BPS Core Textbooks Series
Developed in collaboration with the British Psychological Society
Disease
A medical condition diagnosed through objective signs and biomedical tests
Illness
The subjective effects of symptoms.
Attribution
The explanations that people arrive at for the cause of illness
Social determinants of health
non-medical factors such as, income, education, employment, social support and belonging to a minoritised groups that influence people’s health and access to care.
Deprived neighbourhoods
Areas in which residents have poor housing, low incomes, high unemployment, lower educational levels and access to services is limited.
Learning disabilities
A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills, with a reduced ability to cope independently, which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development.
Advanced care planning
An individual’s record of their preferences for future healthcare and treatment.
Food deserts
Areas where people have limited access to affordable, health and nutritious food due to a lack of supermarkets or shops that sell fresh foods.
Strengths based approach
Building on the skills, resources and abilities of what people and communities already do well to empower them to achieve positive health outcomes.
Deficiencies based approach
Focuses on an individual’s or and community’s problems or limitations, with the aims of fixing deficits.
Patient and public involvement
Active participation of patients, carers and the public in helping to design, change and evaluate health care services and or research.
Culturally grounded
Interventions or practices that are based on the values, beliefs, and traditions of a specific cultural group.
Functional ability
An individual’s ability to engage in physical tasks such as walking, muscular strength and activities required for daily living.