The advantages and disadvantages of health screening and the contribution of psychology to health screening. Health screening, according to Durojaiye, (2009), is a systematic application of a test or survey to identify individuals at risk for a specific health problem. This allows for further investigation or direct preventative action among people who have not sought medical care due to symptoms of that problem. The main purpose of the screening program is therefore to identify diseases or risk factors in the general population, in order to carry out a preventive or therapeutic intervention since the maximum benefit that can be derived from a specific treatment is when the disease is less advanced ( Wardle & Pope, 1992). Screening is different from diagnosis because it is performed on people without symptoms; it does not provide a diagnosis but rather identifies individuals at increased risk for follow-up diagnostic testing (Trevena2009). There are numerous benefits expected from health screening and much research has demonstrated the benefits that health screening offers to the healthcare industry. However, in recent years research is emerging with a focus on the opportunity cost of health screening. As a result, many scholars have indicated that there are a significant number of disadvantages associated with health screening. This essay explores the benefits and disadvantages of health screening and highlights the contribution of psychology to health screening. Wardle and Pope (1992) state that evaluating the benefits of health screening can be very difficult. This is mainly because premature death due to chronic diseases, such as breast and cervical cancer, is relatively rare and con... half of paper ... are applied when they are most effective. Most of the disadvantages of health screening lie in the psychological aspect of the individual and the anxiety it creates. The other disadvantages are the misconception it creates for individuals, especially those with negative results, and the altered health behavior that people develop due to screening. Most researchers agree that the screening process should be implemented only if the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Research shows that psychology plays a huge role in reducing the discomfort created by health screening. The main psychological methods for dealing with health screening stress are assumed to be coping strategies that involve teaching simple strategies to bring about emotional regulation and cognitive behavioral methods that involve changing irrational beliefs..