Health Psychology

Health Psychology

1. Dr Neeta Gupta Associate Professor Department of psychology Certified Practitioner of EFT & REBT (London) & CBT ( Scotland) DAV PG College Dehradun Health-Psychology

2. Health psychology, also known as medical psychology or behavioral medicine, is a subfield of psychology in which the main concern is how biology, psychology, behavior and social factors are involved in one’s physical health and illness.

3. Health psychology steers away from the simple linear model of health and considers illness as a product of multiple factors, and that people are not seen as passive victims of external forces such as viruses or bacteria. Individuals are deemed accountable for their health as they are responsible for the activities that they choose to engage in, which may include smoking, diet, drinking alcohol and engaging in exercise.

4. Health psychology is the study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare. It is concerned with understanding how psychological, behavioral , and cultural factors contribute to physical health and illness. Psychological factors can affect health directly.

5. Goals of Health-Psychology: 1.To prevent illness 2.To promote good health 3.To help with the treatment of Illness 4.To investigate the psychological correlates of Illness. 5. To improve the Health Care system and Health-Policy

6. 6.Investigating the effects of disease 7.Conducting research on prevention of and intervention in health problems 8.Improving doctor-patient communication 9.Improving adherence to medical advice 10.Finding treatments to manage pain.

7. Health psychologists  are specially trained to help people deal with the  psychological  and emotional aspects of  health  and illness as well as supporting people who are chronically ill. They promote healthier lifestyles and try to find ways to encourage people to improve their  health .

8. A doctor may treat a heart patient using drugs or surgery, but a health psychologists could contribute to the treatment by introducing a Stress Management program.   Health psychologists  study how patients handle illness, why some people don't follow medical advice and the most effective ways to control pain or change poor  health  habits.

9. It is a field which aims to answer the following queries: What are the causes of illness? Who are to be held responsible for it? How must illness be treated? Who are in charge of treatment? How are health and illness related? What is the connection between mind and body ?

10. Research in health psychology provides in-depth understanding of health and illness. Health psychologists identify behaviors and experiences that promote health or give rise to illness, and influence the effectiveness of health care.  

11. Scope of Health Psychology & its Interventions in Health Care : Manage chronic & life threatening disease such as rheumatoid, arthritis, diabetes and cancer.

12. • Treat psychophysical disorder such as hypertension, headache, insomnia, etc.

13. Provide adjuncture or complementary care for patients with refractory medical symptoms such as pain and psychological co morbidity such as depression, stress and for patients who must cope with surgery and other stressful medical procedure.

14. Health psychologists make important methodological contributions to issues of health and illness. Many of the issues that arise in medical settings demand rigorous research investigation.

15. Although physicians and nurses receive some methodological and statistical education, their training may be inadequate to conduct research on the issues they wish to address. The health psychologist can be a valuable member of the research team by providing the methodological and statistical expertise that is the hallmark of good training in psychology.

16. The primary function of a health psychologist is to help clients and patients better manage their stress, anger, psychological disorders, medical conditions, and mental illnesses by teaching them effective stress management, relaxation, and biofeedback strategies .

17. Relationship of Health & clinical Psychology: The main difference between health psychology and clinical psychology is that health psychology focuses on the health of clients and patients, while clinical psychology focuses on mental illnesses (i.e. psychological disorders, abnormal behaviors , and psychiatric illnesses).

18. Health psychologists also tend to place most of their energies on improving the health of people, through diet, exercise, stress management techniques, etc., while clinical psychologists tend to exert their energies on helping clients and patients effectively manage their mental and physical conditions. Clinical psychologists tend to collaborate/triage with psychiatrists, while health psychologists tend to collaborate/triage with nutritionists and dietitians .

19. The primary concern of a health psychologist is the body, while the main concern of a clinical psychologist is the mind. Also, the main objective of clinical psychologists is to reduce mental health symptoms, while the main objective of health psychologists is to teach clients and patients effective coping strategies that improve their health. Clinical psychologists tend more to lean towards traditional treatments modalities, while health psychologists tend to learn more natural treatment options .

20. Clinical psychologists typically use one or more of the following psychological approaches: cognitive- behavioral , psychodynamic, and/or humanistic. Clinical psychologists may treat individuals, couples, families, and groups, depending on the circumstances. Many clinical psychologists work with psychiatrists because clinical psychologists tend to lean towards medical (i.e. psychotropic medications) treatments.

21. Clinical health psychology  is a professionally recognized specialty that investigates and implements  clinical  services across diverse populations and settings to promote  health  and well-being and to prevent, treat and manage illness and disability .

22. Clinical health psychology (CIHP) is a major contributor to the areas of prevention and treatment and comprises education, behavior change techniques, and psychotherapy. In some countries, prescription privileges are given when clinical health psychologists receive additional training to become a medical psychologist .

23. REFERENCE: https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/healthpsychology/ https://www.psychologyschoolguide.net/guides/difference-between-health-psychology-and-clinical-psychology/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20health,behaviors%2C%20and%20psychiatric%20illnesses ). https://unesocialwork.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/anim_psychology1-5a625b6f9e942700366bb7f0.gif https://media4.giphy.com/media/dWKOo5eqrrZyU/giphy.gif https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d6/df/40/d6df4080c1524710b0f15b78a1007c8d.gif https://blog.advids.co/wp-content/uploads//2017/07/health-11-min.gif https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/5935712/ResMed/gifs/gif-10.gif https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS516WO6-Glf1QYoZSz-TcQaCzOAz5C8k86fQ&usqp=CAU https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/5935712/ResMed/gifs/restoration.gif https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTLwU-AV3Hs64IE8CxjqnlVp3VAjDJQbKX0hA&usqp=CAU https://i.pinimg.com/originals/33/ba/21/33ba21ccda561739ab950d66e5616b82.gif https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQXF7kwrzfU3sn7OX5E7dzqi48e_Ar3XoLckA&usqp=CAU https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/2019/11/20/srw24-food/addb3703c7c2a0d0046aa189cd5cb24f192f871b/NYT_Thanksgiving_transparent_nomattelg.gif