Stress, Coping and Psychological Therapies Flashcards
What is psychology?
The science of how people think, feel and behave
What is the biopsychosocial model?
When thinking about a person’s health and well being you must think about the biology, psychology and sociology.
Identify some physiological responses to stress
Increased oxygen availability (breathing)
Increased fuel availability (glucose liberation)
Preparation of tissue for damage (blood clotting)
Enhanced mental functioning
Conservation of energy resources
Enhanced physical functioning (CO, BP)
What are the 3 stages of stress?
Alert - first exposed
Resistance - too much, body working over homeostatic levels
Exhaustion - physiologically and psychologically depleted
Describe the transactional model of stress
We look at the demands in our life and appraise them against the resources we have to deal with them. If we think we don’t have the resources then we get the stress response.
What are the 3 types of stress appraisal?
Primary = Is this event a threat? How bad could it be? Secondary = Do I have the resources/skills to cope? Reappraisal = reconsidering the situation once you have tried to cope
What are the 2 most important factors that influence the effects of stress?
Control (how much do you feel you have?) Social support (do we have people to protect us from stress or to help us cope?)
Describe some impacts of stress on health
Physical damage - CVS
Immune system up regulated
Unhealthy behaviours - alcohol, smoking
Mental health - rumination, lack of control, anxiety, depression
Name 3 cognitive disorders associated with stress
Overgeneralisations
Catastrophising
Personalisation
Define rumination
Reflecting or dwelling on negative thoughts
What are the 5 strategy types for management of stress?
Cognitive Behavioural Emotional Physical Pharmacological
What are the 2 coping styles?
Emotion focussed = behavioural and cognitive approaches (do something and change how you think about it)
Problem focussed = reduce demands of stressful situation, expand resources
Why is co-morbid depression so bad?
Exacerbate the pain/distress of a physical health problem
Adversely affect illness outcomes
What are the barriers to recognising psychological problems?
Symptoms inadvertently missed
Patients may not disclose
HCPs may avoid asking - time/expertise/reluctance
Name 3 learning theories
Classic - associative (Pavlov)
Operant - reward/punishment
Social learning theory - model your behaviour on others
Describe CBT
Combination of concepts from cognitive and behavioural therapy
Relieve symptoms by changing maladaptive thoughts, beliefs and behaviours
Give examples of behavioural therapy ideas
Graded exposure to feared situations
Activity scheduling
Reinforcement
Give some examples of cognitive therapy ideas
Education
Monitoring
Examining/challenging negative thoughts
Rehearsal of coping with difficult situations
Give examples of things that CBT is used to treat
Depression
Anxiety states
Eating disorders
Sexual dysfunction
Who is CBT suitable for?
Patient who are keen to be active participants
Those who engage collaboratively
Those who can accept a model emphasising thought and feeling
Those who are able to articulate their problem and are practically seeking solutions
What are the 2 types of psychodynamic therapy?
Focal
Analytic
Describe focal psychodynamic therapy
Identity conflicts from early experience that are re-enacted in adult life
Use the relationship with the therapist to resolve these
Describe analytic psychodynamic therapy
Allow unconscious conflicts to be reenacted with the therapist and interpreted
What are the patient requirements for psychodynamic therapy?
Capacity to tolerate mental and emotional pain
Interest in self-exploration
Describe systemic/family therapy
Focus on relational context
Address patterns of interaction and meaning
See people within their social context and talk to their families
Describe humanistic/client-centred therapy
No universal definition
Relies on general counselling skills
Can help coping with immediate crises if there is already motivation and willingness to problem solve
What do we consider when choosing a therapy?
Problem: nature, chronicity, severity, complexity
Patient: ‘psychological mindedness’, capacity to tolerate pain, preference for short/long term treatment
What are the components of the negative cognitive triad?
Negative view of self
Negative view of the world around
Negative view of the future
Name some anxiety disorders
Panic disorder Social anxiety Specific phobias OCD Body dysmorphic disorder PTSD
How does CBT help anxiety?
Reduce avoidance
Cease safety-seeking behaviours
Exposure
Test beliefs
Define psychotherapy
The systematic use of a relationship between a patient and a therapist as opposed to physical and social methods to produce changes in feelings, cognition and behaviour.
