Across the great divide: Introduction to the special issue on psychology in medicine

Abstract

Health psychology has made limited progress becoming an accepted part of mainstream medical research and practice. Although abundant efficacy research has generated considerable evidence-based interventions that are effective primary medical interventions or adjuncts to other medical treatments, evidence of acceptance within medicine and especially primary care is meager. This special edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychology is an effort to assist movement in this area. It is a combination of commentaries concerning aspects of clinical collaboration within primary care, a discussion of issues that are barriers to implementation, and a wide range of research efforts supporting models of collaborative interventions between health psychology and primary care. It also identifies mechanisms that may account for the effectiveness of certain types of interventions. Taken as a whole the volume supports the importance and viability of clinical health psychology research and practice in an area of fundamental importance--the general health of patients in medical settings--the location where most people present psychological problems and receive treatment in response.