University of Tasmania
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

Common Respiratory Tract Infections as Psychological Entities: A Review of the Mood and Performance Effects of Being I11

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-16, 13:25 authored by Mahoney, TD, Ball, PJ
The clinical manifestations associated with colds and influenza overshadow the equally important mood and performance impairments. While decreased alertness and increased anxiety can be considered side effects of symptomatology, symptoms alone may not be responsible for the psychomotor and attention deficits of colds and influenza, respectively. An alternative hypothesis, as proposed in this review, suggests that the immune response, in the form of a cytokine cascade, may be responsible for both the physical and psychological symptoms. In particular, patterns of cytokine production for each infection will dictate the symptoms and performance deficits both within and between viruses. This hypothesis can be extended to incorporate infectious mononucleosis, as well as colds and influenza. The efficacy of symptom-based over-the-counter medications is then called into question.

History

Publication title

Australian Psychologist

Volume

37

Pagination

86-94

ISSN

0005-0067

Department/School

School of Psychological Sciences

Publisher

The Australian Psychological Society Limited

Place of publication

Melbourne, Victoria

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Behaviour and health

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC