INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

OVERVIEW

• What has psychology got to do with healthcare?
• What areas can it be applied to?
• Is it a science or an art?

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

• The science of mind and behaviour
• Many different fields, techniques
• Different types of psychologist

PSYCHOLOGY AND HEALTH

• The mind governs behaviour...
• ...Behaviours impact health.
• What examples of this are there?

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY:

THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL FRAMEWORK

• Health is affected by a number of factors
• BIOLOGICAL (virus, tumour etc)
• PSYCHOLOGICAL (stress, thoughts & behaviours etc)
• SOCIAL (culture, economic status etc)

APPLICATIONS OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY

• Illness prevention/health promotion
• Managing the effects of illness
• Patient-clinician communication and adherance

HEALTH PROMOTION

• Using psychological principles to promote health
• e.g. Use of social learning theory, role modelling
• Smoking; therapeutic communities; diet etc

MANAGING THE EFFECTS OF ILLNESS

• Identifying those at risk of mental health problems
• e.g. Depression, anxiety after stroke
• Effects of illness on quality of life
• e.g. New treatment approaches to SE-AN

MINOR DETOUR: DIAGNOSTIC OVERSHADOWING

• How often does physical health get focused on in mental health?
• How often does mental health get focused on in physical health?
• Yet, the two are massively linked
• See 'lethal discrimination' report (2013)
• HIP trial at UEA (ongoing)

COMMUNICATION & ADHERANCE

• Phrasing of consultations (Murdoch,2013)
• The importance of therapeutic alliance
• The role of first impressions
• See Sly et al (2013)

ADHERANCE: ENCOURAGING CHANGE

• Change requires learning of some sort to take place
• How someone learns will affect their chances
• We can enhance these chances if we know how
• See social learning theory,self-efficacy,locus of control

SCIENCE: IT WORKS

PSYCHOLOGY AS SCIENCE

• In the old days: introspection
• Now embraces scientific methods and processes
• But there is more room for interpretation than in other areas
• E.g. Qualitative research; decanting of feelings into numbers

PSYCHOLOGY:

OVERVIEW

• What has psychology got to do with healthcare?
• What areas can it be applied to?
• Is it a science or an art?

READING

• Intro to psychology: Gross
• 'Lethal Discrimination' report
• Sly et al (2013)'premature termination...'
• Search for social learning theory, self efficacy, locus of control