1.  Eating Disorders  90% of e.d. folks are adolescent/young women.  Anorexia Nervosa—marked by extreme thinness (<85% healthy weight), obsessional thinking, food phobia, poor self- esteem, exercise, dangerous physical effects. Distorted body perception.  no treatments are highly successful.  Bulimia Nervosa—marked by binge eating, perceived loss of control over eating and compensatory behaviors—vomiting, laxative use, fasting, exercise. More impulsive than A.N. (obsessive)  better success at treatment  especially meds + cognitive behavioral intervention

2.  Stress, Coping, and Maladaptive Behavior  main topic: interaction of person under stress  prior to Freud, Descartes’ view of mind separate from body dominated. Freud postulated ‘hysteria’-bodily manifestations of emotional traumas. Psychic trauma is converted to physical symptoms (conversion hysteria) often in the form of blindness, deafness, loss of limb function, etc.  Chronic pain– 65 million americans (arthritis, back pain, headaches). often leads to depression, secondary gain. copers seem to create more internal pain killers (endogenous opioids).

3.  Type A- hard driving and intense approach to life/work. linked to heart disease but may be a more narrow aspect such as hostility, cynicism and/or anger (high reactivity  uncontrollable stress– strongly related to health (cancer, heart disease, etc.). consider your career choice carefully.  Cancer—difficulty handling emotions associated with increased of various diseases.  emotional expression/support may be beneficial (e.g., study finding that group therapy lengthened life of women with late stage breast cancer).

4.  personal and situational variables are involved in stress response (biopsychosocial model)  context: frustrations, conflicts, & pressures  individuals differ in their perception of coping capacity  Stress and Coping—coping skills (akin to defense mechanisms but more ‘in the world’)  Goals of coping: master, overcome, sidestep/avoid, understand, resolve problem (more inclusive than defense m.)  people can learn to cope vicariously (watching others, reading, tv, therapy).  task oriented coping—focus on changing self and/or surroundings.

5.  somatoform disorders -  diagnoses: somatization disorder, conversion disorder, hypochondriasis, body dysmorphic disorder, pain disorder.  frequent complaints: e.g., headaches, fatigue, heart palpitations, fainting spells, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bowel trouble, allergies, menstrual and sexual problems.  immature, overexcitable, superficial social relations, self- centered.  somatization disorder—symptoms: pain, gastrointestinal, sexual/reproductive, pseudoneurological (conversion). unnecessary surgeries common  conversion- lost function, la belle indifference (hysteria)  hypochondriasis- preoccupation with illness/health status  Body dysmorphic disorder- imaged body defect