Health Psychology

By:Shreya Garg Harsh Mehta Jyoti Jethmalani Ekta Jajoo Janvi Desai

Introduction to Health Psychology

Health Psychology :- health is the influence of both our physiology (diet/exercise) and Psychology (stress/ social support).
Maintenance of health

Development of illness and disease

It is the study of social, behavioral, cognitive and emotional factors that influence the :

Patients and families response to illness and disease

Course of illness or disease

Division of Health Psychology

Health Psychology is divided into 5 parts, i.e., I. Clinical Health Psychology (CIHP)

II. Public Health Psychology (PHP)

III. Community Health Psychology (CoHP) IV. Critical Health Psychology (CrHP) V. Occupational Health Psychology

Effects of Psychology on Health

STRESS
Mental and physical condition that occurs when a person must adjust or adapt to the environment Includes marital and financial problems Stress Reaction: Physical reaction to stress Autonomic Nervous System is aroused Stressor: Condition or event that challenges or threatens the person Pressure: When a person must meet urgent external demands or expectations

ANXIETY
Feelings of tension, uneasiness, apprehension, worry, and vulnerability We are motivated to avoid experiencing anxiety.

DEPRESSION State of feeling despondent defined by feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness

One of the most common mental problems in the world Childhood depression is dramatically increasing Some symptoms: Loss of appetite or sex drive, decreased activity, sleeping too much

Psychosomatic Disorders
Psychological factors contribute to actual illnesses (bodily damage) or to damaging changes in bodily functioning Hypochondriacs: Complain about diseases that appear to be

imaginary
Certain kinds of ulcers are not psychosomatic Most common complaints: respiratory and gastrointestinal

Estimated contributions of different factors to health status.

10% 30%

40%

20% Other Factors Genetic Behaviour Medical Care

Relation Of Health Psychology to Other Related fields

Health Education Nutrition Medicine Psychosomatic Cardiology Oncology, etc.

Sociology Nutrition Exercise Phys.

Behavioural health

Behavioural medicine

Physiology

Health Psychology

Psychology

The connection between mind and body

Psychological study shows that our mind and body are
strongly linked. As our mental health declines our physical health wares down, and vice versa. Pain associated with physical disorders may cause sleep

disturbances and alter ones usual routines and ways of coping,

producing distortions in thinking and appraisal of problems. It also reduce ones confidence in managing problems. Each of these factors can result in depression or anxiety.

REACTIONS TO FRUSTRATION
Aggression: Any response made with the intention of harming a person, animal, or object Displaced Aggression: Redirecting aggression to a target other than the source of ones frustration Scapegoating: Blaming a person or group for conditions they did not create; the scapegoat is a habitual target of displaced aggression Escape: May mean actually leaving a source of frustration (dropping out of school) or psychologically escaping (apathy) Conflict: Stressful condition that occurs when a person must choose between contradictory needs, desires, motives, or demands

History of Medicine
1. Stone-age Body____Mind 2. Ancient Greeks Body Mind

Spirit

3. Middle-Ages Body____Mind

4. Contemporary View
Body Mind

Spirit

Socio-behavioural

Psychosomatic Medicine
Freud (1856-1939) Cannon (1932) Dunbar (1930) Alexander (1940s 1950s)

Biopsychosocial Model of Disease

Biology Genetic variability Anatomy Physiology Pathogens Germs Toxins

Behavioural risk factors Diet Exercise Smoking Safe sex Wearing seat belts in the car, etc.

Social Family Society Friends, etc.

Supernatural or Magical Belief; Disease resulted from:

Sorcery Breach of social taboo Object intrusion Supernatural possession Losing ones sole

Treatments
Confession and appeasing of the gods. Magical sucking to remove the intrusive object. Drive out evil spirits by using vile concoctions such as animal excrement or even torture. Trephination

Ways to Promote Health and Early Prevention

Refusal Skills Training: Program that teaches young people how to resist pressures to begin smoking Life Skills Training: Teaches stress reduction, selfprotection, decision making, self-control, and social skills Role Model: Person who serves as a positive example of good and desirable behavior Wellness: Positive state of good health and well-being

Important Contributions of Psychology to Health

Has provided techniques useful in changing behaviours that affect health and illness. Is committed to keeping people healthy rather than waiting to only treat them when they become ill. Long history of developing reliable and valid measures for assessing health-related factors. Has contributed a solid foundation of scientific methods for studying such behaviours.

Health Psychology and Behavioral Risk Factors

Health Psychology: Uses behavioral principles to prevent illness and promote health Behavioral Medicine: Applies psychology to manage medical problems e.g., asthma and diabetes Lifestyle Diseases: Diseases related to health-damaging personal habits Behavioral Risk Factors: Behaviors that increase the chances of disease, injury, or premature death Disease-Prone Personality: Personality type associated with poor health; person tends to be chronically depressed, anxious, hostile, and frequently ill

Stress Management
Use of behavioral strategies to reduce stress and improve coping skills Progressive Relaxation: Produces deep relaxation throughout the body by tightening all muscles in an area and then relaxing them Guided Imagery: Visualizing images that are calming, relaxing, or beneficial

Avoiding Upsetting Thoughts

Stress Inoculation: Using positive coping statements internally to control fear and anxiety; designed to combat: Negative Self-Statements: Self-critical thoughts that increase anxiety and lower performance Coping Statements: Reassuring, self-enhancing statements used to stop negative self-statements

Meditation
Mental exercise designed to focus attention and interrupt flow of thoughts, worries, and analyses Concentrative Meditation: Attention is paid to a single focal point (i.e., object, thought, etc.) Produces relaxation response and thus works to reduce stress Receptive Meditation: Based on widening attention span to become aware of everything experienced at a given moment Mantra: Word(s) or sound(s) repeated silently during concentrative meditation Relaxation Response: Occurs at time of relaxation; innate physiological response that opposes fight or flight responses

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