PSYC 3140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Reaction, Dissociative Identity Disorder

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3140
• Professor: Vas.Valoo

Document Summary

Stressor: the event that creates the demands e. g. rush-hour traffic, marriage, poverty, traumatic events etc. Stress response: the pe(cid:396)so(cid:374)(cid:859)s (cid:396)ea(cid:272)tio(cid:374)s to the de(cid:373)a(cid:374)ds; ou(cid:396) (cid:396)espo(cid:374)se is i(cid:374)flue(cid:374)(cid:272)ed (cid:271)(cid:455) the way we judge the events and our capacity to reach effectively. Increase in stress has been linked to the onset of depression, schizophrenia and other psychological problems. Hypothalamus releases nt when the brain interprets a situation as dangerous; it also activates two systems: Works alongside the ans to produce arousal and fear reactions: sympathetic nervous system: hypothalamus excites this system when faced with a dangerous situation; quickens heartbeat and produces other changes associated with fear/anxiety. Nerves stimulate the organs in the body and passes to a second group of fibers. Parasympathetic nervous system: returns the heartbeat and other body processes back to normal. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (hpa) pathway: second pathway where arousal and fear reactions are produced. Stressors signal the hypothalamus to signal the pituitary gland to secrete acth, a major stress hormone.