Psychoneuroimmunology

Psychoneuroimmunology has emerged as a discipline advancing our knowledge of the relationships among psychosocial factors, the central nervous system, the immune system, and disease. The growing volume of evidence suggests that psychological states, including exposure to stressors and the presence of depressive states, may influence health and disease by altering immunologic states.

Psychoneuroimmunology, a collaborative work of 50 international experts, expands on the American Psychiatric Association's symposium on this topic to present never-before-compiled scientific research from this evolving field. Maintaining a clinical focus, this book illustrates clinical effects by examining relevant research studies.

This work looks at psychoneuroimmunological factors involved in specific illnesses such as cervical cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDS. Particular attention is given to the role psychoneuroimmunology plays in carcinogenesis and the progression of established tumors. This volume highlights findings on the progression of cancer that have general clinical relevance.

This resource examines the impact of specific psychotropic medications; the effects of life stressors, bereavement, and social support; the response to those stressors; and stress management and psychosocial predictors of disease. The impacts of gender-specific factors, diurnal variation, and behavioral genetics on immune function are reported. The book also presents the Stressor-Support-Coping model, which integrates existing psychoneuroimmunology findings and lays the groundwork for use in support group intervention.

This book is a first step toward organizing psychoneuroimmunology findings into coherent theoretical models and concludes with a look at future clinical applications. Complete with charts, references, and a detailed index, it is the most comprehensive source on psychoneuroimmunology.