Stress and Coping Mechanisms

Stress and Coping

• Stress is a physical and emotional response to challenging or threatening situations.
• Distress is negative stress that can lead to anxiety, decreased performance, or health issues.
• Eustress is positive stress that motivates and enhances performance.
• Stressors are events or conditions that trigger stress responses.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

• Hans Selye identified a three-stage response to stress, which includes alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
• Alarm Stage is the initial reaction where the body prepares to fight or flee
• Resistance Stage involves the body adapting to ongoing stress while attempting to return to homeostasis
• Exhaustion Stage occurs when prolonged stress leads to depletion of physical and mental resources, resulting in fatigue.

Coping Strategies

• Coping refers to strategies and processes used to manage stress and difficult emotions
• Problem-Focused coping directly addresses the problem causing stress
• Emotion-Focused coping manages emotional responses to stress rather than addressing the problem itself

Positive Psychology

• Positive Psychology focuses on positive emotions, strengths, and factors contributing to a fulfilling life
• Broaden and Build Theory of Emotion suggests positive emotions broaden awareness and encourage novel thoughts and actions
• Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon describes the tendency for people to be more helpful when they feel good.
• Posttraumatic Growth is positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity.

Categories of Virtue

• Wisdom is sound judgments based on knowledge and experience
• Courage is mental or moral strength to persevere despite fear or difficulty.
• Humanity includes compassion and kindness towards others.
• Justice means fairness and equity in treatment and resource distribution
• Temperance is moderation and self-control
• Transcendence is the ability to rise above circumstances, often associated with spirituality

Health Psychology

• Health is complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease
• Health Psychology examines how biological, social, and psychological factors influence health and illness

Psychological Disorders

• Psychological Disorders are mental health conditions characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior causing distress or impairment
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a manual used to classify and diagnose mental disorders

Anxiety Disorders

• Anxiety Disorders are characterized by excessive fear or anxiety
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder represents persistent excessive worry about various aspects of life
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder involves unwanted repetitive thoughts and behaviors
• Social Anxiety Disorder is intense fear of social situations and being judged
• Panic Disorder involves recurrent unexpected panic attacks with fear of future attacks
• Agoraphobia is fear of situations where escape might be difficult
• Specific Phobia is intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation

Mood Disorders

• Major Depressive Disorder is severe depression with persistent sadness and loss of interest
• Bipolar Disorder (I & II) involves extreme mood swings including manic and depressive episodes

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

• Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental disorder affecting thinking, feeling, and behavior
• Schizophreniform Disorder is a short-term form of schizophrenia lasting 1-6 months
• Schizoaffective Disorder includes symptoms of both schizophrenia and mood disorders
• Positive Symptoms include the presence of abnormal behaviors like hallucinations and delusions
• Negative Symptoms reflects a decrease in normal functions, like lack of motivation or emotional expression
• Hallucinations are sensory experiences without external stimulus
• Delusions are strongly held false beliefs resistant to reasoning
• Disorganized Thinking/Speech consists of incoherent or nonsensical speech patterns

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity
• Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder affecting communication and behavior with varying severity

Eating Disorders

• Anorexia Nervosa is an intense fear of weight gain leading to self-imposed starvation
• Bulimia Nervosa involves cycles of binge eating followed by purging behaviors

Neurocognitive Disorders

• Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease causing memory loss and cognitive decline
• Parkinson's Disease is a progressive neurological disorder affecting movement
• Huntington's Disease is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder causing breakdown of nerve cells

Trauma-Related Disorders

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is triggered by experiencing or witnessing trauma, with symptoms including flashbacks, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts