Medical psychology

Medical psychology (related to Clinical Health Psychology, Psychosomatic Medicine, and Behavioral Medicine') is a branch of clinical psychology where clinicians have trained in the biological aspects of mental illness in relation to physical illness, and are usually qualified to prescribe medication; this last aspect varies from country to country. It adopts the biopsychosocial approach to medicine, which revolves around the idea that both the body and mind are indivisible, and that disease and illness are not identical. Continuing with this line of thought, all diseases whether of the mind or of the physical body must be treated as if they have both been affected. The intent of Medical Psychology is to apply knowledge from all branches of social, psychological, and biological medicine in the prevention, assessment, and treatment of all forms of physical illness and the adaptation to illness; specific behavioral, psychotherapeutic, and pharmaceutical methods are used to help the person respond to illness and prevent further illness through matching coping and management skills to the person’s abilities, character, and personality style. This topic page is for organizing the development of Medical psychology content on Wikiversity.

Readings

 * Medical psychology
 * Disease
 * Biopsychosocial model
 * Health psychology
 * Cartesian
 * Dualism (philosophy of mind)