The Role of the Psychological in the Health Team

INTRODUCTION. According to research conducted it appears increasingly that psychological factors are interfering, determining and often aggravating organic tableaus. The situation of illness causes distress, pain, fear, insecurity, anger and sometimes depression. To cope with this existential dimension, which strengthens the illness, a new area of practice of psychology, called Hospital Psychology, has been gaining strength and increasing space in Brazil. METHODS. The object of psychological study in the hospital, is for a patient  being endowed with dynamic body and soul, to become ill in a given environment. Its main contribution lies in listening to the patient in order to help them through this time that is often daunting, delicate and lonely, with temporary or permanent loss of health. RESULTS. The activity of the psychologist must be: to assess the degree of emotional damage caused by disease, treatment or hospital, providing conditions for the development or maintenance of skills and duties not affected by disease; encourage the patient’s feelings about the experience of illness, treatment and hospitalizations; encouraging the patient's active participation; acting at the level of humanization of care; improve the quality of life; to facilitate integration into the institution; providing support and counseling to family members; encouraging interdisciplinary meetings to discuss clinical cases; to develop health programs and research. CONCLUSION. To be attended by psychologists, is to being cared for not only the body but also of the person in its various aspects.  Psychology takes care of the sentimental part. Nobody likes to be abandoned in the hospital.