Interdisciplinarity and Integration: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Psychopathology in Medical Settings

Abstract

As the world views, incredulously, the calamitous consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inseparable connections between body and mind become more and more apparent, even for the heretics (i.e., biological determinists). Such realizations also bolster the understanding of the close link between medical conditions and psychopathology. Launched prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, this special issue sets out to illuminate the prevalence, course, etiology, and responses to a myriad of psychopathological conditions in medical conditions. The 13 articles in this special issue address a variety of medical conditions (chronic illness and chronic pain, Pica, cancer, acute delirium, factitious disorders, functional neurological symptoms, sleep disorders, fetal conditions), mental disorders (depression, anxiety, suicidality, eating disorders, personality disorders, PTSD), medical settings (primary care vs. specialty clinics), and developmental levels (children, adolescents, and adults). The overarching theme emanating from reading these articles is that clinical-health psychology, or clinical psychology in medical settings, is an ever-needed field of inquiry, epitomizing interdisciplinarity and science/practice integration.

¿Podemos ver el mundo igual? interdisciplinariedad en el cuidado paliativo

“…Es por esto que se precisa un cuidado paliativo interdisciplinar dentro de la atención a personas con enfermedades avanzadas e incurables, entendiendo la interdisciplinariedad como el intercambio de las experiencias y las competencias entre grupos de diferentes profesionales en la atención en salud 5 , ya no bastan dos saberes (el del médico y el de la enfermera), no se ha fabricado una terapéutica que controle el dolor, los síntomas desagradables y el sufrimiento de las personas y sus familias, siendo necesario integrar diferentes profesionales para brindar cuidados paliativos competentes enfocados en el manejo de dichos síntomas, permitiendo una atención uniforme vista desde diferentes perspectivas promoviendo así una atención integral y digna garantizando las condiciones necesarias para brindar cuidados paliativos y de fin de vida 6 .…”