MEDICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOURAL MEDICINE
Code
11184
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
Department
SP
Credits
3
Teacher in charge
Prof. Doutor Manuel Gonçalves Pereira
Objectives
The student will be introduced to basic knowledge regarding psychology and the behavioural sciences, as needed for medical practice in the clinical and public health fields. The student will be expected to consolidate attitudes of empathy, as well as communication techniques in clinical interviewing or health communication contexts.
This curricular unit aims to provide links between previous ones (e.g. Introduction to Medicine, Introduction to Clinical Practice) - in what concerns contents related to mental health and the doctor-patient relationship - and the clinical disciplines of Psychiatry and Mental Health.
Through practical activities and programmed tasks, students are also expected to develop basic skills concerning: autonomy, group work, research and the communication of results.
Prerequisites
Subject matter
1. Introduction The contribution of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences for medical practice.
2. Models of mental functioning. Biological, psychological and social bases of human behaviour.
Biological, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, systemic and bio-psycho-social models.
3. Basic mental functions and human behaviour
Affect and emotion. Perception. Learning behaviour; classical and operant conditioning. Motivation and conflict. Clinical application of theoretical knowledge on conscience, attention, language, thought and intelligence.
4. Personality
Concept and structure. Bio-psychosocial bases and models of personality development. Personality resources (e.g. resilience, locus of control).
Personality assessment (in clinical and research grounds).
5. Human development and the life cycle.
Major theoretical aspects of the life cycle: object relations theory; Erikson and the concept of crisis; modelling and social learning (Bandura).
Infancy, adolescence, adulthood and ageing.
Death, dying and grief in Medicine.
6. Health psychology. Health and illness behaviours
Stress, appraisal and coping (according to Lazarus & Folkman). Psychological adaptation to illness, disability, hospital admission and terminal phases of life.
Psychosocial determinants of disease: the example of cardio-vascular disease. Type A behaviour. Disease prevention and health promotion in practice (e.g. smoking, eating behaviour, alcohol and substance abuse).
Psychological aspects of different diseases. Mind-body interactions (the example of chronic pain).
7. Family aspects of health and illness
Family systems perspectives. Family structure and functioning. The basics of family assessment, in research and clinical contexts.
Acute and chronic diseases within the family. Impact on the family (including family burden and other aspects of the caregiving experience). Introduction to family formulations.
8. Advanced psychological aspects of clinical interviewing, health communication and the medical-patient relationship
The medical-patient-relationship: dynamics (transference, counter-transference). Placebo effects, treatment adherence. Handling specific situations (e.g. breaking bad news).
- The social and cultural context of health
Health and work. Occupational determinants of health. Occupational stress and burnout. Reactions to unemployment, work disability and retirement. Health and gender.
Bibliography
Main texts:
S. Ayers, R. de Visser: Psychology for Medicine. Sage, 2011. ISBN: 9781412946919
B. Alder, M. Porter, C. Abraham, E. Van Teijlingen, M. Porter: Psychology and Sociology applied to Medicine. An Illustrated Colour Text. 3rd edition. Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier, 2009.
Other references:
D. Wedding, M.L. Stuber: Behavior & Medicine. 5th Edition. Hogrefe Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-0-88937-375-4
B. Fadem: Behavioral Science in Medicine. Baltimore, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004.
Teaching method
During seminars, contents already mentioned or explained in lectures will be illustrated and discussed more in depth.
Practical classes involve: 1) small group discussions; 2) video material discussions; 3) direct training in communication skills and medical interviewing, including role-play exercises and feedback.
Evaluation method
There will be a final written examination (compulsory) and an oral examination (which the student may choose to take, provided he/she has passed the written exam, i.e. grades above 9/20). In case the student decides to take the oral examination, the final grade will be the arithmetical mean of the written and oral exam classifications, unless he/she fails the oral proof.
Admission criteria to the written examination: no more than 1/3 of absences at seminars and no more than 1/3 of absences at practical classes. The written examination will consist of multiple choice questions, direct questions and a short essay.