• Maria G Alessi and Jeanette M Bennett.
• Health Psychology PhD Program, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
• J Eval Clin Pract. 2020 Oct 1; 26 (5): 1539-1547.

BackgroundConverging and accumulating evidence for the cross-communication among the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems, a field of study known as psychoneuroimmunology, implicates immunological dysfunction as a shared and common mechanism of both mental and physical illness. For example, psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and anxiety disorders have higher prevalence rates across a spectrum of autoimmune conditions compared to the general population. Additionally, subclinical immunological abnormalities are observed in a variety of psychiatric conditions, with chronic inflammation most extensively studied in the pathophysiology of depression. These observations blur the historical distinctions between mental and physical illness, yet clinical practice remains fragmented and primarily focused on differentially treating individual symptoms.Proposed ThesisTherapeutically targeting inflammation offers translational opportunities for integrating mental and physical healthcare, a key niche of the interdisciplinary field of health psychology.ConclusionUtilizing a psychoneuroimmunological lens, health psychologists and clinicians can reconceptualize healthcare through integrative treatment approaches and advocacy for comprehensive policy-level reform at both the individual-level of care as well as community-wide prevention approaches.© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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