Alan S. Bellack & R.L. Morrison 
Medical Factors and Psychological Disorders [PDF ebook] 
A Handbook for Psychologists

Throughout the last decade, the field of clinical psychology has expanded dramatically. Clinical psychologists are involved in the treatment and research of a wider range of problems and disorders than they have ever been before. Evidence has been rapidly ac- cumulating regarding the role of psychological variables and stress in the etiology and maintenance of a range of medical and psychiatric disorders. New models of psy- chotherapy have been developed and refined, and the specific efficacy of psychother- apeutic interventions for an increasing number of disorders (or s Ubtypes of disorders) has been documented. However, concurrent with research that demonstrates the impact of psychosomatic factors in various disorders and the efficacy of psychological or psychosocial interven- tions, dramatic progress has been made with regard to the investigation of biological factors that may mediate certain disorders. That physical factors may underlie many in- stances of psychiatric illness has been repeatedly demonstrated. Also, the efficacy of so- matic treatments for different disorders, or for subtypes of disorders, has been reported with increasing methodological rigor.