Psych 110 Exam 4 study guide Chapter 12 What are corticosteroids Corticosteroids These are hormones that activates the body and prepares us to respond to stressful circumstances How does stress influence the immune system Our body s defense decreases against invading bacteria viruses and other potentially illness producing organisms and substances Our body lowers in skin phagocytes and Lymphocytes T and B cells which are both specialized white blood cells and decreases in macrophages which is what cleans up the mess in our bodies after an infection Different Stress Responses are o Women are more likely to tend and befriend or seek social support and nurture when under stress rather than males o Oxytocin love bonding hormone further counters stress and promotes the tend and befriend response o Long lasting stress can result in acute stress disorder or Posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD which is when someone takes a dramatic turn and does something crazy because of an extremely stressful event in their life o Type A personality These are the perfectionist of the world Social support and rates of mortality Social support encompasses interpersonal relations with people groups and the larger community higher levels associated with lower mortality rates What are problem focused coping emotion focused coping primary appraisals and secondary appraisals Problem focused coping coping strategy in which we tackle life s challenges ahead Ex if you fail an exam you look to see how you can do better next test Emotion focused coping strategy in which we try to place a positive spin on our feelings or predicaments and engage in behavior to reduce painful emotion Primary appraisals initial decision regarding whether an event is harmful Ex Will going to work hurt my grade on this test Secondary appraisals perceptions regarding our ability to cope with an event that follows primary appraisal Ex If I go to work will I be able to find some time to study there Stressful events High risk Young and unmarried people African Americans Low socioeconomic status Misconceptions o Rural vs Urban areas Clinician s illusion the overestimate of people with fragility and underestimate their resilience What are psychoneuroimmunology psychophysiological and biopsychosocial Psychoneuroimmunology the study of the relationship between the immune system and central nervous system Ex High levels of stress over the past year make you more susceptible to catching a cold virus Ex caring for someone with Alzheimer s is associated with lesser ability to heal from injury decreased blood clotting Psychophysiological concerned with the relationship between mental psyche and physical physiological processes It is the scientific study of the interaction between mind and body Ex if you are stressed out about a test the next day your body may not feel the need to eat Biopsychosocial The approach stating that biological psychological and social factors all play a significant role in human functioning in the context of disease or illness Ex If a kid is told he is too shy at a young age he may go out of his way to be loud When he does this his friends may think he is annoying and may ignore him or make fun of his This causes him to shut down and be self conscious more than he was before and possibly even depressed Crisis debriefing and PTSD o One of these sessions 3 4 hours after a trauma is designed to ward off PTSD make sure they feel safe and have them recreate the memory o Researchers say this is not effective and only increases rates of PTSD Stages of general adaptation syndrome Alarm reaction autonomic nervous system is activated stress hormones released and physical symptoms of anxiety begin emotional brain within the limbic system HPA axis and fight of flight response Resistance you adapt and find ways to cope with the stressor Exhaustion in prolonged stressors our resistance can break down causes physical and or psychological damage Chapter 15 Panic disorder When someone experiences panic attacks that are repeated and unexpected and when they experience persistent concerns about panicking or change their behavior The panic attack can last 10 minutes with sweating dizziness lightheadedness racing heart shortness in breathe unreality feeling of going crazy They may think they are having a heart attack They can happen in every disorder Autism autistic disorder Severe deficits in language social bonding imagination and usually comes with mental retardation Usually shows after the age of two Generalized anxiety disorder GAD Continual feelings of worry anxiety physical tension and irritability across many areas of life functioning Feel irritable trouble sleeping body tension a fatigue Worry about small things such as a meeting at work or party they are going to More likely to be female Dissociative disorders The idea that one person can have more than one identity Depersonalization disorder when you feel you are not in real life as though you are living in a dream or movie Dissociative amnesia when someone cannot recall important personal info Usually following a stressful situation Dissociative fugue when someone flees from a stressful circumstance Ex Move to another city and assume a new identity Dissociative identity disorder DID condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states the recurrently take control of the person s behavior Major Depressive Disorder MDD Chronic or recurrent state in which a person experiences a lingering depressed mood in a pleasurable time Symptoms weight loss and sleep difficulties fatigue loss of energy felling worthless difficulty concentrating suicidal ideation Negative view of the future Usually 5 6 episodes Complex interplay of biological psychological and social influences Life event such as loss Can cause interpersonal problems cause lack of social support Cognitive model depression is caused by negative beliefs and expectations o Personalization id someone doesn t smile back then think they hate you o Over generalization if one thing bad happens then everything is falling apart People with depression attribute failure internally and have global stable attributions internally if something goes wrong it s your fault Low levels of serotonin norepinephrine and dopamine Bipolar disorder Both depressive and manic episodes Symptoms elevated moods feels they don t need sleep high energy cannot get their words out fast enough the feeling they can do