1.1 Flashcards
(25 cards)
Define mental health
the successful adaptation to stressors from the internal or external environment, evidenced by thoughts feelings and behaviors that are age appropriate and congruent with local and cultural norms
Define mental illness
maladaptive responses to stressors from the internal or external environment, evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are incongruent with the local and cultural norms, and interfere with the individual’s social, occupational, and/or physical functioning
define incomprehensibility
relates to the inability of the general population to understand the motivation behind the behavior
define cultural relativity
the normality of behavior is determined by culture
Maslow’s Hierarchy
Physiological, safety/security, relationship/love/belonging, self-esteem, self-actualization
What are the 3 physiological responses to stress?
- alarm stage
- resistance stage
- exhaustion stage
alarm stage:
Immediate response to stress/crisis. Dominant Hormone is epinephrine.
– the body’s resistance to physical damage drops for a short-time so that organism can rearrange its priorities to cope with the stressor
– use of available body sources for energy (glycogen), redistribution of blood to maintain higher blood pressure by increase of the peripheral resistance, increased oxygenation by bronchodilation, increased muscle, coronary and brain perfusion in order to act
– if the stressor no longer exists the body returns to its normal level of resistance
resistance stage
if the stressor persists (“we can’t fight or flee from it or, rather, we are unable to apply counteracting psychosocial resources”), level of resistance increases beyond normal, relaxed levels → quite energy-consuming state
increased energy demands covered by adipo- and proteo-catabolism, blood pressure maintained by Na retention
– this stage is an example of allostasis (= achieving stability through change, active process) – Glucocorticoids, which are steroid hormones, as well as other biochemicals, begin to play an important role. They cause things like the breakdown of fat so that this fat can be used as a source of energy during long periods of stress.
exhaustion stage
prolonged exposure to the stressor to which the body has become adjusted, the adaptive energy is depleted, disease and death may occur
– if the exposure to stressor continues (allostatic overload) for a long time (weeks – years) body resistance collapses due to the inability to meet energy demands and due to side effects of extreme or exaggerated stress reactions → diseases of adaptation
– extreme catabolism, immunodeficiency, cardiovascular consequences of metabolic derangements
anxiety
A diffuse apprehension that is vague in nature and is associated with feelings of uncertainty and helplessness; extremely common in American society; mild anxiety is adaptive and can provide motivation for survival.
Healthy (normal) vs unhealthy responses to grief and stress: mild anxiety is seldom problem; moderate anxiety the perceptual field begins to diminish; severe anxiety perceptual field diminishes greatly → neurosis; panic anxiety you are unable to focus on even on detail → psychosis
Adaption is determined by the the extent to which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interfere with an individual’s functioning. At the mild level: individual employs coping mechanisms like sleep/eat/drink; At mild to moderate: strength of problem-solve in ego is tested and ego defense mechanisms are employed for protection.
grief
the subjective state of response to the loss of valued entity; length of the grief process is entirely individualized; it can last from a few weeks to years; it is influenced by age, type of loss, support system; some are more resilient to grief; subjective state of emotional, physical, and social responses to the loss of a valued entity
parts of the brain
Forebrain
- cerebrum (frontal, parietal, temporal, & occipital lobes)
- diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system)
Midbrain
- mesencephalon
Hindbrain
- pons
- medulla
- cerebellum
cerebrum
largest part of the brain consisting of two hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum and 4 lobes; cerebral cortex is gray matter and the thinking structure of the brain
frontal lobe
voluntary body movement; thinking, speaking, judgement, expression, personality
parietal lobe
perception and interpretation of sensory info
temporal lobe
hearing, short-term memory, smell; connection to limbic system (emotional brain)
occipital lobe
visual reception and interpretation
diencephalon
connects the cerebrum with lower parts of the brain, consists of:
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
- limbic system
thalamus
integrates all sensory input
hypothalamus
- regulates pituitary gland
- controls ANS including appetite and body temperature, BP, thirst, & circadian rhythms
limbic system
emotional brain
mesencephalon
pons to the hypothalamus; integration of visual, auditory, and righting reflexes (straightening head and balancing)
relay msg btw CNS, most primitive part of brain with least amount of logic / thinking
pons
centers for respiration, associated with sleep and dreaming
medulla
HR, respirations, and reflexes like sneezing, vomiting, and swallowing
