The biopsychosocial approach was developed at Rochester decades
ago by Drs. George Engel and John Romano. While traditional
biomedical models of clinical medicine focus on pathophysiology and
other biological approaches to disease, the biopsychosocial
approach in our training programs emphasize the importance of
understanding human health and illness in their fullest
contexts.
The biopsychosocial approach systematically considers
biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex
interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care
delivery.
Biological, psychological, and social factors exist along a
continuum of natural systems, as depicted in the diagram
above.
Systematic consideration of psychological and social factors
requires application of relevant social sciences, just as
consideration of biological factors requires application of
relevant natural sciences.
Therefore, both the natural and social sciences are ‘basic’ to
medical practice.In other words, psychological and social factors
are not merely epiphenomena: they can be understood in scientific
ways at their own levels as well as in regard to their biological
correlates.
Humanistic qualities are highly valued complements to the
biopsychosocial approach, which involves the application of the
scientific method to diverse biological, psychological, and social
phenomena as related to human health.
While the biomedical approach takes the reductionistic view
that all phenomena are best understood at the lowest level of
natural systems (e.g., cellular or molecular), the biopsychosocial
approach recognizes that different clinical scenarios may be most
usefully understood scientifically at several levels of the natural
systems continuum.
To apply the biopsychosocial approach to clinical practice, the
clinician should:
Recognize that relationships are central to providing health
care
Use self-awareness as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool
Elicit the patient’s history in the context of life
circumstances
Decide which aspects of biological, psychological, and social
domains are most important to understanding and promoting the
patient’s health
Provide multidimensional treatment
Psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, psychologists, and other
medical authorities claim that the clinical application of this
model helps them understand the problems of a patient which in turn
helps them decide the kind of treatment that they want to provide
him or her with.
For instance,the biopsychosocial model tries to explain the
causes of addiction. The reasons for an addiction are quite
complex, and the three factors mentioned in the biopsychosocial
model play an equally significant part in inducing addictive
behavior in a person.
The biological factor in the model states that some people have
a higher chance of developing an addiction as compared to others.
Research actually suggests that individuals with a family history
of addictions are more prone to develop them as compared to those
who have no such family history.
Similarly, hormones can also be believed to play a part. Hence,
it is possible that the biological factors of a person could play a
role in developing addictive behavior.
The psychological factor in the BPS model too plays a major
role in developing an addiction. For many people, drinking,
smoking, doing drugs, or gambling feels like rewarding behavior
they get happiness or relief by doing it.
The concept of rewarding behavior is actually psychological,
the person only feels rewarded. However, the temptation of the good
feelings that are generated for the person after indulging in
something might lead towards an addiction for the same.
The social factor of the BPS model consists of the social and
cultural environment surrounding the individual. His relationships
with the people around him, and his peer group play a huge role in
developing addictions.
Secondly, the availability of an addictive substance, or the
general mindset about it also affects the possibility of addiction.
For instance, if smoking is considered to be 'cool' and somewhat
necessary in a high-profile, stressful job, there is more chance of
an individual getting addicted to it, as it is generally viewed as
acceptable.
Similarly, gambling is a common and popular activity all over
the world. This may lead to an individual at risk to indulge
endlessly in gambling and ultimately, get addicted to it.
Social workers and psychiatrists take all three factors of the
biopsychosocial model into consideration when analyzing addiction
problems and addictive behavior. These factors help them understand
the problem at hand from every point of view, and help in deciding
what kind of treatment should be administered.
The biopsychosocial model, as we know, helps in determining the
best kind of treatment to be administered to a patient according to
his or her health issues.
When the patient has to be administered medical treatment in
the hospital, all three needs can be taken care of simultaneously:
biological needs, psychological needs, as well as social
needs.
Biological needs can be taken care of by providing the
necessary medicines, any sedatives if required, the correct
nutrition, appropriate safety facilities, as well as
antidepressants, if applicable.
Psychological needs can be taken care of by being empathetic
with the patient and making him feel safe and secure in the
doctor's care. Emotional support, sympathy, and allowing the
patient to feel comfortable in the doctor's company are ways to
take care of the patient's psychological needs.
The social needs of a patient are fulfilled through support
from family members, friends, peers, etc.
When the patient is on the road to recovery, the
biopsychosocial model can again be applied for quicker and better
recovery.
Biological needs can be taken care of through antidepressants,
the appropriate medicines, correct diet, etc.
Psychological needs are taken care of through counseling,
information about the problem and information about recovery.
Social needs are taken care of through enhanced primary and
secondary relationships, as well as being engaged in some or the
other kind of activity so as to avoid frustration or
depression.
The biopsychosocial model of healthcare thus helps doctors to
identify and correct any underlying issues that may hamper a
patient's recovery.
Mental illness of any kind cannot be attributed to just any
biological, psychological, or social reason alone. In fact, it is
the interaction between the three factors that causes any disorder,
be it physiological or mental. The reason why the biopsychosocial
model can be useful to study mental health and its problems,
is
Biological reasons such as heightened sensitivity to stress,
fear, anxiety, etc.
Psychological reasons such as the individual's thoughts,
perceptions, emotions, lack of confidence, feelings of trauma,
etc.
Social reasons, such as peer pressure, role models,
relationships, subjection to abuse, traumatic experiences,
etc.
The interaction between the above three factors broadly comes
together to manifest mental illness such as personality disorders
or anxiety problems, or something on similar lines.
The BPS model states that depression as a mental condition
cannot be attributed to psychological reasons alone. In fact, the
model states, that depression is attributed to the interaction
between all three factors: biological, psychological, and
social.
The biological factors include an individual's imbalanced
hormones, any physical disorder, a disability, etc. A person
suffering from one or all these issues is more likely to get
depressed than someone who is not.
Psychological factors too, of course, influence and induce
depression to a great extent. Self-confidence, pattern of thinking,
negativity in the mind, emotional intelligence, and the ability to
cope, influence depression.
Social factors, such as lack of social support, traumatic
incidents, abuse, or other stressful situations have the ability to
affect the psyche and physical state of an individual.