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Psychology and Health Problems Psychology and Health Problems Suzette Cauthen Axia College of University of Phoenix The reading segment provided for this assignment was really helpful. There were four different health problems discussed in this chapter of the reading. In choosing the two health problems appropriate for me to write about there was some careful consideration on my part. After careful consideration the two health problems more complex for me to understand were the headaches and the menstrual problems.
Psychology is a big part of pain and trying to figure out the human mind and body. Stress is a major part of some of the pain people face everyday. Stress is a psychological factor and stress can affect us all differently as an individual. The two kinds of headaches are tension and migraine. These headaches are overwhelming for some people to take. The stress on top of a headache seems to bring more stress. Peoples stress and headaches are brought on by several things and the way we live.
For example let’s take a teacher and a family counselor and compare their stress levels. A teacher has a lot more to deal with in a day since he or she would have so many kids where as a family counselor would have to deal with only patients he or she decides to help. This example is used to try to explain the different levels of stress people can undergo by what kind of a day this person follows. Not only can stress cause headaches, but there are some environmental, physiological, and interpersonal factors which cause headaches also. Some of the factors are called strong light, barometric pressure, pollen, certain drugs, MSG, chocolate, aged cheese, beer, champagne, red wine, and—as millions of women know—the hormonal changes connected with menstruation” (Chapter 4 Reading Text). The major cause of tension—type and migraine headaches are psychological and interpersonal factors. After careful research into this matter studies have shown headache patients have a hard time dealing with their problem. This causes the situation to get worse if the problem is not taken care of. Behavior is another possibility to onsider when a person is dealing with headaches. As everyone knows behavior is another study of psychology. The reason behavior is so important in stress and a headache is because some people dwell more on their pain and stress and not what is going on around them. Consider the possibility of a woman who can handle the stress and the headaches opposed to a woman who can not handle it. The behavior between these two women will definitely be different because of the ability to cope and manage the pain. It is never good to let the pain and bad things take over then this can cause distress and depression mode for an individual.
Psychology has helped to manage the health problem of headaches by the psychologists studying this problem and finding the solution of the pain medicine and therapy to help solve the headaches. There have been different kinds of pain medicine made to help with headaches and pain. To just name a few Tylenol, Advil, and Excedrin…etc. there are plenty of more over-the-counter medicine used to control this type of pain. There is also the possibility of relaxation and time to alone as mentioned before. If these headaches are related to the way an individual eats then there is the possibility of change.
Change can sometimes be a good thing for all of us. “Menstrual problems are a major health problem 50% to 75% of women in the world experience” (Chapter 4 Reading Text). Out of this percentile of women the other 25% have probably experienced this health problem in some way. Let’s try this for an example a forty-five year old woman and a seventeen year old girl and the changes going on with them. It is more than likely the older woman has or is going through menopause and she has done been through the whole process of premenstrual syndrome. Of course the younger girl would be in the process of her time for this ache and misery.
The fact being whether it be menopause or PMS every woman or girl young or old feels the effects of this health problem. Psychology plays a big part of the role in this health problem also. The way psychology helps to understand this health problem is because the human body and the hormonal changes the female goes through during this time. As mentioned earlier menstrual pain is a cause of headaches women experience also. Any woman out there can agree with the fact of discomfort and pain being experienced before the cycle begins. This menstrual cycle is formally called PMS.
There are normal hormonal changes taken place in the mind and body of a woman during menstruation. These hormones reflect on the neurotransmitters (gamma-aminobutyric acid GABA) and well as headaches do. Biological and psychological symptoms take place with a woman during this four to six day interval, as mentioned in Chapter four of the reading text. Women tend to get depressed, have mood swings, and get anger more often, have crying spells, hot flashes, unwilling to cope and deal with things or people, etc…there are more things women deal with during this time.
As anyone can tell this is a very difficult time for a lot of women. PMS can get so unbearable for women and can cause a whole lot of changes with the body. Psychology helps people to understand this problem better by focusing on the female body and the change the body goes through during this time. The woman in general goes through emotional and physical changes in her own mind. These effects are very crucial during premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The effects taking place is very hard for anyone to understand if they are not going through it themselves (this would be mostly leveled toward a man by a woman’s point of view).
Women do not think that men in general understand anything about what they are feeling. The way psychology helps in managing this problem for women is by the introducing this health problem as a burden they have to tolerate in their lifetime. It seems this problem is something a woman can make better for herself if she learns to cope with it. Some ways to emotionally, physically, and socially cope with this problem is to exercise, to eat right, or hormone treatments. There are medicines over the counter in which the GABA can help be controlled in the body.
The ability to cope with these types of health problems makes a woman strong and able to take the pain that comes with living and being a woman. It is important for woman as well as men to psychologically read upon these health problems and see what the role is psychology plays in them. Psychology can help someone to learn things in a different perspective and help someone to understand the human mind and body better. There are so many things going on with a human body and an individual would never realize this until they look into it. References Degges-White, Suzanne, Jane E.
Myers, James U. Adelman, and Denise D. Pastoor. “Examining counseling needs of headache patients: an exploratory study of wellness and perceived stress. ” Journal of Mental Health Counseling 25. 4 (Oct 2003): 271(20). General OneFile. Gale. Apollo Library. 29 Mar. 2009 Gale Document Number:A108912020 Miller, Laura J. “Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. ” Psychiatric Times 19. 6 (June 1, 2002): 54. General OneFile. Gale. Apollo Library. 29 Mar. 2009 . Gale Document Number:A88122608 Chapter 4 Psychology and the Challenges of Life: Adjustment in the New Millennium Figure 4. 3 on p. 127