Mental & Physical Health
What this unit covers
The topics below follow the published Psychology course framework for Unit 5. This unit is worth 15–25% of the exam, so budget your time against that rather than against how long the unit takes to teach.
Lessons in this unit
- Defining & Diagnosing Psychological Disorders13 min · 3 objectivesExplain the criteria used to define a psychological disorder · Describe the biopsychosocial model and the role of the DSM · Distinguish major anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders by their symptoms
- Treatment of Psychological Disorders14 min · 3 objectivesCompare the major psychotherapeutic approaches and their goals · Explain how cognitive and behavioral therapies change thoughts and actions · Describe biomedical treatments and match drug classes to disorders
- Stress & Health13 min · 3 objectivesDefine stress and describe the body’s physiological response to it · Explain the general adaptation syndrome and stress’s effect on health · Compare coping strategies and their effectiveness
- Positive Psychology & Well-Being12 min · 3 objectivesExplain the goals and focus of positive psychology · Describe subjective well-being and the factors that influence happiness · Apply concepts such as flow, the adaptation-level phenomenon, and gratitude
Every term in Unit 5
All 22 terms we publish for Mental & Physical Health, with definitions. Reading them through is the fastest way to find the ones you cannot define — then drill those in cram mode until you can produce them without the prompt.
- Biopsychosocial model
- Disorders arise from biological, psychological and social factors together. The dominant framework, replacing single-cause explanations.
- Diathesis-stress model
- A predisposition (diathesis) produces disorder only when combined with sufficient stress, explaining why risk does not equal outcome.
- Criteria for abnormality
- Deviance, distress, dysfunction and danger — none sufficient alone, and all sensitive to cultural context.
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Persistent, diffuse anxiety not tied to a specific object, present most days for at least six months.
- Panic disorder
- Recurrent unexpected panic attacks with physical symptoms, plus persistent worry about further attacks — the fear of the fear.
- Phobia
- Intense, persistent fear disproportionate to actual danger, leading to avoidance that maintains the fear by preventing disconfirmation.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Intrusive obsessions producing anxiety, and compulsions performed to reduce it. The relief is reinforcing, which is why the cycle persists.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Intrusive re-experiencing, avoidance, negative mood changes and hyperarousal following trauma, persisting beyond a month.
- Major depressive disorder
- At least two weeks of depressed mood or loss of interest plus somatic and cognitive symptoms causing impairment.
- Bipolar disorder
- Alternating depressive episodes and manic episodes of elevated mood, reduced need for sleep and risky behavior.
- Schizophrenia
- Positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech) and negative symptoms (flat affect, avolition). Dopamine overactivity is implicated.
- Dissociative disorders
- Disruptions of memory, identity or consciousness, generally linked to severe trauma. Dissociative identity disorder is the most contested diagnosis.
- Personality disorders
- Enduring, inflexible patterns deviating from cultural expectation and causing impairment, grouped in three clusters.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Identifies and restructures distorted thinking while changing behavior. Strong evidence for anxiety and depression.
- Systematic desensitization
- Pairing gradual exposure to a feared stimulus with relaxation, so the fear response is replaced by an incompatible one — counterconditioning.
- Token economy
- Operant treatment where target behaviors earn tokens exchangeable for rewards, used in institutional settings.
- Psychoanalysis
- Freud's method of surfacing unconscious conflict through free association and dream analysis, working through resistance and transference.
- Client-centered therapy
- Rogers's nondirective approach using genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard so the client can direct their own growth.
- Biomedical therapies
- Drugs, ECT and psychosurgery. Antipsychotics block dopamine; SSRIs block serotonin reuptake; lithium stabilizes mood in bipolar disorder.
- Stress and the general adaptation syndrome
- Selye's alarm, resistance and exhaustion sequence. Prolonged stress suppresses immune function through sustained cortisol.
- Problem-focused vs emotion-focused coping
- Problem-focused changes the stressor and suits controllable situations; emotion-focused manages the reaction and suits uncontrollable ones.
- Social support and health
- Strong social ties predict better immune function, faster recovery and lower mortality, both by buffering stress and by encouraging healthier behavior.
What examiners penalize here
- When a scenario lists causes from *multiple* domains (genes + thoughts + environment), the answer is the **biopsychosocial model**. For disorder identification, anchor each category to one signature: anxiety = persistent fear/worry, mood = emotional extremes, schizophrenia = break from reality.
- Match drug class to neurotransmitter and disorder: **antidepressants (SSRIs) → raise serotonin → depression/anxiety**; **antipsychotics → lower dopamine → schizophrenia**; **lithium (mood stabilizer) → bipolar**. The neurotransmitter link is a frequent exam target.
- For GAS, memorize the three phases in order — **Alarm → Resistance → Exhaustion** — and that the *exhaustion* phase is when the body’s depleted reserves leave it vulnerable to illness. Link chronic stress and cortisol to weakened immunity for FRQ health questions.
- Distinguish two happiness dampeners: the **adaptation-level phenomenon** is comparing to your *own past* (you adapt to gains), while **relative deprivation** is comparing to *other people*. Both explain why objective improvements often fail to raise lasting happiness.
Practice Psychology
Our practice bank is drawn from across the whole course rather than filtered to one unit, which is closer to how the exam asks anyway — it will not tell you which unit a question is testing.
Questions about this unit
How much of the AP Psychology exam is Unit 5?
Unit 5, Mental & Physical Health, is worth 15–25% of the Psychology multiple-choice section according to the published course framework. Across all 5 units that makes it one of the heaviest units on the exam, and worth front-loading.
What topics are covered in Psychology Unit 5?
Mental & Physical Health covers Disorders, Treatment, Stress and Positive psychology. We publish 22 terms with definitions for this unit, all of them on this page.
How should I study Psychology Unit 5?
Read the 4 lessons below first — about 50 minutes — then drill the 22 terms in cram mode until you can produce each definition from memory rather than just recognize it. Recognition is what makes a unit feel finished when it is not. Finish with practice questions and read the explanation for every one you get right by elimination as well as the ones you miss.
All 5 units of AP Psychology
Unit names, topics and exam weights follow the published College Board course framework for AP Psychology. AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which does not endorse this site.