Physical Disorders and Health Psychology Flashcards
Interdisciplinary approach applying behavioral science to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.
behavioral medicine
Subfield of behavioral medicine that studies psychological factors important in health promotion and maintenance.
health psychology
Sequence of reactions to sustained stress described by Hans Selye. These stages are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion, which may lead to death.
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
Body’s physiological response to a stressor, which is any event or change that requires adaptation.
stress
Perception of having the ability to cope with stress or challenges.
self-efficacy
Body’s means of identifying and eliminating any foreign materials (for example, bacteria, parasites, and even transplanted organs) that enter.
immune system
Foreign materials that enter the body, including bacteria and parasites.
antigens
Condition in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue rather than antigens.
autoimmune disease
Painful, degenerative disease in which the immune system essentially attacks itself, resulting in stiffness, swelling, and even destruction of the joints. Cognitive-behavioral treatments can help relieve pain and stiffness.
rheumatoid arthritis
Study of psychological influences on the neurological responding involved in the body’s immune response.
psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
Group of minor health problems such as weight loss, fever, and night sweats that appears after HIV infection but before development of full-blown AIDS.
AIDS-related complex (ARC)
Category of often-fatal medical conditions involving abnormal cell growth and malignancy.
cancer
Study of psychological factors involved in the course and treatment of cancer.
psychoncology
Afflictions in the mechanisms, including the heart, blood vessels, and their controllers, responsible for transporting blood to the body’s tissues and organs. Psychological factors may play important roles in such diseases and their treatments.
cardiovascular disease
Temporary blockage of blood vessels supplying the brain, or a rupture of vessels in the brain, resulting in temporary or permanent loss of brain functioning.
stroke/cerebral vascular accident (CVA)
Major risk factor for stroke and heart and kidney disease that is intimately related to psychological factors. Also known as high blood pressure.
hypertension
High blood pressure with no verifiable physical cause, which makes up the overwhelming majority of high blood pressure cases.
essential hypertension
Blockage of the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle; a major cause of death in Western culture, with social and psychological factors involved.
coronary heart disease (CHD)
Cluster of behaviors including excessive competitiveness, time-pressured impatience, accelerated speech, and anger, originally thought to promote high risk for heart disease.
type A behavior pattern
Cluster of behaviors including a relaxed attitude, indifference to time pressure, and less forceful ambition; originally thought to promote low risk for heart disease.
type B behavior pattern
Pain that typically follows an injury and disappears once the injury heals or is effectively treated.
acute pain
Enduring pain that does not decrease over time; may occur in muscles, joints, and the lower back, and may be caused by enlarged blood vessels or degenerating or cancerous tissue. Other significant factors are social and psychological.
chronic pain
Substances occurring naturally throughout the body that function like neurotransmitters to shut down pain sensation even in the presence of marked tissue damage. These may contribute to psychological problems such as eating disorders. Also known as endorphins or enkephalins.
endogenous (natural) opioids
Incapacitating exhaustion following only minimal exertion, accompanied by fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain, depression, and anxiety.
chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
Use of physiological monitoring equipment to make individuals aware of their own bodily functions, such as blood pressure or brain waves, that they cannot normally access, with the purpose of controlling these functions.
biofeedback
Active components of meditation methods, including repetitive thoughts of a sound to reduce distracting thoughts and closing the mind to other intruding thoughts, that decrease the flow of stress hormones and neurotransmitters and cause a feeling of calm.
relaxation response
