Psych Exam 4 Review PDF

Stress and Health (Chapter 13) Stress vs. stressors: Stress: a physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral response to a stressor.Stressor: the precipitating event or trigger that leads to a stress response. Physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components of the stress response: physiolo...

Stress and Health (Chapter 13) Stress vs. stressors: Stress: a physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral response to a stressor.Stressor: the precipitating event or trigger that leads to a stress response. Physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components of the stress response: physiological response involves the release of stress hormones into the blood and changes in physiological symptoms, including the fight or flight response. Cognitive response is how you assess the importance or the size of the stressor and how you self-assess whether or not you have the ability to cope with it. The behavioral response is how you react to the stressor. Do you approach the stressor and deal with it, or do you avoid it?Daily stressors and their cumulative impact: Can cause bad physical, mental, cognitive, and behavioral problems Biopsychosocial model of health:The biopsychosocial model explains how our mental health and physical health are connected in ways that can't be separated out. Perceived control:the belief that you can influence events—plays a key role in stress management by reducing feelings of helplessness. Effects of chronic and acute stress (e.g., heart disease, aging):Acute stress: Short-term; causes rapid heartbeat, anxiety, and focus issues but can boost alertness briefly.Chronic stress: Long-term; leads to heart problems, weakened immunity, anxiety, memory issues, and burnout. Effective ways to cope with stress:Reframing the situation,seeking social support,changing our behavior,using problem-focused coping strategies What health-impairing behaviors increase the negative impact of stress: Social isolation, substance abuse, poor sleep habits, unhealthy eating, avoidance behaviors Chapters 14 & 15 The medical model applied to abnormal behavior (what does that mean) Criteria for abnormal behavior & diagnosis (what are the 3 criteria):Deviance: Behavior that deviates significantly from societal norms or expectations. Distress: Personal suffering or distress caused by the behavior.Dysfunction: Impairment in daily functioning, such as difficulty maintaining relationships or employment. What is the diathesis stress model of psychological disorders:Diathesis: A predisposition or vulnerability (e.g., genetic, biological, or psychological).Stress: Environmental triggers or life events that activate the predisposition, leading to the manifestation of the disorder. Schizophrenia & related disorders How are they treated?:Medications: Antipsychotics (e.g., Risperidone, Clozapine).Therapy: CBT, social skills training, family therapy.Support: Vocational rehab, hospitalization for severe episodes. Negative and positive symptoms – know the difference and be able to identify in examples: Positive (added experiences):Hallucinations (hearing voices).Delusions (false beliefs) Disorganized speech/thoughts.Negative (reduced functions):Flat affect (no emotion).Avolition (lack of motivation).Anhedonia (no pleasure).Examples:Positive: "I hear voices commanding me."Negative: Avoids all social interaction, shows no emotion. Dissociative Disorders Types (e.g., Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dissociative Fugue). Causes and symptoms.Dissociative amnesia: is a sudden loss of memory for important personal information that is too extensive to be due to normal forgetting, causes: head injury, stroke, substance abuse. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) involves a disruption of identity marked by the experience of two or more largely complete, and usually very different, personalities, causes: Chronic Abuse: Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.Neglect: Severe emotional neglect or abandonment. Early Stressful Experiences: Such as witnessing violence or extreme stress. Anxiety Disorders Social phobia, specific phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, PTSD Social phobia: an intense fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations. People with social phobia often worry excessively. GAD:Chronic and fluctuating worry about various topics Difficulty controlling worry Physical symptoms such as muscle tension, dizziness, and sweating Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep,Worrying about yesterday's mistakes and tomorrow's problems. OCD: an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). PTSD: an anxiety disorder that develops after a person experiences a traumatic event. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Obsessions vs. compulsions:Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive thoughts, urges, or images that cause distress or anxiety. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. Personality Disorders What are they (generally)?A class of disorders marked by extreme, inflexible personality traits that cause subjective distress or impaired social and occupational functioning. Characteristics of the ones mentioned in my supplemental lecture Antisocial personality disorder is marked by impulsive, callous, manipulative, aggressive, and irresponsible behavior. The borderline personality disorder is marked by instability in social relationships, self-image, and emotional functioning. The narcissistic personality disorder is marked by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a sense of entitlement, and an excessive need for attention and admiration. Mood Disorders Major Depressive Disorder & bipolar disorder: Symptoms and impact. MDD:persistent feelings of sadness and despair and a loss of interest in previous sources of pleasure. Symptoms: Persistent sadness, Loss of interest in activities, Fatigue, Sleep disturbances, Appetite or weight changes, Feelings of worthlessness, Difficulty concentrating, Thoughts of death or suicide. Bipolar disorder: marked by the experience of both depressed and manic periods. The symptoms seen in manic periods generally are the opposite of those seen in depression. In a manic episode, a person’s mood becomes elevated to the point of euphoria. Self-esteem skyrockets as the person bubbles over with optimism, energy, and extravagant plans. He or she becomes hyperactive and may go for days without sleep. Mental Health Treatments Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): Focuses on changing negative thought patterns, challenging irrational thoughts, and teaching coping skills.Take-home point: People who get treatment do better than those who don't, regardless of the treatment they receive. Effectiveness of CBT, medication, and combined treatments for anxiety and mood disorders Barriers to seeking treatment.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Effective for both anxiety and mood disorders. It helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns, improving coping skills and emotional regulation. Medication: Antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs) and anti-anxiety medications can be effective, especially for moderate to severe cases. They help manage symptoms but may take weeks to show full effects. Combined treatments: Often the most effective, as CBT addresses underlying thought patterns, while medication helps control symptoms. This approach can lead to better long-term outcomes. Barriers to seeking treatment:Stigma: Fear of being judged or labeled.Cost: Financial limitations or lack of insurance.Access: Limited availability of mental health professionals.Lack of awareness: Not recognizing the need for help or treatment options.Cultural factors: Beliefs that discourage seeking mental health care. Theories and Models Diathesis-Stress Model.suggests that psychological disorders develop due to a combination of genetic vulnerability (diathesis) and stressful life events (stress). The model posits that while a person may have a genetic predisposition to a disorder, the disorder is more likely to emerge when triggered by stress or environmental factors. Preparedness theory (phobias):Humans may be biologically prepared to form fears to certain stimuli, such as snakes or spiders. Medical model for mental disorders:Medical model is the view that it is useful to think of abnormal behavior as a disease Key Figures and Data Percentage of Americans experiencing mental disorders: 40% Importance of social networks for health: Social networks boost health by offering emotional support, reducing stress, and encouraging healthy behaviors, leading to better mental health and a longer life. Miscellaneous Cognitive coping strategies (e.g., rational coping). With regard to treatment, primarily study the material in the lecture slides: Anxiety Disorders:SSRIs: Fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Cipramil), Sertraline (Zoloft) Benzodiazepines: Alprazolam (e.g., Xanax), Clonazepam (Klonopin) Beta Blockers: e.g., Propranolol Depression:SSRIs, SNRIs (also sometimes used for GAD),Tricyclics (broad reuptake inhibitors)MAOIs Bipolar Disorder:Mood stabilizers (e.g., lithium What is psychotherapy?treatment for mental health issues that involves talking with a trained therapist to address emotional and psychological problems. What is CBT?type of psychotherapy that helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors to improve emotional well-being. What is the general take home about the effectiveness of medication vs. psychotherapy for mood and anxiety disorders?Both medication and psychotherapy can effectively treat mood and anxiety disorders. Medication offers quick symptom relief, while psychotherapy addresses root causes. Combining both often works best, especially for severe cases. What about medication? Can psychological disorders be effectively treated? What is comorbidity?the simultaneous presence of two or more disorders in a patient What are the primary criticisms of the DSM?Questions about its scientific basis (etiology, representativeness)Reliance on subjective self-report Cultural biasPathologizing shared human experiences (false positives? E.g., bereavement, Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder) Promotes pharmaceutical approach to Treatment Overlap in symptoms between disorders and comorbidity Emergency mental health crisis number: 988 What is the fundamental attribution error? Underestimating the role of situational factors in explaining others' behavior. What best describes cognitive dissonance?The discomfort of holding two contradictory beliefs or attitudes. What is a good example of conformity?Changing your opinion to match that of a group in order to fit in. What describes the concept of "groupthink"? The tendency of group members to suppress dissent in favor of consensus. Deindividuation def: psychological state where people lose their sense of individuality and act in ways that are different from their personal standards Psychology refers to attitude as? A learned tendency to view and judge things a certain way Attribution: process of assigning causes to events and behaviors During a group assignment, Mark does little work because he knows others in the group will carry the load. This is an example of: Social loafing Example of fundamental attribution error: attributing a coworker's lateness to the fact that they are unreliable rather than that they got stuck in traffic.