health Psychology

• Health is defined as a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of disease or infirmity according to WHO
• Health Psychology studies issues and interventions to help people stay well or recover from illness
• Health Psychology focuses on health promotion, maintenance, prevention, treatment of illness, etiology, correlates of health, illness, and dysfunction
• Health Psychology examines psychological and social factors that enhance health, prevent and treat illness, and evaluate and modify health policies
• • Renaissance period focused on organic and cellular pathology for diagnosis and treatment
• Brief History of Mind-Body Relationship:

  • In prehistoric times, disease was believed to arise when evil spirits entered the body, treated by exorcising spirits and drilling holes in the skull
  • Ancient Greeks identified bodily factors in health and illness, believed disease resulted from imbalanced humors, treated by restoring balance of four humors (blood, black bile, yellow bile, phlegm)
  • Middle Ages viewed disease as God's punishment, treated with torture and later penance through prayer and good works
• Biomedical Model assumes psychological and social processes are largely irrelevant to the disease process
• Biopsychosocial Model:

  • Conversion Hysteria: unconscious conflicts can produce physical disturbances symbolizing repressed psychological conflicts
  • Ulcer-prone personality: excessive needs for dependency and love increase stomach acid secretion leading to ulcers
  • Psychosomatic Medicine: specific illnesses produced by internal or emotional conflicts
• Biopsychosocial Model:

  • Health and illness are determined by the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors
  • Diagnosis and treatment recommendations benefit from understanding these factors
  • Treatment recommendations can focus on all three sets of factors
  • Relationship between patient and practitioner is significant
• Case History of Nightmare Deaths:

  • Sudden, unexpected deaths among male refugees from Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War
  • Victims had a rare, genetically based heart malfunction triggered by chronic strain, genetic susceptibility, and immediate triggers like family arguments or frightening dreams
• Patterns of Disease and Death:

  • Age: older people are more likely to die, causes of death vary among age groups
  • Changing Patterns of Illness:
  • Acute Disorders: short-term illnesses from viral or bacterial invaders, amenable to cure (e.g. tuberculosis, influenza)
  • Chronic Illness: main contributor to disability and death, typically managed but not cured (e.g. heart diseases, cancer)
• Ethnicity, Income, and Disease:

  • Association between income level and health is strong across all income levels
  • Higher education levels correlate with less engagement in unhealthy behaviors
  • Perception of social standing relates more strongly to health status than objective measures