Abstract
Mental processes and psychiatric illness have significant, measurable effects on the course and outcome of medical conditions. The cause of this phenomenon is that the brain continuously integrates internal and external information and adjusts the body’s physiological processes to meet expected challenges. Although the adjustments directed by the brain are genetically programmed to be adaptive, under certain conditions they can have deleterious effects. For example, the neuroplastic changes precipitated by periods of chronic stress, such as childhood abuse or military combat, can have adverse physiological consequences that last a lifetime. In addition, as the articles in this issue document, comorbid psychiatric illnesses have a significant effect on the treatment costs and outcomes of a variety of medical conditions.
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