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Health Psychology Medical Intervention

Psychology professionals are trained to deal with psychological health issues more so than a General Practitioner; however, there are still things that a mainstream medical practitioner may do.

Traditional interventions may be prescribed by the family doctor or other specialists such as psychiatrists and surgeons. Often there is involvement of several different health care professionals.

Medicine has approached physical disease with interventions designed to cure symptoms. These are surgery or medication. With mental health illnesses although surgery was used in the past for some conditions like epilepsy it is less often used as a form of intervention because of side-effects. Where surgery is used to help with physical illnesses, there may be physical problems which result including:

  • Chronic pain.
  • Amputation of limbs or parts e.g. fingers and toes.
  • Loss of function of limbs or parts e.g. from nervous tissue damage.
  • Removal of parts of organs e.g. eyes, kidneys, bowel.
  • Loss or reduced functioning of organs or parts of organs e.g. loss of bowel control.

Any of these physical complications can lead to mental health issues such as depression, low self-esteem, poor self-image and feelings of hopelessness or helplessness.

For mental health problems and many physical illnesses medication is most likely recommended, however it also has potential psychological side-effects including:

  • Depression.
  • Anxiety.
  • Problems with concentration and attention.
  • Memory disturbances.
  • Increased irritability.
  • Sleep disturbances - such as difficulties sleeping and nightmares.

Other more severe psychological symptoms can include:

  • Manic behaviour.
  • Paranoia.
  • Psychosis.
  • Hallucinations.
  • Delusions.
  • Obsessive thinking.

Medication can also give rise to physical symptoms which can be quite debilitating. People who experience any of the following side-effects may also succumb to psychological problems associated with dealing with these symptoms:

  • Weight loss.
  • Weight gain - in extreme cases, obesity.
  • Hair loss.
  • Hair gain - hirsutism can cause facial hair on women. 
  • Eyesight problems - e.g. blurred vision, glaucoma.
  • Increased blood pressure.
  • Headaches or migraine.
  • Heart palpitations.
  • Fatigue.
  • Nausea.
  • Lowered immune system functioning - increased risk of infections.
  • Gynaecomastia - breast growth in men. 
  • Infertility.
  • Osteoporosis - or osteopenia (lower bone density).

As you can see, whilst traditional medicine has its focus on curing symptoms, any type of medical intervention can have side-effects which can bring about psychological problems as well as new physical symptoms and neither can be fully separated from the other.

Helping people with Transition - What Can We Do to Help Ourselves?

In the early stages of a mental health condition or for moderate mental health problems, a person may not want to seek medical or counselling advice.  There are still ways that we can all alleviate symptoms, such as:

  • Talk to others about how you feel.
  • Keep in touch with friends and family.
  • Eat well.
  • Drink sensibly.
  • Keep active.
  • Take regular breaks from work.
  • Ask for help if you feel you need it.
  • Do something you enjoy for a change.
  • Try to accept who you are.
  • Care for others.

In later stages of a mental health condition, or for a physical health condition, we may require medical intervention. We may not want to take medication or drugs, but sometimes that is what we need to improve.

Learn more

Learn more about Psychology and Counselling and mental health. Study an ACS course by distance learning for professional development or personal interest. Our tutors are highly knowledgeable and on-hand to help and guide you in your learning. To find out more, look at the links to our courses at the bottom of this page. For further information, please phone us today on (UK) 01384 442752 or (International) +44 (0) 1384 442752 or submit your questions to our Psychology and Counselling tutors.

 

[17/04/2024 04:36:40]

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