PSYC 235 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Adrenal Gland, Behavioural Sciences
Document Summary
Public health revolution has eliminated and controlled for numerous infectious disease. Behavioural medicine knowledge derived from behavioural science is applied to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of medical problems. Health psychology practitioners study psychological factors that are important to the promotion and maintenance of health, they also analyze and recommend improvements to health care systems and health policy formation within the discipline of psychology. Psychological and social factors influence health and physical problems in 2 ways: Affect basic biological processes that lead to illness and disease. Longstanding behaviour patterns may put people at risk of developing certain physical disorders. Large scale behavioural modification can be our best defense against fighting diseases that have no cure like aids prevent acquisition through sharing needles, unprotected sex, etc. Cigarette smoking behaviour contributes highly to death rates in canada. Cortisol the stress hormones (corticotropin releasing factor secreted by hypothalamus and stimulates pituitary gland, activates adrenal gland, produces cortisol)