Physical Disorders and Health Psychology Flashcards
1
Q
Psychological and Physical Health
A
- Comorbidity of mental illness and medical conditions is high
- Increases burden of symptoms and increases costs and recovery time
- Many symptoms overlap which makes hard to diagnose e.g. tiredness could be depression or chronic fatigue
2
Q
What is Health Psychology
A
- Field that focuses on the way that stress and other psychological factors affect physical health
- Psychological behavior and social factors contribute to physical illness and vice versa e.g. strokes and depression
- 17-52% people w strokes develop depression
- only 20% of depressed stroke victims had history of depression beforehand
- Could be due to strokes effect on area of brain involved w mood regulation, or could be due to strokes effect on self image, ability to engage in previous pursuits etc
3
Q
Negative outcomes associated with comorbidity of Mental disorders and Medical Conditions
A
- Increased burden of symptoms
- Decreased quality of life
- Increased recovery time and healthcare costs
4
Q
The difference between somatic disorders and physical disorders influenced by psychological, behavioral, and/or social factors
A
- Somatic disorders are symptoms brought on by worrying, there is not a clear physiological cause of the symptoms.
- Physical disorders have clear physiological origins and are influenced by other factors.
5
Q
Two paths that psychological behavior and social factors influence mental illness
A
- Psychological and social factors can influence basic biological processes: Stress e.g. chronic stress
- Long-standing behavioral patterns can put people at risk for disease e.g. smoking, drinking, unprotected sex
6
Q
Death rates today vs 1900
A
- Less infectious disease today (bc we cure)
- Pneumonia and flu
- Digestive disease
- Heart disease
- More dying from chronic illness caused by lifestyle choices
- Smoking
- Eating Habits
- Lack of exercise
- Insufficient injury control
7
Q
General Adaptation Syndrome Stages
A
- Phase 1: alarm response
- Body recognizes stressor
- Release of Stress Hormones: fight or flight
- Phase 2: Resistance
- Body’s attempt to deal w stressor and return to homeostasis
- Briefly decreases resistance to disease but body gets weaker over time
- Works in the short term but long term can lead to…
- Phase 3: Exhaustion
- With continued stress body’s resources are depleted
- Body suffers damage (e.g. organ malfunction)
- One’s perception of stress and coping mechanisms can influence, e.g. if you use stress as motivation can reduce effects
8
Q
Psychosocial and Behavioral Effects on Physical disorders: Chronic Pain
(types of pain, worsed by, social factors )
A
- Features of pain
- Acute (short term, hits hard) or chronic (low level, long-lasting)
- Can be associated with pain behaviors (limping Grimacing complaining)
- Worsed by
- Low perceived control
- Negative emotion
- Low social support
- Lack of physical activity (resting too long then trying to push self can lead to worsed state)
- Pain behaviors may be increased by
- Compensation (paid time off work)
- Social reinforcement (e.g. sympathy)
9
Q
A
10
Q
Treatment of Physical disorders
A
- Biofeedback
- The patient learns to control bodily responses by viewing them on a screen and being hooked up to electrodes
- Used w chronic headaches and hypertension
- Relaxation and meditation
- Progressive muscle relaxation (tensing then releasing muscles): shows people what it feels like to let go
- Meditation
- Stress management training (CBT)
- Monitor & identify stressful events
- Reappraisal of stressful situations
- Prioritizing agenda setting
- Making time for self-care
11
Q
Cognitions and Coping with pain
ATC
A
- Attention
- Pain often demands attention increased attention = greater pain percieved
- Distraction good in acute (but not chronic) pain
- Thinking
- The way one interprets his/her pain matters
- Cognitive distortions or dysfunctional thoughts like catastrophizing (e.g. pain will never get better) affect intensity, and chronicity of pain
- Coping Style
- Active coping (e.g. trying to keep self busy, recreational drugs) usually but not always better
- Passive coping (e.g. resting) not always bad
12
Q
Mood and personality experiencing pain
A
- Pain associated with anxiety and depression
- Bidirectional influence but some research suggests pain may come first
- Pain cycle halted via psychological intervention
- Pain associated with neuroticism but similar chicken and egg situation
13
Q
Denial as Means of coping
A
- In some circumstances denial about seriousness of condition can be helpful
- But later better to process emotions more fully
14
Q
Aids preventative strategies
A
- Safe sex
- Sanitary use of needles
Stress and Aids
- Correlated with high stress and low social support
- May be stress related to disease (e.g. medicational side effects) social stress (e.g. stigma) or emotional stressors (e.g. anger)
Psychological treatment aims to
- Reduced stress
- Boost immune system
Outcomes
- Increase T cells
- Reduced antibodies
- Enhanced psychological adjustment
15
Q
Psychosocial and Behavioral effects on physical disorders: cancer
A
- Psychosocial & behavioral contributions to etiology and maintenance of cancer
- Perceived lack of control
- poor coping responses
- stressful life events
- Psychosocial interventions include group and individual psychotherapy
- Aim to improve
- Health Habits (make sure people eat healthy and take care of themselves)
- Following of medication
- Stress response/coping
- May lead to
- greater remission
- decreased mortality
- Improved well being
- Aim to improve
