Biopsychosocial vs. Biomedical Model Essay PDF

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Compare the biopsychosocial model and the biomedical model. What is different between the two and what is similar?...

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Biopsychosocial vs. Biomedical Model Essay

Elizabeth Heicher College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University PSY 352: Health Psychology Instructor Garrido May 16, 2021

2 Biopsychosocial vs. Biomedical Model Essay Introduction Within the healthcare system there are two important models for understanding illness. The first important model is the biomedical model, which allows physicians to diagnose an illness of a patient based off of physical symptoms. This model can be useful in discovering what the illness is and what may be causing it, but this model can also overlook other factors. This leads to the biopsychosocial model. The biopsychosocial model allows for physicians to look at biological, psychological, and social factors that relate to a patient’s health (Sarafino & Smith, 2017). There are some key differences between both models, which is why these differences will be discussed, along with the factors of each model, the roles of biological, psychological, and social factors as it relates to health and illness, the current leading causes of death for each model, and how lifestyle or healthful behaviors can reduce illness. Differences Between the Models When it comes to important differences between the two models, the biomedical model holds physical symptoms to be most important due to how illnesses can be viral, bacterial, or systemic. It would be valuable to see how symptoms can evolve and how this allows for the decision of how to proceed going forward. However, this model fails to acknowledge the psychological and socioeconomic circumstances. These two factors of psychological and socioeconomic circumstances are important because there are other factors that can contribute to the physical ailments a person may be experiencing. The Biomedical model fails to see the bigger picture as the ailments may be related to psychological issues and so forth. The biopsychosocial model looks at a patient’s illness in a broader light. This model focuses on the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to a person’s health

3 rather than only biological factors (Sarafino & Smith, 2017). Typically, this model is used in psychiatric settings and over time, they have been changes in the understanding of psychiatric disorders, this has made physicians apprehensive to embrace this model for diagnosis (Tripathi, Das, & Kar, 2019). The medical field is ever changing and adapting to change is how knowledge is gained. Factors and the Relation to Health and Illness The biomedical model focuses only on biological factors in determining the effect of an illness and so forth. These could include injury, biomedical imbalances, or bacterial and viral infections (Sarafino & Smith, 2017). If an individual suffers an injury whether that be to their arm, leg, or any other part of the body, they will experience a decrease in mobility. This can affect their general health, as they do not have the mobility they once had before the injury. If the injury were to happen to an elderly individual, such as breaking a hip, this could easily bring about deterioration of the body. When an elderly person breaks their hip, their health declines due to a lack of mobility. The biopsychosocial model explains that biological factors such as viruses, bacteria, hormones, and other influences can determine health and lead to illness. However, psychological and social factors also work together to create the model. Examples of psychological factors include behavior, beliefs, pain, stress, and coping (Yates, 2015). Physical factors could make the illness worse when there are also psychological factors, such as stress. This affects the body’s ability to fight off infections because the body is working to compensate the stress. In addition, social factors such as class, education, ethnicity, and employment all have an impact (Yates, 2015). If an individual is in the lower socioeconomic class, they most likely do not have the

4 same access to healthcare as someone in a higher socioeconomic class and this puts a strain on their health. Current Leading Cause of Death The current leading causes of death can be viewed from both of the models. The current leading cause of death is COVID-19, however in previous years heart disease has been on the top of the list (Cox, 2021). The biomedical model is limited to the biological factors suggesting that infection, weak heart, and a weak immune system among other biological factors are contributing to the deaths. The biopsychosocial model assesses more factors of COVID-19. Factors such as lifestyle choices, diet, exercise, medical conditions, and so on are all considered. Socioeconomic and psychological factors are also examined to see how these might contribute to the patient’s inability to make healthy decisions to help prevent them from getting the illness. This model allows for healthcare providers to assist the patient in more areas than just the biological area to help reduce the severity of the diagnosis. Lifestyle Choices to Reduce Illness Lifestyle choices are crucial in reducing illness. Lifestyle choices from employment, diet, exercise, tobacco use, alcohol use, drug use, community and environmental factors all contribute to the health of an individual. For example, a person who chooses to smoke cigarettes, or use other tobacco products, puts their health at risk. It is more likely for the person to get cancer, COPD, gum disease, or even lose their teeth (CDC, 2021). These issues could be avoided by choosing a lifestyle that is going to be beneficial. The same is true for those who resort to drinking alcohol. These choices are going to have an impact, if not now, then in the future. Also, not eating the right foods or exercising regularly can put a person at risk for obesity, which then can put the person at the risk for diabetes. Every decision makes a difference whether that be a

5 good choice or a bad one. Choosing a lifestyle that is going to promote good health is important. When a person choses a healthy lifestyle they are putting their health first which improves their quality of life and they are typically less likely to have any illnesses. Conclusion The biomedical and biopsychosocial model are both used in the healthcare setting. The models are designed to help diagnose illnesses, however both come with benefits and drawbacks. The choices made in life whether they be choices made for gain or choices that bring hardship, they are going to have an impact on the health and wellness of a person. The biopsychosocial model investigates the factors beyond the biological to assist a patient in every way possible. Examining the additional factors provides a broader picture of the health of a patient.

6 References Cox, C., (2021). COVID-19 is the number one cause of death in the U.S. in early 2021. PetersonKFF Health System Tracker. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/covid-19-is-thenumber-one-cause-of-death-in-the-u-s-in-early-2021/ CDC. (2021). Tips from former smokers. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/cancer.html Sarafino, E., & Smith, T. (2017). Health psychology: Biopsychosocial interactions (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN-13: 9781119299486. http://www.gcumedia.com/digitalresources/wiley-and-sons/2016/health-psychology_biopsychosocial-interactions_9e.php Yates, L., (2015). Biomedical vs. biopsychosocial models. Sovereign Health Group. http://www.sovcal.com/mental-health/biomedical-vs-biopsychosocial-models/ Tripathi, A., Das, A., & Kar, S. (2019). Biopsychosocial model in contemporary psychiatry: Current validity and future prospects. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 41(6), 582–585. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_314_19...