Skip to content
Unit 5

Mental and Physical Health

5 topics · 150 Practice Questions

Start Studying

Watch the Unit 5 Review

Watch the review, then study the approved topic summaries below.

Open on YouTube If the player is blocked, open the review directly.

Topics in this Unit

Topic 5.1Introduction to Health PsychologyReviewed summary

What this topic is about

The Unit 5 review introduces health psychology through the relationship between behavior, mental processes, and well-being. Much of the section focuses on stress, how people respond to it, and coping approaches. Stress is not one-size-fits-all, and the video says coping may combine efforts to change a situation with ways to manage feelings.

Key ideas

  • Health psychology examines how behavior and mental processes relate to physical and mental well-being.
  • The video distinguishes major life events from daily hassles as sources of stress.
  • The general adaptation syndrome is presented as alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
  • The tend-and-befriend response is described alongside fight-or-flight responses.
  • Problem-focused coping addresses the situation; emotion-focused coping helps manage the feelings associated with it.

Common confusion

The review treats stress responses and coping as related but different: one describes the body's response; the other describes ways people manage stress.

Review connection

Review this in the Unit 5 Review video, then try the Topic 5.1 Practice Quiz.

Reviewed by Tim Steadman

Open topic page
Topic 5.2Positive PsychologyReviewed summary

What this topic is about

The video describes positive psychology as a focus on well-being and the conditions that help people flourish. Tim emphasizes that happiness and life satisfaction involve more than income or possessions. The review connects well-being with positive emotion, engagement, and meaning, and names character strengths associated with these areas.

Key ideas

  • Subjective well-being is a person's own sense of happiness and life satisfaction.
  • The review connects well-being with relationships, achievement, and individual differences.
  • It presents meaning and engagement alongside positive emotion as routes to well-being.
  • Character strengths such as creativity, honesty, gratitude, and leadership are named.
  • The video notes that external rewards may matter less once basic needs are met.

Common confusion

Subjective well-being is self-perceived; the review does not reduce it to a single external measure such as income.

Review connection

Review this in the Unit 5 Review video, then try the Topic 5.2 Practice Quiz.

Reviewed by Tim Steadman

Open topic page
Topic 5.3Explaining and Classifying Psychological DisordersReviewed summary

What this topic is about

Tim introduces psychological disorders by discussing how psychologists identify distress and impairment, classify patterns, and consider possible causes. He emphasizes that biological, psychological, and environmental influences can interact. The discussion of diagnosis balances potential benefits with negative consequences; later examples return to interacting causes.

Key ideas

  • The review discusses dysfunction, distress, and deviation from social norms when considering disorder.
  • Diagnosis can help people find treatment, while also carrying possible negative effects.
  • The DSM and ICD are identified as classification systems used by professionals.
  • The diathesis-stress model combines a predisposition with stressors that may contribute to a disorder.
  • The video repeatedly cautions that disorders do not have one simple cause.

Common confusion

The review describes classification as a professional tool; a difficult feeling or unusual behavior alone is not presented as enough to establish a disorder.

Review connection

Review this in the Unit 5 Review video, then try the Topic 5.3 Practice Quiz.

Reviewed by Tim Steadman

Open topic page
Topic 5.4Selection of Categories of Psychological DisordersReviewed summary

What this topic is about

The middle of the Unit 5 video surveys selected disorder categories and example symptoms. Tim moves through neurodevelopmental, psychotic, depressive, bipolar, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, dissociative, trauma-related, eating, and personality disorders. Categories are accompanied by symptom examples, and the transcript repeatedly cautions against explaining a disorder through one cause alone.

Key ideas

  • The video describes ADHD and autism spectrum disorder in its neurodevelopmental section.
  • It contrasts schizophrenia symptoms with mood disorders such as major depression and bipolar disorder.
  • Anxiety disorders, OCD, dissociative disorders, and PTSD are discussed through examples.
  • The review also covers eating disorders and personality disorder clusters.
  • For several conditions, the video describes biological, psychological, and social influences rather than a single cause.

Common confusion

The examples in the review describe patterns associated with categories; they are not a tool for diagnosing yourself or another person.

Review connection

Review this in the Unit 5 Review video, then try the Topic 5.4 Practice Quiz.

Reviewed by Tim Steadman

Open topic page
Topic 5.5Treatment of Psychological DisordersReviewed summary

What this topic is about

The final unit section reviews biological treatments and psychotherapy. Tim describes therapies that focus on unconscious conflict, current thoughts and behavior, gradual exposure, and a supportive therapeutic relationship. The closing emphasizes evidence-based plans tailored to a person's situation, with medication and therapy sometimes used together.

Key ideas

  • The review separates biological treatments from psychotherapy.
  • Psychodynamic therapy is described as exploring unconscious thoughts, feelings, and past conflicts.
  • Cognitive and cognitive-behavioral approaches address thoughts and behaviors; the video includes gradual exposure and fear hierarchies.
  • Behavioral methods discussed include exposure and aversion approaches.
  • Client-centered therapy emphasizes empathy, listening, and unconditional positive regard; the video also discusses medication and ECT.

Common confusion

The review distinguishes therapy approaches by what they target, such as thoughts, behaviors, unconscious conflict, or the therapeutic relationship.

Review connection

Review this in the Unit 5 Review video, then try the Topic 5.5 Practice Quiz.

Reviewed by Tim Steadman

Open topic page