Am J Psychiatry 1982; 139:1576-1580
Copyright © 1982 by American Psychiatric Association
Difficulties in the integration of psychological and medical practices
HN Brown and NE Zinberg
The authors, who support in principle the important goal of integrated
psychological and physical care, discuss five sources of difficulty in the
practical application of such integration: 1) differences in values and,
consequently, in systems of practice, 2) training influences, 3)
differences in dealing with emotions, 4) conflicting patient expectations,
and 5) limitations on the degree of intimacy tolerable in professional
relationships. They suggest that practitioners and educators take these
difficulties into account without abandoning a holistic perspective.
