medical psychology

really.

no ethical dilemmas or anything like that?

my mistake... i thought you were making philosophical claims...

was there anything in what i said (the first post) that you found interesting and that you wanted to elaborate your views on or were you just kind of talking

?

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SeptemberMorn said:
. If someone was to ask now who I'd like to sit and have a "cupa" with, it would be you!

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Hehe I think it would be a couple of good beers, but I agree with you

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gardenergirl said:
That sounds really interesting. How does this differ from Health Psychology?

I think psychologists and primary care physicians could do a lot of good working in more direct collaboration. I'd love to see psychologists in primary care offices.

gg

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Health psychology when I was studying often meant quite literally 'health. E.g. smoking, (esp amongst minority groups).

Be interested to hear if it was more widespread than that

I just, like Sept Morn, want to hear more on this.

No complications, just more on what Dr. Scott does

I would be happy to share what I do. I am on an integrated care team, and work at 2 separate clinics, both primary care...as I have mentioned before. I do some standard psychology stuff like therapy and testing, but most of my time is used doing behavioral medicine clinics. I see patients in 1/2 hr slots, the focus is on what they need today. This is not therapy at all, but quick, real-world interventions. Sometimes a referral is need to a therapist or psychiatrist, but sometime not. I see patients for psych meds, and work directly with their PCP to manage these meds. I see patients for behavioral aspects of physical illness and that is the backbone of medical psych. I am a licensed psych, but have also had 1 year of clinical medicine/pathophysiology/physical assessment, and several years of advanced medical psych courses that include biochem, neurochem, anatomy and physio, neurophys etc... It is very similar to the first 2 years of medical school, but much more focused on the interface of psych and medicine. I have also done a residency in medical psych. It is a great field.

Thanks so much!

Wouldn't it be great if more of this were required for GP's and more medical required for psychologists and others in the same fields?

It seems we're going in the opposite direction, though, with the many specialty fields and that's needed and wanted as well.

I think it's wonderful and wish it was regular practice everywhere...

KD

I, for one, am glad for the emergence of such a field. With psychiatry being a shrinking field, something useful was needed in it's place. I hope this will do it.

Who or what are your resources for the most up-to-date information Dr Wylie?

Lazy? Strong word, Doc, however, I agree. In this field, I believe it would be dangerous for professionals to stop learning / training. Every day, there are new lessons to be learned from patients, new meds to scrutinize, new therapies to try and old thinking to be re-evaluated and even dropped.

I applaude your desire to continue your research! Anyway, one only becomes "expert" by their continual education and research.

As an example, I am thinking of Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo (because I love archaeology). Would he be considered the world's foremost expert in Egyptology if he had only obtained his degree in archaeology and then dug up one mummy? Hardly.

And when it comes to taking care of human beings - body, mind and spirit - it is of the utmost importance to keep well informed. After all, OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT, and we have few, if any, real alternatives but to put faith in such practitioners.

An individual may be considered intelligent, but how intelligent depends upon the accumulation, and interpretation, of such knowledge, and over a long period of time.

Let's just hope you are a real brain-wave, Doc!!!

Great post, by the way...

Altered State

Oh, I am as well, sky. I hope it didn't read differently. I think this is one special field that we need more of for sure!

KD