Psychology and Sociology Applied to Medicine

THE LIFE CYCLE Pregnancy and childbirth . Reproductive issues . Development in early infancy . Childhood and child health . Adolescence . Adulthood and mid age . Aging . Bereavement. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PERSON What is personality? . Understanding learning . Perception . Memory and forgetting . Development of sexuality . Intelligence . Development of thinking. SOCIETY AND HEALTH Understanding groups .Concepts of health, illness and disease . Measuring health and illness . Changing patterns of health and illness . Social class and health . Gender and health . Ethnicity and health . Quality of life . Media and health . Aging, society and health . Housing, homeless and health . Work and health .Unemployment and health . Labeling and stigma. PREVENTING ILLNESS AND PROMOTING HEALTH What is prevention? . Medical screening . The social implications of the new genetics . Changing individual behaviour . The social context of behavioural change . Health promotion in medical practice . Illegal drugs . Alcohol problems . Smoking . Eating and its effect . Perceptions of risk and risk-taking behaviour. ILLNESS BEHAVIOUR AND DOCTOR-PATIENT ENCOUNTER Deciding to consult . Seeing the doctor . Placebo . Patient adherence . Communication skills . Breaking bad news . Self care and alternative treatment . The experience with hospitals . Psychological preparation for surgery. ILLNESS AND DISABILITY Heart disease . Social aspects of HIV/AIDS . Cancer . Anxiety . Depression . Inflammatory bowel disease . Physical disability . Learning disability . Post traumatic stress disorder . Diabetes . Stress and health . Respiratory . Death and dying. COPING WITH ILLNESS AND DISABILITY Counselling . Adaptation, coping and control . Stress management . Cognitive-behaviour therapy . Role of carers . Self-help groups . Palliative care . Complementary therapies . Management of pain . Health beliefs and health behaviour. HOW DO HEALTH SERVICES WORK? Organising and funding health care . Assessing needs . Setting priorities and rationing . Community care. HOW DO YOU FIT INTO ALL THIS? Medical students' experience . Being a junior doctor . The profession of medicine.