL INTESTINE: chemical break down, absorption
LARGE INTESTINE: water absorption and waste storage
digestive system
ENZYMES: break down food substances
- commands from brain stem activate production of saliva
- esophagus pushes food to stomach using peristalsis
disorders of digestive system
PEPTIC ULCERS: open sores in stomach or duodenum, caused by excessive gastric juices and bacterial infection
HEPATITIS: liver becomes inflamed
CIRRHOSIS: liver cells die and are replaced by scar tissue, caused by hepatitis and heavy alcohol consumption
respiratory system parts
- body tissues need constant supply of oxygen
- mechanical action: moving air in and out of lungs
- gas exchange: in alveoli CO2 is eliminated and O2 enters blood stream
- protective mechanisms: sneezing, cough, mucous production
- impaired function: asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema, cancer
respiratory system
- air enters through nose and mouth
- travels past larynx down trachea and bronchial tubes into lung
- tubes divide into small branches (bronchioles) and then tiny sacs (alveoli)
disorders of respiratory system
Asphyxia: too little oxygen and too much carbon dioxide
Anoxia: shortage of oxygen, person looses judgement, pass into coma
Hyperventilation: deep rapid breaths that reduce amount of carbon dioxide
blood vessels
- arteries carry oxygenated blood from heart to periphery and brain (red)
- veins carry deoxygenated blood back to heart and lung (blue)
heart
- circulates blood to and from lungs to body
- four chambers: atrium (right & left) ventricles (right & left)
- left side pumps oxygenated blood from lungs out to periphery and brain
- right side takes deoxygenated blood into the lungs
Blood Pressure overview
- as heart contracts and pushes blood into arteries the BP rises (systolic cardiac cycle)
- heart rests between beets and no blood is pumped BP is at its lowest (diastolic cardiac cycle)
dynamics of blood pressure
CARDIAC OUTPUT: volume of fluid pumped per minute, blood pressure rises as cardiac output rises
BLOOD VOLUME: amount of blood in system. blood pressure rises as blood volume rises
PERIPHERAL RESISTANCE: ease which blood can pass through arteries (as resistance increases, BP increases)
ELASTICITY: give and take in arterial walls, as elasticity decreases BP increases
VISCOSITY: thickness of blood, BP increases when thickness of blood increases
blood pressure is dynamic
- when arteries dilate, diastolic BP decreases
- BP increases when heart rate or cardiac output increases in response to activity, change in posture, while talking when under stress etc.
- BP follows circadian rhythm that is lowest when in deep sleep
cardiovascular system disorders
ATHEROSCLEROSIS: caused by deposits of cholesterol and other substances on artery wall that forms plaque
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS: over time plaque hardens and blood vessels lose elasticity which causes increase in BP
consequences of atherosclerosis
ANGINA PECTORIS: insufficient oxygen supply to heart for its need and removal of waste producing chest pain
MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (heart attack): blockage of blood supply to area of heart cutting off oxygen supply to tissue and resulting in tissue death
Hypertension
permanently high blood pressure
- systolic: 140mmHg
- diastolic: 90mmHg
Essential (no known cause)
Secondary (due to specific cause)
Red blood cells
carry oxygen and nutrients, formed in bone marrow, contains hemoglobin
white blood cells (leukocytes)
immune functions, produced in bone marrow
platelets
clotting blood and forming scabs, produced by bone marrow
blood
TWO COMPONENTS: formed elements and plasma
FORMED ELEMENTS: RBC, Leukocytes (WBC), platelets
RBC production disorders
ANEMIA: when bone marrow doesn’t produce enough RBC potentially causing nervous system damage and chronic weakness
SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA: genetically transmitted inability to produce sufficient RBC, cells are sickle shapes, developed to improve resistance to malaria but have fatal consequences long term
WBC production disorders
LEUKEMIA: disease of bone marrow
LEUKOPENIA: WBC deficiency, may accompany other disease
LEUOKOCYTOSIS: excessive WBC, response to infections appendicitis and mononucleosis
Disorders related to clotting
HEMOPHILIA: platelets dont function properly to produce clotting
coronary and cerebral thromboses and embolus: detached clot that lodges in lung, can be fatal
Immune system parts
ANTIGENS: substance that can trigger immune response
BACTERIAL: microorganisms in environment, compete with cells for nutrients
FUNGI: organisms like mould and yeast absorb nutrients
PROTOZOA: one celled animal that live in water and insects
VIRUSES: proteins and nucleic acid, take over cell and generate own genetic instructions
immune system course of infection
- incubation period
- period of nonspecific symptoms
- acute phase (disease at its height)
- infections may be localized, focal, or systemic
immunity
HUMORAL IMMUNITY: mediated by B lymphocytes, best against bacterial and viral infection
CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNITY: involve T lymphocytes, best against fungi, parasites, foreign tissue, cancer
Lymphocytes
CYTOTOXIC T CELLS: kill virus infected and damaged cells
HELPER T CELLS: help T and B cells in their immune functions
B CELLS: produce antibodies
organs of immune system
LYMPH NODES: largest in neck, arm pit, abdomen and groin, filters to capture antigens
LYMPH VESSELS: connects to nodes and carry lymph into blood stream
lymphatic organs
SPLEEN: production of B and T cells, removes old RBC, home base for WBC
TONSILS: filter microorganisms that get into respiratory tract
THYMUS: helps T cells mature, produce hormones for antibodies
Phagocutes
engulf and ingest antigens
2 TYPES:
- macrophages: attach to tissue and stay
- monocytes: circulate in blood
cell mediated immunity
KILLER T CELLS: destroy foreign tissue, cancer cells
MEMORY T CELLS: remember past antigen to defend against invasions
DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY T CELLS: produce lymphokines to stimulate t-cells to grow and attack
HELPER T CELLS: get info of invasions and report to spleen and nodes
antibodies
proteins in body to respond to antigens
B lymphocytes
secrete antibodies that protect against bacterial and viral infection
disorders related to immune system
- AIDS
- Cancer
- splenomegaly (spleen infection)
- tonsillitis
- mononucleosis
- lymphoma
person-environment fit
personal resources sufficient to meet the demands of the environment
direct physiological effects from stress
- elevated lipids
- elevated blood pressure
- decreased immunity
- increased hormonal activity
health habit effects of stress
- increased smoking
- decreased nutrition
- decreased sleep
- increased drug use
health behaviour effects of stress
- decreased compliance
- increased delay in seeking care
- obscured symptom profile
- decreased likelihood of seeking care
biological aspects of stress
general adaptation syndrome
- alarm reaction, stage of resistance, stage of exhaustion
psychological appraisal and experience of stress and factors leading to successful appraisal
- secondary appraisal process
- personal factors (personality)
- situational factors (strong demands)
allostatic load
physiological systems within body fluctuate to meet demands of stress
dimensions of stressful events
ambiguous events: more stressful because no opportunity to take action
overload: overloaded people more stressed than those with less tasks
