Behavioral Medicine

Behavioral Medicine is the interdisciplinary field of study of behavior in health and disease. Based on often-experimental investigations of behavior, behavioral medicine contributes to a better understanding of etiological factors and mechanisms, but also to clinical applications aimed at systematically improving health in clinical and at-risk populations. As the literature summarized in this chapter illustrates, behavioral medicine has shown tremendous progress in achieving these goals since its inception in 1977. Nevertheless, the successful translation of research results into clinical practice remains a challenge for the future