Introduction to psychology Flashcards
What is psychology?
scientific study of mind + behaviour
in greek “psyche” + “logia” - origins 15th/16th century
What is the aim of psychology?
understand (+predict + modify) how people think, feel and behave
A: affect
B: behaviour
C: cognition
Why is psychology important in medicine?
Medicine is about people, people are individual diverse and complex
the way we respond to situations and stressors depends upon a multitude of factors
psychological medicine integrates understanding of human behaviour with clinical applications = art of medicine
What was the traditional biomedical view?
Dualism - mind and body are separate
- the mind doesn’t influence body
- body is like a machine
Disease is entirely caused by biological variables, no role of the mind
What is the more modern approach in medicine?
Biopsychosocial view
- defines health and illness as a product of: biological, psychological and social
a “holistic” approach to medicine - all disease has mental as well as physical components
What is incorporated into each of the core themes of the biopsychosocial model?
Psychological: emotions and attitudes, learnings, beliefs, stress and management
Social: family, peer relationships, culture, socioeconomical
Biology: physiological, medications, neurochemistry and genetics
Why did we change from the traditional biomedical view to the more well rounded biopsychosocial model?
- biopsychosocial model allows us to question the relationship between health and illness
- who is responsible for illness
- who is responsible for treatment
- can beliefs about health and illness be used to predict behaviours
- can we prevent illness by promoting healthy behaviour
What is psychology important in?
health promotion health belief and behaviour aetiology of illness help seeking and access to healthcare interpersonal communications treatment adherence coping and other illness behaviours outcome prognosis adjustment to chronic illness BEING A DOCTOR
What is psychiatry?
is a medical discipline concerned with management and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioural disorders
- 1 in 4 people are affected by a mental health problem in any year
How is psychiatry tied into general medicine?
- psychiatric consequences of physical illness
- psychiatric disorders presenting as physical illness
- physical disorders presenting as psychiatric illness
- drug treatments that produce psychiatric side effects
What does it mean by psychiatric consequences of physical illness?
- acute stress reaction
- adjustment reaction
- anxiety or depressive disorders
(bereavement and normal grieving are not psychiatric disorders)
EXAMPLE: young gentleman, sportsman, informed he has coronary artery disease and needs to make lifestyle changes
What does it mean by psychiatric disorders presenting as a physical illness?
- somatoform disorder - nothing found in pathology e.g. Ab pain, chest pain
- conversion disorder e.g. someone presents with a symptom of a stroke but pathology doesnt indicate it - effects are usually caused by stressful event
- medically unexplained symptoms - MUS
- dissociative disorders (amnesia)
“la belle indifference”- patient seems indifferent about their symptoms
What does it mean by physical disorders presenting as psychiatric disorders?
- encephalitis / SOL (space occupying lesion) / ICB
- endocrine disorders e.g. thyroid disease, Addison disease - affecting adrenal system
What does it mean by drug treatments that produce psychiatric side effects?
steroid psychosis= common drug induced anti-parkinson's drug NSAID's immune modulating drugs/chemotherapy retinoids
