Introduction

Behavioral science is a vast area of health and medicine that involves human development from conception, to childhood, to adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, old age, senescence, and death. Each of these key parts of a person‟s life is studied and evaluated when learning about behavioral science.

In the first few chapters, the process of growth and development will be discussed. This includes the development of the fetus, infant development, toddler and preschool development, school-age and adolescent development, young adulthood development, middle age development, and the aging process. The genetics of behaviors is also discussed in this course.

Aging and suicide are also studied in behavioral science. Chapters on aging and suicide are included in this course. Aging begins at the time of birth and continues throughout a person‟s life. Aging happens to organs and at a cellular level. Cells are programmed to die through mechanisms that are not completely known. When cells die, eventually the organs fail. When organs fail, individuals cannot sustain life and they die. Suicide involves intentionally taking one‟s life through several different methods. Suicide can happen at any age but is most common in the elderly.

Mental health issues are a part of behavioral science and topics on mental health are included in this course. There are many mental health issues involved in the study of behavior, including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, psychotic disorders, and eating disorders. People with mental health disorders require treatment, which is also a part of this course.

The screening of individuals for mental health illnesses, vocational screening, and the testing of individuals as to their personality, mood, and other aspects of behavior are discussed in some of the chapters of this course.

Doctor-patient communication is also an important part of behavioral science. This topic and issues on healthcare systems are a part of this course. In addition, medical ethics regarding patient care and payment for patient care will be discussed. Epidemiology in medicine is part of behavioral science as is biostatistics, which involves the application of epidemiology to human systems. These will be discussed as part of this course in the last chapter of the course.