Reasons why Health Psychology is Important

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that experiencing the “...highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental (basic) rights of every human being; without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.” While psychology has been practiced for millennia through the teachings of great philosophers and religious leaders, "Health Psychology" developed as a major sub-field of psychology in the late twentieth century.

 

As psychology strives to comprehend human behavior and belief systems, health psychology aims to apply these principles to better understand how human experiences and thoughts are related to health and illness (Ogden, 2022) ^[1]. Industrialization, as well as rapid and noteworthy advancements in psychology, medical science, and technology, have enabled health psychology to grow and prosper as an essential branch of psychology. This has created a shift that revolutionized the way global health systems function. Furthermore, health psychology has contributed significantly to the reframing of pre-existing schemas and belief systems about health, wellness, and sickness.

 

The value of health psychology to modern-day society is widely recognized. Factors such as:

• Mental illness.
• Chronic conditions.
• Pollution.
• Negative patterns of thought and media broadcasts.
• Toxic conflicts at work and home.
• Poor lifestyle habits.
• An ever-increasing gap between the privileged and the poor is a few of the issues that afflicted contemporary society.

Amid such chaos, health psychologists attempt to restore harmony by tackling health-related challenges and trying to resolve these difficulties to enable people to live better, happier, healthier, and more satisfying lives.

The Impacts of Health Psychology on Humans

 

Enhances well-being

Research has shown that a wide range of variables influences health, wellbeing, and disease. Health psychology is concerned with determining how the interaction of these factors influences the overall health of different groups of people. Including how these may be modified to enhance well-being and prevent and cure various health-related problems. Health psychologists counsel and advise individuals and policymakers on a wide range of matters, including health promotion, disease risk mitigation, illness prevention, and health restoration.

 

 Additionally, they provide education on coping skills; assist people in better understanding the harmful effects of poor health and the advantages of good health, and much more.

Improves public health

Health psychologists have undoubtedly contributed immensely to present-day societiey’s vast improvements in the realms of public health and wellness. One of the most valuable contributions to contemporary medical practice has been their influence in shifting universal health care away from the biomedical paradigm of health. This model was primarily concerned with symptomatic and disease-based patient care.

 

 The biopsychosocial (BPS) model of public health ^[2], on the other hand, is considered to be a more humanistic, patient-centered approach- where patients are treated as unique individuals- with their thoughts, feelings, memories, and experiences, behavior, and social backgrounds. That can be harnessed and utilized to improve overall health outcomes.

 

In the newly industrialized nations of the twentieth century, the biomedical model of health initially dominated public health processes. According to this theory, clinicians practiced medicine on the premise that disease occurred solely due to biochemical changes in human organisms. Thus, disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention were focused on the specific biological aspects of illness, addressing unique signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings rather than managing each unique individual as a whole.

 As a result, ailments were almost exclusively managed with pharmaceuticals, neglecting mental and social influences that may have also contributed to disease outcomes. Cancer, for example, is now known to be caused by the interaction of a multiplicity of factors such as nutrition, smoking habits, environmental pollution, psychosocial problems, and poor socioeconomic status, among others. As a result, most maladies, according to the BPS model of health, are induced by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.

According to the biopsychosocial model, illness, as well as health and wellbeing, are the result of the interaction of numerous biological or physiological, psychological or mental, and social or environmental variables. This theory was proposed as a holistic alternative to the previously accepted biomedical approach. The biopsychosocial model of health is used by modern health practitioners to diagnose, prevent, and treat various pathological states instead of focusing exclusively on the person's physical ailments.

Instead, an emphasis is placed on an individual's entire physiological state, which may include genetics, past experiences and disease history, emotional, socioeconomic, living conditions, and a plethora of other factors that may have contributed to their general health. As a result, the World Health Organization defines health ^[3] as “...a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

Conclusion

It is recommended that governments, legislators, and health psychologists alike devote better resources to health psychology. In addition, there is a need for research to resolve prevalent health issues that continue to impact communities globally. Furthermore, steps should be taken to enhance current best practices in the healthcare industry. Efforts are required to ensure the equal dissemination of educational information on health promotion and disease prevention across the globe. This is crucial in guaranteeing that people from all walks of life have an equitable opportunity to receive high-quality healthcare, as mandated by the World Health Organization's Constitution.

Written by: Dinoosh De Livera M. D.