1. Introduction to Health Psychology Flashcards
Defining Health, Biopsychosocial Model, Overview & History
Definition of health?
Health is a state of complete well-being, including
- Physical
- Mental/Emotional
- Social
Health is no longer considered only the…?
Absence of disease.
Reflecting a change go going beyond the biomedical model.
What is psychology?
The scientific study of behaviour and mind.
Includes:
- Cognition
- Emotion
- Motivation
- Action
What is Health Psychology?
The scientific study of how health and psychology intersect.
Quote by Joseph Matarazzo
“Health psychology is the aggregate of the educational, scientific, and professional contributions of the discipline of psychology to”: ??? (4)
- The promotion and maintenance of health
- The prevention and treatment of illness
- The identification of etiologic and diagnostic correlates of health, illness and related dysfunction
- The improvement of the health care system
What is the Biopsychosocial Model?
Health (including disease and illness) us best understood from a combination of biological, psychological, and social perspectives.
Rather than a purely biological perspective.
The Mind-Body Connection?
Inherent to the biopsychosocial model is an assumption of complex mind-body relationship.
Consider: Is “connection” the right word? Maybe we should say the mind-body system
The Medical Renaissance (1400-1700)?
Attempts were made to break away from superstitions of past centuries: this paved the way for modern medicine.
Physicians healed the body. Physical evidence was the sole basis for diagnosis.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650) and Cartesian Dualism?
The mind and the body are made of distinct substances and exist independently.
Had a lasting impact on medicine.
Biomedical Reductionism?
Reductionism in medicine ensued that every disease process could be explained in terms of an underlying deviation from normal function.
-> pathogen, genetic or developmental abnormality, or injury.
The Biomedical Model.
Changing patterns of illness?
With advances in technology and medicine, the development of antibiotics and vaccines, and improved sanitation, nutrition, and personal hygiene, the leading causes of death shifted from…
Acute Infectious Disease (influence virus pneumonia) to Chronic Conditions (heart disease, hypertension)
Life expectancy in Canada 1921 to 2011?
Increased life expectancy at birth
Average life expectancy in 2022 81 years, vs. 55 years in 1921
And dropped in in fact mortality rates
10 Leading causes of death in Canada, 2022?
- Cancer 24.7%
- Diseases of the Heart 17.2%
- Covid 5.9%
- Accidents 5.5%
- Stroke 4.2%
- Lower Respiratory 3.7%
- Diabetes 2.3%
- Influenza and Pneumonia 1.5%
- Alzheimer 1.6%
- Liver Disease 1.4%
- Everything else 31.7%
What 4 variations are important to note for the 10 leading causes of death?
Age
- Variations occur by age group (young people get in more accidents, older more cancer)
Region
Class
Ethnicity
The move from acute infectious diseases to chronic conditions created why a need for a new model?
- Lack of known cures and quick fixes.
- Can live with them, but quality of life is affected
- Require expensive healthcare
The biomedical model has had limited success in these regards.