DB5 - Chapter 5: Trauma

Objectives:

1.Identify factors predisposing a person to stress. 2. Diagram the stress response.  3. Discuss the relationship between psychological factors and coronary heart disease, as well as hypertension.  4. Discuss the etiology, symptoms and treatment of PTSD, 5. Examine the issues of gender and ethnicity in terms of health and stress,

Health & Stress:

So what does psychology have to do with stress? Because psychology studies the individual and looks at the relationship between the mind and the body, one branch of psychology called  health  psychology studies stress. This applied area of psychology is called health psychology. While most people suffer from some stress-related issues, some can become much more severe and can interact with other disorders. In some ways we approach stress in the same way. Stress involves both physiological arousal as well as cognitive recognition. Some even claim that it is our thinking about environmental events that make things stressful. In order words, if we think an event is not stressful, then our bodies won't interpret it stressful. What do you think? Can how you frame an event make it a good one or a bad one? For example, does approaching a difficult situation as a challenge rather than a problem make a difference? Reframing is an age-old technique and is explained at  Project Resilience.   The current interest in stress and stress management stems largely from the fact that the stress  response  affects our immune systems, thereby lowering our immunity and opening up to illness. Thus it is not stress itself which makes you ill or exacerbates any immune-related disorder. Rather it is the fact that when we are under stress, our immune systems are less able to fight off germs that "causes" us to get sick. Reducing stress is a critical step. There are many way to reduce stress.  Resilience is a characteristic that is being studied extensively. Why are some people better able to cope than others? Is it an inborn trait? Tore information can be found at  Hold the Door.   PTSD is mostly commonly associated with war veterans, particularly Vietnam veterans. However, it is a very old disorder and was previously called Shell Shock. We also know the survivors of other traumas can experience PTSD. The  symptoms  include hypervigilance and experiencing of the trauma  It can also include a sense of emotional numbness. PTSD can occur right after a trauma or it can take years to emerge. PTSD can arise after a traumatic event or it can occur after more common events such as  a car  accident. Even bystanders can experience PTSD. Many psychologists saw a rise in PTSD cases after September 11 from people who lived far away and had just viewed the events on television.

PTSD is treated with a combination of anti-anxiety drugs along with cognitive-behavioral therapy. The National Center explains t reatment options.

Related websites:

https://www.learner.org/series/the-world-of-abnormal-psychology/psychological-factors-and-physical-illness/

Read about  stress from APA

The  American Institute of Stress