Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Glucocorticoid, Panic Disorder

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Terry Biggs

Document Summary

Stress: a patern of physiological, behavioural, emoional and cogniive responses to real or imagined simulus. Intervening factors: appraisal, perceived control (can you do anything about it? personality, social support, coping c. Sense stressor -> sympatheic ns -> adrenal medulla -> epinephrine. Sense stressor -> signal to hypothalamus -> anterior pituitary -> adrenal cortex. Almost every cell in body has receptor for glucocoricoids. Immune system: stress can suppress the immune system, making the person more vulnerable (get sick) : stress results in release of glucocoricoids which directly suppresses the acion of white blood cells. Studies: rats stressed out due to inescapable shock showed a decrease in lymphocyte producion. Husbands show decreased immune response ater wife"s death. People are more likely to get sick a few days ater exposure to stressful event. Reacion depends on appraisal: do you believe that situaion is a threat and that you can not cope (distress)