Behavioral Medicine Strategies in Medical Settings

Psychosocial factors play a critical role in managing medical illness. Behavioral medicine is a multidisciplinary field that targets psychosocial factors to prevent and manage medical illness and enhance health behaviors and overall quality of life. In this chapter, we review the impact of psychosocial factors on illness management, provide an overview of evidence-based cognitive-behavioral strategies in behavioral medicine, and discuss applications of cognitive-behavioral techniques within inpatient and outpatient medical settings. We give special attention to medical treatment adherence, practical guidance on the use of specific cognitive-behavioral techniques, and innovative clinical research interventions that integrate traditional cognitive-behavioral approaches with mindfulness- and acceptance-based skills. We provide a case example to illustrate various cognitive-behavioral techniques in action in a medical setting.