Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health
Psychological Wellness, Disorders & Treatment | AP® Psychology
Explore how mind and body interact for health, what makes people thrive, how we classify disorders, and how effective treatments work—with models, formulas, and exam strategies in a clear, light page!
📚 Unit Overview
Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health explores the intersection of psychological and physical well-being. You’ll master factors in health, positive psychology, the diagnosis and classification of disorders, and evidence-based treatments.
Examine five central topics, including cutting-edge approaches to mental health and detailed frameworks for understanding and treating psychological disorders.
🎯 Key Concepts You'll Master
- Health Psychology: Biopsychosocial model (\( H = f(B, P, S) \)), stress response, health behaviors
- Positive Psychology: Well-being, resilience, happiness research, PERMA model
- Classifying Disorders: DSM-5, cross-cutting factors, reliability/validity, categories vs. dimensions
- Types of Disorders: Mood (\( M \)), anxiety (\( A \)), psychotic (\( P \)), personality (\( Per \)), eating, trauma, neurodevelopmental
- Treatment: Biomedical (medications, ECT), psychotherapy (CBT, psychodynamic, humanistic), effectiveness, placebo effects
🎓 Learning Objectives
By the end of Unit 5, you will be able to:
- Describe the biopsychosocial model and domains of health psychology
- Compare strategies for well-being and positive psychology
- Understand DSM-5 and classification of major psychological disorders
- Recognize symptoms and characteristics of main disorder categories
- Explain biomedical and psychotherapy treatments and their effectiveness
- Apply health/disorder concepts to AP® Psychology MCQ and FRQ scenarios
📖 Complete Topic Guide (5 Lessons)
Click any topic below to find in-depth models, diagrams, key formulas, sample questions, and AP® exam strategies.
Introduction to Health Psychology
Understand the biopsychosocial model (\( H = f(B, P, S) \)), health behaviors, stress and coping mechanisms, lifestyle factors.
Explore Topic 5.1 →Positive Psychology
Focus on well-being, resilience, happiness science, PERMA model, and how to nurture positive traits for mental health.
Explore Topic 5.2 →Explaining and Classifying Psychological Disorders
Learn DSM-5 structure, classifying factors, and statistical models for reliability and validity in diagnosis.
Explore Topic 5.3 →Selection of Categories of Psychological Disorders
Explore main disorder types—mood, anxiety, psychotic, personality, eating, neurodevelopmental and trauma-related disorders (\( M, A, P, Per \)).
Explore Topic 5.4 →Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Understand major treatment approaches: medication, ECT, CBT, humanistic and psychodynamic therapy, effectiveness studies, and placebo effects.
Explore Topic 5.5 →🌟 Why Unit 5 Matters
Mental and physical health is at the heart of psychology’s real-world impact—from resilient living to understanding and treating psychological disorders.
- Critical for daily life: Physical health, wellness, and mental health shape long-term outcomes
- ~12-15% of AP® exam: Covers classification, diagnosis, treatment, and positive psychology
- Societal impact: Reduces stigma, promotes evidence-based care, and supports personal growth
- Foundation for mental health professions: All careers in psychology/medicine apply these concepts
✏️ AP® Exam Success: Unit 5 Strategy
How Unit 5 appears on the AP® Psychology exam:
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ):
- Biopsychosocial models, health behavior science, positive psychology
- DSM-5 classifications, key symptom clusters, validity/reliability
- Disorder diagnostics, treatment methods, efficacy studies, placebo effect
Free Response Questions (FRQ):
- Apply biopsychosocial and positive psychology to real cases
- Classify and diagnose samples using DSM-5 categories
- Explain treatment choices and support with research evidence
Key Success Strategies:
- Model mental health with formulas: Use biopsychosocial equations, PERMA, and symptom mapping
- Practice disorder classification: Recognize key clusters and diagnostic criteria
- Compare treatments: Know CBT, medication, ECT, and therapy differences
- Write evidence-based answers: Cite studies and stats for exam credibility
📅 Recommended Study Path
Suggested weekly progression:
- Week 1: Health Psychology & Wellness (Topics 5.1–5.2)
- Review biopsychosocial and positive psychology models, case studies
- Week 2: Disorders Classification (Topics 5.3–5.4)
- Study DSM-5, symptom clusters, disorder types, and diagnostic strategies
- Week 3: Treatments (Topic 5.5)
- Compare biomedical and psychotherapy interventions, charts, stats, and evaluate sample treatment plans
- Week 4: Review & Practice
- Take a comprehensive practice test, analyze MCQ/FRQ on classifications and treatments
🎁 What's Included in Each Topic Page
Each resource link provides:
- ✅ Formulas & Diagrams: Biopsychosocial and positive psychology models, DSM structure, symptom mapping, treatment charts
- ✅ Treatment Tables: Details, pros/cons, and comparison of biomedical and psychotherapy options
- ✅ Exam Tactics: FRQ/MCQ sample problems, past paper templates
- ✅ Common Errors: Stigma reduction, classification pitfalls, treatment selection errors
- ✅ Practice Problems: Diagnostic exercises, models-to-case analysis, treatment plan questions
- ✅ Perfect Math Rendering: All formulas, models, and stats rendered with MathJax
- ✅ Bold, Visible Font: All text set for high clarity and accessibility
- ✅ Very Light Colors: Clean, medical-friendly palette for easy study
🚀 Achieve Wellness Knowledge & Exam Success!
Master the foundations of health, disorder assessment, and evidence-based treatment. Explore each topic above for clear diagrams, models, and exam-winning strategies!