Abnormal Psych Chapter 15

Hypertension

Also known as high blood pressure, a condition in which blood flows through vessels with excessive force, putting pressure on vessel walls. Hypertension can lead to CHD, kidney failure, or a stroke. Because of the body's fight-or-flight response to stress is to increase blood pressure, it is not surprising that people who live in chronically stressful circumstances are more likely to develop hypertension. People who move from quiet rural settings to crowded, noisy urban settings show increases in their rates of hypertension.

Coronary Heart Disease

CHD occurs when the blood vessels that supply the heart muscles are narrowed or closed by the gradual buildup of a hard, fatty substance called plaque and inflammation of the vessel walls, blocking the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the heart, the process known as atherosclerosis. People who live in a chronically stressful environment over which they have little control appear to be at increased risk for CHD. A study of 30,000 people in 52 countries found that about 1/3 of the risk for heart disease is connected to the stressfulness of people's environments.

Cancer

One study of women with breast cancer found that those who felt they had little control over their cancer and other aspects of their lives were more likely to develop new tumors over a 5-year period than were women who felt more in control, even though the two groups of women did not differ in the type or initial seriousness of their cancers. Another study found that pessimistic cancer patients are more likely to die during the first few years after their diagnosis than are optimistic patients. Coping behaviors also may affect cancer: studies of women with breast cancer found that those who actively sought social support from others had greater immune system activity.

HIV/AIDS

Some studies suggest that psychological factors can affect the progression of illness in people infected with HIV. One study that followed 85 HIV-infected gay men found that those whose partner or close friend had died of AIDS showed a more rapid decline in immune system functioning. Another group of investigators followed 96 gay men over 9 years and found that those who experienced more severe stressors, including the deaths of close friends and partners, showed a faster progression to AIDS

Immune system

The immune system protects us from disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. The immune system is divided into two branches, the innate immune system and the specific immune system. Stress may affect the immune system in several ways. Although short-term stress appears to increase the potency of immune responses, more chronic stress decreases immune functioning, in part because some of the biochemicals released as part of the fight-or-flight response suppress the immune system is a stressor persists for long periods.

Type A behavior pattern

The personality factor traditionally linked to coronary heart disease. The three components of this pattern are a sense of time urgency, easily aroused hostility, and competitive striving for achievement. People who are Type A are always in a hurry, setting unnecessary deadlines for themselves and trying to do multiple things at once. They are competitive, even in situations in which being competitive is ridiculous. They are chronically hostile and will fly into a rage with little provocation.