Week 7 - Psychology for Medicine and Healthcare

Question 1

What is health?

Answer 1

• absence of disease
• absence of illness
• functional symptoms
• “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO)

Question 2

What is the biomedical approach?

Answer 2

focusses on physical processes of disease (pathology, biochemistry, physiology)
PATHOGENIC STIMULUS->?prevention?->PHYSIOLOGICAL/BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISMS->DISEASE STATE->treatment->RECOVERY/CHRONIC CONDITION/DEATH

Question 3

What are the limitations of the biomedical approach?

Answer 3

• it does not consider the role of psychology or society in cause and treatment
• it does not take into account psychosocial benefits of some preventative activities
• it does not consider how social factors may influence access to medical care, preventive behaviour etc.
• prevention of disease may be overlooked - many diseases are very much dependent on people’s actions and beliefs

Question 4

What is the biopsychosocial approach?

Answer 4

how psychological and social factors are involved with in disease processes

social psychological biological

Question 5

What are some examples of psychological influences on health?

Answer 5

• health protective behaviours such as exercise diet and sleep
• screening behaviours such as cancer screenings and dental checks
• self management such as breast checks and vaccinations
• health risk factors are smoking drinking unsafe sex risky driving etc

Question 6

What is the placebo and nocebo effects?

Answer 6

placebo effect is measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health that is not attributable to treatment

nocebo effect occurs when inert substance produces symptoms associated with harm (e.g. example given where spray made people ‘feel nauseous’)

Question 7

What is psychoneuroimmunology?

Answer 7

where loneliness/pessimism/depression impairs the immune system

positiv moods repair immune system

Question 8

What are the psychosocial influences on health?

Answer 8

direct- positive mood and endocrine functionality

indirect- more likely to use health services provided with social support

Question 9

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the biopsychosocial approach?

Answer 9

strengths - treats the whole person

• acknowledges biographical and psychological factors
• recognises influence of social context

limitations - often little acknowledgment of cultural factors