Paleev F.N. Medicine at the Approaches to Psychology

Abstract: The article is devoted to numerous connections between medicine and psychology. Medicine has long been considered to be the sphere in which psychology gained a very broad practical implementation. In his research Paleev describes the three factors that are important for studying diseases. Until recently genetic heredity seemed to play the prevailing role in the origin of diseases. The human genome mapping offer better opportunities for healing people and avoiding genetic predisposition to particular diseases. However, in his article Paleev demonstrates that we should not overemphasize the role of the genetic factor. Quite often diseases have the physiological basis. The role of the psychological factor is also enormous. So called psychogenic diseases are a proof of that. These diseases are mostly studied by psychiatry. In this regard, the researcher notes that analysis of anamnesis (disease history) involves consideration of psychologically important events that took place in a patient's life. Psychology helps an individual to structure his life experience and to explain it to the surrounding world. In his research Paleev focuses on the history of medical practice and employs materials of medical psychology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis. He bases his research on the fundamental provisions of modern humanities. Appealing to various kinds of psychotherapy, the author of the article reasons  about the social status of psychotherapy. He also draws a distinction between psychiatry and psychoanalysis and emphasizes the difference between the fates of these sciences in our country. Special attention is paid to peculiarities of psychosomatic diseases. Touching upon the unity between body and soul, the author of the article also stresses out the fact that body and soul are inseparable elements of human personality. In his article Paleev also raises the question about the emerging role of psychotherapy in medical practice.   

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