Recent studies show that more people than ever before are reaching old age in better health and enjoying that health for a longer time. This Handbook outlines the latest discoveries in the study of aging from bio-medicine, psychology, and socio-demography. It treats the study of aging as a multidisciplinary scientific subject, since it requires the interplay of broad disciplines, while offering high motivation, positive attitudes, and behaviors for aging well, and lifestyle changes that will help people to stay healthier across life span and in old age. Written by leading scholars from various academic disciplines, the chapters delve into the most topical aspects of aging today - including biological mechanisms of aging, aging with health, active and productive aging, aging with satisfaction, aging with respect, and aging with dignity. Aimed at health professionals as well as general readers, this Cambridge Handbook offers a new, positive approach to later life.

Violence within the family, whether directed against children, partners or elders, profoundly disturbs our notions of what the relationship between the family and the discipline of general practice should be. GPs are doctors to whole families and yet their relationships with patients are individual ones, drawing their strength from the principles of confidentiality, mutual trust and positive regard. Violence and abuse within families necessarily challenges all of these, creating a profusion of ethical, interpersonal and practical difficulties and dilemmas. At the same time the nature of general practice confers unique opportunities to deal effectively with family violence.

GPs and GP registrars will find this book an invaluable and empowering resource. It brings together a broad range of expertise and opinion from relevant specialities and disciplines and sets family violence in its historical, epidemiological and societal context. It describes in separate sections, child abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse, its presentations, diagnosis and treatment; and suggests ways forward for its prevention and early detection. It draws throughout on the experience of GPs, health visitors and social workers, providing practical safe and workable guidelines.

Family violence can present to any member of the primary care team and there is much here that will be of relevance and interest to them all.

The 'body' and 'discourse' seem diametrically opposed, but we interact with our bodies and represent ourselves and our relationships in bodily terms. This volume integrates new studies by leading researchers in sociolinguistics, sociology, social psychology and cultural theory. It explores the many interfaces of body and discourse, organized under three main themes: the body as an interactional resource; ideological representations of the body; and discursive constructions of the body in normal and pathological contexts.

This book presents scientific literature on treatment adherence and empirical research, as well as factors that influence it, both in Anglo-Saxon culture and Iberoamerican countries. This work summarises the updating of analysis and research works carried out by a group of researchers, composed by related psychologists and health professionals from eight Iberoamerican countries: Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, United States of America, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. All of them are professionally experienced in the health field in their respective countries of origin.

Social problems in many domains, including health, education, social relationships, and the workplace, have their origins in human behavior. The documented links between behavior and social problems have compelled governments and organizations to prioritize and mobilize efforts to develop effective, evidence-based means to promote adaptive behavior change. In recognition of this impetus, The Handbook of Behavior Change provides comprehensive coverage of contemporary theory, research, and practice on behavior change. It summarizes current evidence-based approaches to behavior change in chapters authored by leading theorists, researchers, and practitioners from multiple disciplines, including psychology, sociology, behavioral science, economics, philosophy, and implementation science. It is the go-to resource for researchers, students, practitioners, and policy makers looking for current knowledge on behavior change and guidance on how to develop effective interventions to change behavior.

This practice-enhancing volume assembles the latest innovative thinking on working with clients who have both mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders. Diagnosis is a central focus of the coverage, untangling the often-knotty considerations surrounding dual diagnosis and the complex issues surrounding treatment even in frequently seen combinations (e.g., depression/alcohol abuse). The section on practice emphasizes meeting patients where they are and making use of their community, cultural, and spiritual contexts in crafting interventions. And the book's ambitious chapters on professional development describe training programs with the potential to produce the next generation of responsive, knowledgeable, and flexible therapists. Among the topics covered: * Comprehensive assessment of substance abuse and addiction risk in adolescents. * The relationship between attachment and addiction. * Addiction in the community: the role of emergency services. * Substance use during and after major crisis and disaster: a practitioner's guide. * Practice, advocacy, and outreach: perspectives on addiction services. * Teaching the importance of developing the therapeutic relationship. New Directions in Treatment, Education, and Outreach for Mental Health and Addiction equips health and clinical psychologists, social workers, and addiction counselors and educators with a well-rounded understanding of a growing population, and a wealth of perspectives on effective new interventions.

If you want to get physically fit you start working out. But if you want results, you can't just do just any workout - you need one tailored to your own body's needs and personal situation. It's the same with wellbeing. What constitutes 'stress' to one person may be motivating, inspiring and focusing for another. Our capacity for resilience varies depending on individual circumstances and from situation to situation. What is consistent and universal is that we all struggle with stress and resilience, and we all need to be open to figuring out how best to effectively manage stress to create greater personal resilience that will itself help us to cope better. This book offers you an encyclopaedia of self-help options for you to adapt according to how you tick and to the circumstances you find yourself in at any given moment. It addresses 60 different issues, and for each one provides a short 'Spotlight' to understand the issue, 'Top Tips' for dealing with it, and an 'Action Plan' to put those tips into practice. Wellbeing is about managing the ebbs and flows of what life throws at us. It's a mindset, a personal commitment and an ongoing endeavour. But if we adopt a focused and sustained engagement with this journey, then we'll learn to embrace and reap the benefits of 'being well'.

In diesem Band werden uber 280 Grunderpersoenlichkeiten und Personen, die einen nennenswerten Einfluss auf die Psychotherapie gehabt haben und aufgrund ihrer Beitrage fur die Psychotherapie Anerkennung in der Fachwelt gefunden haben, von Experten aus den jeweiligen Fachbereichen, vorgestellt. Es werden Persoenlichkeiten aus verschiedenen psychotherapeutischen Ansatzen und Arbeitsfeldern beschrieben, die fur die Entwicklung der Psychotherapie in theoretischer Hinsicht bzw. fur ihre praktische Bedeutung (Verankerung, Verbreitung, Versorgung, Forschung sowie mediale Wirkung) einen signifikanten Beitrag geleistet haben. Die Darstellungen umfassen jeweils im ersten Abschnitt Lebensdaten und Schaffensperioden sowie in einem zweiten Teil theoretische Schwerpunkte und Verdienste (auch in Bezug auf die Praxis). Ausfuhrliche Bibliografien zu jeder Persoenlichkeit erganzen deren Charakterisierung. Die Persoenlichkeiten werden in alphabetischer Reihenfolge und jeweils mit Foto dargestellt.

This book examines all aspects of narrative medicine and its value in ensuring that, in an age of evidence-based medicine defined by clinical trials, numbers, and probabilities, clinical science is firmly embedded in the medical humanities in order to foster the understanding of clinical cases and the delivery of excellent patient care. The medical humanities address what happens to us when we are affected by a disease and narrative medicine is an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes the importance of patient narratives in bridging various divides, including those between health care professionals and patients. The book covers the genesis of the medical humanities and of narrative medicine and explores all aspects of their role in improving healthcare. It describes how narrative medicine is therapeutic for the patient, enhances the patient-doctor relationship, and allows the identification, via patients' stories, of the feelings and experiences that are characteristic for each disease. Furthermore, it explains how to use narrative medicine as a real scientific tool. Narrative Medicine will be of value for all caregivers: physicians, nurses, healthcare managers, psychotherapists, counselors, and social workers. "Maria Giulia Marini takes a unique and innovative approach to narrative medicine. She sees it as offering a bridge - indeed a variety of different bridges - between clinical care and 'humanitas'. With a sensitive use of mythology, literature and metaphor on the one hand, and scientific studies on the other, she shows how the guiding concept of narrative might bring together the fragmented parts of the medical enterprise". John Launer, Honorary Consultant, Tavistock Clinic, London UK

Why do some of us become overweight? Why is it so difficult to lose weight? How can we adopt healthy attitudes towards food?

The Psychology of Dieting takes a broad and balanced view of the causes of weight gain and the challenges involved in dieting. Exploring the cognitive, emotional and social triggers which lead us to make poor decisions around food, the book considers what it means to diet well. By understanding our psychological selves, the book shows how we can change our unhealthy behaviours and potentially lose weight.

In an era of weight problems, obesity, and dangerous dieting, The Psychology of Dieting shows us that there is no such thing as a miracle diet, and that we must understand how our minds shape the food choices we make.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: A brief history of dieting

Chapter 2: Being overweight or obese

Chapter 3: Why do we overeat?

Chapter 4: Why are we not active enough?

Chapter 5: Dieting and its consequences

Chapter 6: Why do diets fail?

Chapter 7: Successful dieting

Chapter 8: Some strategies to change behavior

Chapter 9: Dieting well: making successful dieting happen

Chapter 10: Helping others to lose weight – for health professionals

Chapter 11: Helping others: top tips for children

Chapter 12: Concluding thoughts

"Essential Readings in Health Psychology" is a new collection of key papers brought together for the first time in a single volume which complements Jane Ogdens bestselling textbook, "Health Psychology,"

. . The reader focuses on the key areas highlighted by the British Psychological Society as central to health psychology, providing an ideal resource for any undergraduate or postgraduate course in health psychology as well as for students of medicine, nursing and allied health.

. . The papers have been carefully selected from a range of prestigious international journals including "American Psychologist," the "British Medical Journal," "Psychology and Health," "Psychosomatic Medicine," "Health Psychology" and the "Journal of the American Medical Association,"

. . Each of the twenty-nine papers employs different theories and methods which offer a different perspective from within one of five broad areas: . . The context of health psychology. Health behaviours. Health care. Stress and health. Chronic illness . . The papers offer case examples of health psychology work that illustrate what health psychology research can (and cannot) achieve. They are framed by editorial discussions which will help students to understand the context, meaning and contribution of each paper to the discipline of Health Psychology as a whole. The complete papers are published, including their reference lists, so they can be used to develop reading lists and recommend further reading.

. . This book can be used independently or along side the introductory text, "Health Psychology," Each book contains a cross-referenced list of chapters from the other, in order that lecturers and students can easilyfind clear evidence-based examples of key theories, models and methods being used in practice. .

If you are a clergy leader or pastoral counselor, people struggling with difficult situations or life traumas frequently turn to you for guidance. And while you're passionate about helping, you may be unprepared for counseling people with certain mental health challenges. On the other hand, if you are a psychotherapist, you may need guidance in supporting your client's religious belief system in therapy. In either case, this book presents a powerful road map to help you provide the best care. In this book, you'll find a complete overview of ACT, as well as strategies for integrating ACT and issues related to spirituality. You'll also learn how the core processes of ACT-such as commitment to change and values-based living- can be seamlessly tied into spiritual and religious counseling, no matter your faith or therapeutic background. By teaching you how to fuse conceptual psychological and spiritual principles, this book will provide you with the tools needed to enhance your counseling skill set.

Teens with autism have the potential to be excellent actors. They are natural observers--able to study, imitate, and learn social behavior." The Autism Playbook for Teens" is designed to bolster these strengths with mindfulness strategies and roleplaying scripts, while also helping teens reduce anxiety, manage emotions, be more aware in the present moment, and connect with others. This book offers a unique, strengths-based approach to help teens with autism spectrum (including Asperger's Syndrome) develop social skills, strengthen communication, and thrive. The activities contained in each chapter are custom-designed to work with the unique perspectives, sensory processing, neurological strengths and challenges that teens with autism bring to their encounters with the social world. By engaging in these activities, teens will gain an authentic awareness of their surroundings, leading to better social interaction that is also rewarding, interesting, and fun. The delightful and creative activities in this book are grounded in well-documented clinical observations and current empirical studies. They also take into account the real neurological differences that exist in young people with autism, and focuses on the unique pathways needed to connect with and inspire these exceptional and fabulous teenagers. This is the only book available for teens with autism that specifically integrates mindfulness skills and imaginative scripted roleplaying activities for building authentic social experiences.

Providing a thorough biopsychosocial approach, Health Psychology is your ideal companion to studying this subject. Exploring bio-social, developmental and lifestyle factors and how these relate to physical and psychological disturbances, this lively and approachable guide takes you through this key topic for psychology, health sciences, nursing and education students. Using case studies and up to date research, the author brings to life the important practical applications in this area, helping you to understand the varied ways the biological, physiological and social factors affect psychology and how effective interventions can influence the health of a population.

Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity is a collaborative effort by an international group of addiction scientists to improve the linkages between addiction science and alcohol policy. It presents, in a comprehensive, practical, and readily accessible form, the accumulated scientific knowledge on alcohol research that has a direct relevance to the development of alcohol policy on local, national, and international levels. It provides an objective basis on which to build relevant policies globally and informs policy makers who have direct responsibility for public health and social welfare. By locating alcohol policy primarily within the realm of public health, this book draws attention to the growing tendency for governments, both national and local, to consider alcohol misuse as a major determinant of ill health, and to organize societal responses accordingly. The scope of the book is comprehensive and global. The authors describe the conceptual basis for a rational alcohol policy and present new epidemiological data on the global dimensions of alcohol misuse. The core of the book is a critical review of the cumulative scientific evidence in seven general areas of alcohol policy: pricing and taxation, regulating the physical availability of alcohol, modifying the environment in which drinking occurs, drinking-driving countermeasures, marketing restrictions, primary prevention programs in schools and other settings, and treatment and early intervention services. The final chapters discuss the current state of alcohol policy in different parts of the world and describe the need for a new approach to alcohol policy that is evidence-based, global, and coordinated. A valuable resource for those involved in addiction science and drug policy, as well as those in the wider fields of public health, health policy, epidemiology, and practising clinicians.

Adolescence is a developmental period of accelerating physical, psychological, social cultural, and cognitive development, often characterized by confronting and surmounting a myriad of challenges and establishing a sense of self-identity and autonomy. It is also, unfortunately, a period fraught with many threats to the health and well-being of adoles cents and with substantial consequent impairment and disability. Many of the adverse health consequences experienced by adolescents are, to a large extent, the result of their risk behaviors. Many adolescents today, and perhaps an increasing number in the future, are at risk for death, disease, and other adverse health outcomes that are not primarily biomedical in origin. In general, there has been a marked change in the causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescents. Previously, infectious diseases accounted for a dispro portionate share of adolescent morbidity and mortality. At present, however, the over whelming toll of adolescent morbidity and mortality is the result of lifestyle practices."

When experiencing mental health challenges, we all deserve treatments that actually work. Whether you are a healthcare consumer, student, or mental health professional, this book will help you recognize implausible, ineffective, and even harmful therapy practices while also considering recent controversies. Research-supported interventions are identified in this book and expanded upon in a companion volume. Chapters cover every major mental disorder and are written by experts in their respective fields. Pseudoscience in Therapy is of interest to students taking courses in psychotherapy, counseling, clinical psychology, and behavior therapy, as well as practitioners looking for a guide to proven therapeutic techniques.

The great saxophonist Charlie Parker once proclaimed "if you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn". This quote has often been used to explain the hedonistic lifestyle of many jazz greats; however, but it also signals the reciprocal and inextricable relationship between music and wider social, cultural and psychological variables. This link is complex and multifaceted and is undoubtedly a central component of why music has been implicated as a therapeutic agent in vast swathes of contemporary research studies. Music is always about more than just acoustic events or notes on a page. Music has a universal and timeless potential to influence how we feel. Yet, only recently, have researchers begun to explore and understand the positive effects that music can have on our wellbeing - across a range of cultures and musical genres. This book brings together research from music psychology, therapy, public health, and medicine, to explore the relationship between music, health and wellbeing. It presents a range of chapters from internationally recognised experts, resulting in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and pluralistic account of recent advances and applications in both clinical and non-clinical practice and research. Some of the questions explored include: what is the nature of the scientific evidence to support the relationship between music, health and wellbeing? What are the current views from different disciplines on empirical observations and methodological issues concerning the effects of musical interventions on health-related processes? What are the mechanisms which drive these effects and how can they be utilised for building robust theoretical frameworks for future work? For the first time, research from disciplines including neuroscience of music, music therapy, psychophysiology and epidemiology of music, community music and music education is synthesised and presented together to further our understanding of music and health in one single volume, ensuring that closely related strands of research in different disciplines are brought together into a authoritative, comprehensive and robust collection of chapters. This book is a timely and unique response to an explosion of interest in the relationship between music, health, and wellbeing and will be invaluable resources for students, administrators and researchers in the humanities, social and medical sciences alike.

Understanding Mental Health and Counselling provides a critical introduction to key debates about how problems of mental health are understood, and to the core approaches taken to working with counselling and psychotherapy clients. In drawing out the differences and intersections between professional and social understandings of mental health and counselling theory and practice, the book fosters critical thinking about effective and ethical work with mental health service users and therapy clients. With chapters by noted academic writers and service-user researchers, and content enlivened by activities, first-person accounts and case material, the book provides a key resource for both counselling and psychotherapy trainees and those interested in the broader field of mental health.

Waisted: The Biology of Body Fat outlines the fascinating, often misunderstood and sometimes controversial biology of fat, otherwise known as adipose tissue. It provides a comprehensive, evidence-based perspective on fat biology and its crucial role in human evolution, health, disease, and society. The content draws upon biomedical, epidemiological, social and evolutionary research to understand the striking relationship between body fat distribution and health outcomes. Using digestible analogies, real-world examples and images, it highlights the multi-faceted relationship between adipose biology and society. Waisted clearly conveys the key concepts and assumptions that can lead to negative perceptions of fat, and reframes these challenges to highlight the underappreciated importance of adipose tissue in humans. Waisted is an accessible yet in-depth exploration of the subject that is suitable for both specialists and non-specialists alike. It is a highly valuable resource for clinicians, health practitioners, biomedical researchers, and students who study adipose biology, obesity, and diseases related to fat dysfunction. This book also provides an interesting sociological and anthropological read for anyone who wants to gain a broader and deeper appreciation of the unique role that adipose tissue plays in human evolution and society, by considering how biological and social factors intersect.

Hailed in the New York Times as "entertaining and immensely educational," Snake Oil Science is not only a brilliant critique of alternative medicine, but also a first-rate introduction to interpreting scientific research of any sort. The book's ultimate goal is to illustrate how the placebo effect conspires to make medical therapies appear to be effective--not just to consumers, but to therapists and poorly trained scientists as well. Bausell explores this remarkable phenomenon and explains why research on any therapy that does not factor in the placebo effect (and other placebo-like effects) will inevitably produce false results. Moreover, as the author shows in an impressive survey of research from high-quality scientific journals, studies employing credible placebo controls do not indicate positive effects for alternative therapies beyond those attributable to random chance. Readers will come away from this book with a healthy skepticism of claims about the latest "miracle cure," be it St. John's Wort for depression or acupuncture for chronic pain.

Social problems in many domains, including health, education, social relationships, and the workplace, have their origins in human behavior. The documented links between behavior and social problems have compelled governments and organizations to prioritize and mobilize efforts to develop effective, evidence-based means to promote adaptive behavior change. In recognition of this impetus, The Handbook of Behavior Change provides comprehensive coverage of contemporary theory, research, and practice on behavior change. It summarizes current evidence-based approaches to behavior change in chapters authored by leading theorists, researchers, and practitioners from multiple disciplines, including psychology, sociology, behavioral science, economics, philosophy, and implementation science. It is the go-to resource for researchers, students, practitioners, and policy makers looking for current knowledge on behavior change and guidance on how to develop effective interventions to change behavior.

Release your natural powers for healing, endurance, and longevity

With this revolutionary guide, you will learn four simple and remarkably effective techniques to release your natural powers for healing. The methods--gentle movement, self-applied massage, breathing exercises, and meditation--are drawn from the ancient Chinese healing system of Qigong (Chi Kung) and are easily adaptable to every lifestyle. You can practice them almost anywhere--in the car, in line at the bank, at your desk, while walking, even in bed. Using these methods for as little as ten minute a day can dramatically increase you endurance, vitality, and longevity. Self-care has never been so easy!

A neurologist explores the very real world of psychosomatic illness. Pauline first became ill when she was fifteen. What seemed to be a urinary infection became joint pain, then life-threatening appendicitis. After a routine operation Pauline lost all the strength in her legs. Shortly afterwards, convulsions started. But Pauline's tests are normal: her symptoms seem to have no physical cause whatsoever. This may be an extreme case, but Pauline is not alone. As many as a third of people visiting their GP have symptoms that are medically unexplained. In most, an emotional root is suspected which is often the last thing a patient wants to hear and a doctor to say. We accept our hearts can flutter with excitement and our brows can sweat with nerves, but on this journey into the very real world of psychosomatic illness, Suzanne O'Sullivan finds the secrets we are all capable of keeping from ourselves. 'A fascinating glimpse into the human condition... a forceful call for society to be more open about such suffering' Daily Mail 'Honest, fascinating and necessary' The Times

Close relationships are a vital part of people's daily lives; thus family members, friends, and romantic partners play an integral role in people's health and well-being. Understanding the ways in which close relationships both shape and reflect people's health and wellness is an important area of inquiry. Showcasing studies from various disciplines that are on the cutting-edge of research exploring the interdependence between health and relationships, this collection highlights several relationship processes that are instrumental in the maintenance of health and the management of illness, including interpersonal influence, information management, uncertainty, social support, and communication. Although the existing health literature is rich with knowledge about individual and ecological factors that are influential in promoting certain health behaviors, the relationship scholars featured in this volume have much to contribute in terms of documenting the interpersonal dynamics that are involved in experiences of health and illness.