Psychology 2030A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Coronary Artery Disease, Sympathetic Nervous System, Natural Killer Cell

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2030A/B
• Professor: David Vollick

Document Summary

Health is defined today as a state of mental, social, and physical well-being, not just the absence of illness. At the heart of psychology is the biopsychosocial model which suggests that complex interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors determine health: this model contrasts with a biomedical model, which explains illness solely as biological processes. Anxiety and depression are more common among people with medical illness that among healthy controls. When medical illness and psychological problems coexist, functioning is impaired to an increased extent. Psychological and social variables also influence the treatment of medical disease, especially chronic medical illness (e. g. , diabetes and hypertension: these variables include the doctor-patient relationship, expectations for treatment outcomes, and psychological coping and adjustment. The role of stress in physical and mental health. Stress is any negative emotional experience that is accompanied by biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioural responses that attempt to change or adjust to the stressor.