ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is the interaction of the neuroendocrine and immune systems and how it is affected by social contexts, ranging from everyday social interactions to severe, traumatizing encounters. Furthermore, the chapter analyzes how alterations in neuroendocrine–immune interactions contribute to the development of mental and physical disease. Evidence is presented and discussed showing that diseases most prevalent in the developed world are fostered or exaggerated by long-term changes in response to stressful social interactions, and how these are mediated by pathophysiological processes resulting from alterations of the neuroendocrine–immune interplay.
