Medical psychology

Medical psychology aims to provide students with an understanding of selected aspects of biological, psychological and social factors in sickness and health.
This integrated course provides a comprehensive understanding of the psychological foundations relevant to health, illness, and medical care. Drawing from general psychology, clinical psychology, social psychology, and neuropsychology, the course aims to enhance students' ability to understand and manage the psychological aspects of patient care, the influence of psychosocial factors on disease development and progression. Emphasis is placed on the biopsychosocial model, psychoneuroendocrinoimmunological interactions, clinical reasoning and clinical decision making, and the development of essential relational and diagnostic skills.
The medical psychology course is characterized by 4 modules:
· General Psychology (3 CFU); Gabriella Pravettoni, Ketti Mazzocco
· Clinical psychology (1 CFU); Elena Vegni, Giulia Lamiani
· Social psychology (1 CFU); Davide Mazzoni
· Neuropsychology (1 CFU); Roberta Ferrucci

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
· Demonstrate knowledge of the main cognitive processes and explain how these processes influence patient behavior, adherence to treatment, and health-related decision-making.
· Understand and describe the essential concepts in psychoneuroimmunology, the basic mechanisms by which the social, the psychological, the nervous, the endocrine, and the immune systems communicate and critically discuss how these mechanisms are relevant for mental and physical health and disease.
· Identify the psycho-social factors affecting the biological (dis)functioning.
· Apply communication techniques to simulate effective clinical interviews, including strategies for obtaining patient histories, exploring illness narratives, and addressing emotional responses in medical encounters.
· Understand and compare the models of disease-centered and patient-centered medicine, explain the patient's agenda, and implement communication strategies—including delivering bad news—during patient-centered interviews.
· Reflect on emotional challenges and motivational factors commonly encountered in helping professions, particularly in the context of long-term care and emotionally charged situations.
· Analyze how social factors and interpersonal relationships influence physical and psychological health, using established psychological theories, and describe key areas of application within the field of health-related social psychology.
· Identify and explain the symptoms of major neuropsychological conditions and describe the tests used in clinical neuropsychological evaluations.