PSYCHOLOGY AND HEALTH PROMOTION

Abstract

Edited by Prof. Radhey Shyam & Prof. S.R. Khan, Global Vision Publishing House, New Delhi, 2010, Rs.790/-, pp-276 ;$( US-40), ISBN: 978-81-8220-299-3

The excellent constellation of editors and authors of this book deserve to be congratulated for producing a well-balanced book on “Psychology and Health Promotion”. The editors have wisely chosen their authors and accomplished an important task of holding each author to a specific focus on her/his assigned topic with remarkably little overlap or repetition. Each author has aptly presented currently available data, carefully considered conflicting information and opinions and has provided a balanced perspective that would stimulate the readers as they navigate through various chapters of this book.

Organised in three sections; the book allows the reader to dip in at any point. Taken in sequence, these sections discuss: health and health education, psychosocial factors and health/diseases and psychosocial factors and health promotion. Each section has diverse issues related to preventive and promotive strategies. Achieving and maintaining health is an ongoing process, shaped by both the evolution of health care knowledge and practices, as well as personal strategies and organised interventions for staying healthy. It provides a lively outline of the relationship between psychology and health promotion and moves a step beyond the well established introductory level market. The development of the bio psychosocial model in psychology has refined our understanding of the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of human behaviour. Health and illness can be considered from different perspectives and different systems.

The opening section begins with the overview of health and its dimensions. This part is brief, simplistic, yet includes most of the necessary information to create a picture of what health is all about. This section also devoted to the health education which emphasized on the development of individual, group, institutional, community and systemic strategies to improve health knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviour. The next section reviews the role of various psychosocial factors such as stress, coping, well being, self esteem in health disorders. These factors can influence the course of the general medical condition and can precipitate or exacerbate the symptoms. This book presents a balanced view of health and illness and has focused on current thinking in the field. The final section highlighted some of the psychosocial influences on mental health and illness. It further focuses on the care of people with mental disorders, calling for community based services and integration of other packages for such people in routine primary health care.

To my knowledge this works well and results in a confident, honest and clear exposition of the strength and limitations of psychological knowledge. The explicit relationship between psychology and health promotion is authoritatively documented and beneficial. Overall this book represents good value for money.