More handpicked essays just for you.
Social model vs medical model of health
Social model vs medical model of health
Strengths and limitations of biological explanations of schizophrenia
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Social model vs medical model of health
The medical model embodies basic assumptions about medicine that drive research and theorizing about physical or psychological difficulties on a basis of causation and remediation. It can be contrasted with other models that make different basic assumptions. Examples include holistic model of the alternative health movement and the social model of the disability rights movement, as well as to biopsychosocial and recovery models of mental disorders as illustrated by (Pollock, J. 2005). For example, theory of schizophrenia focuses on environmental rather than medical causes. The medical model and these alternative models do not have to be mutually exclusive. A model is not a statement of absolute reality or a belief system, but a tool for helping
The disorder which is being treated is actually strengthened to the point of a serious mental illness. Similarly, in today’s society, medical and psychological advice may have the same effect. Medical technology and practice have progressed considerably since the time of the “Yellow Wallpaper.” This is not to say that today’s physicians are infallible. Perhaps some of today’s treatments are the “Yellow Wallpaper” of the future.
The biopsychosocial model of health was developed by George L. Engel (1977) whom determined the cause of diseases. Biopsychosocial has a deep interrelation with all three of the models or the factors which leads to the overall outcome of a person’s illness or disease. Each model in the biopsychosocial model of health has different insights in regards to patient’s body, health and diseases.
In order to explain the experience of mental health, its complexity needs to be both understood and appreciated. There are diverse perspectives in mental health that are used for assessment, diagnosis and treatment. This essay will use the K272 Holistic Model to illustrate a framework that can help explain the experience of mental health. Alongside this model are the experiences of Hilary, a case study used within the course materials whose physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual/personal meaning dimensions reveal the factors that may have contributed to her mental distress (The Open University, 2010, p.31-51). The effectiveness of the medical model providing an explanation will be considered and differing frameworks of understanding will be discussed. This essay will consider the opinion of different user groups regarding the usefulness of a holistic model and whether those within a particular group have the same view.
In relation to health and social, social realism would create more an understanding for service providers. It would help service providers understand that all service users will have their own perceptions of reality, whether they have a mental issue, different culture, disability and so on. Service providers will provide a service with the influence of this theory, ensuring that when they are providing their service, varied perceptions and behaviours are being taken into consideration. An example of this could involve an individual with Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is mental health issue which changes the way an individual sees the natural world, and alters the way they perceive and behave. Their sense of reality becomes false, as well as their
This theory is considered a middle range theory, however Peterson and Bredow (2009) argue that it has the necessary elements to be classified as a grand theory. Peterson and Bredow (2009) assert that the theory can stand on its own as well as other theories can be derived from within the Modeling and Role-Modeling theory. Since the Modeling and Role-Modeling theory integrates a “metaparadigm” of influences on life and health, it creates an approach towards facilitating healing of the entire person (Peterson & Bredow, 2009).
According to the World Health Organisation (2017) the social determinants of health are defined as the conditions where people are born, grown, work and live, which also includes the health system. The social determinants of health determined populations health’s outcomes and therefore linked with health inequalities (WHO, 2017)
For over 100 years the biomedical model has dominated Western medicine. Its impact has been broad and profound, increasing life expectancy and emphasizing biologic approaches to health care and health research. The biomedical model of illness that excludes psychological and social factors and includes only biologic factors in an attempt to understand a person’s medical illness or disorder; putting an exclusive focus on disease. This model is now found to be inadequate because it “leaves no room within this framework for the social, psychological and behavioral dimensions of illness. The biomedical model is only a small component in this larger framework. Within this model, a great focus in put on medication and it
Public health is a concept that will always be subject to conflicting opinion. Over the year’s different ‘models’ of health have been formulated in order to categorise public health into dominant areas of cause and effect. The two models in which this essay will be focusing on are the Biomedical Model and the Lifestyle Theory Model. Although both models have equally arguable advantages and disadvantages, it is difficult to state either model as being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in defining the correct pathway to resolving the central health issues of today.
Health as a Social Construction In my essay, I aim to find out why social construction affects the health of our society. Ill health may be defined as 'a bodily or mental state that is deemed undesirable'. This means that health is the condition of the body both physically and mentally. Social construction of health refers to the way health varies from one society to another.
Sociologist utilizes several perspectives to explain individual motivations of deviance with an emphasis on biological, psychiatric, psychoanalytic, and psychological terms. The emergence of these ideals temporarily displaced social disorganization theory, which stresses a rapidly changing environment as the cause of deviant behavior. Social pathology seeks to explain deviance by evaluating conditions or circumstances, uniquely, affecting the individual. Sociological theories recognize the existense of social conditions that produce deviant behavior and how society identifies it.
Conventional biomedical model, sees health simply as the absence of pathology alongside normal function. On this model of medicine, patients are contestably seen as diseases rather than individuals and diagnosis and treatment are based on individual parts of the body and not on the patients as a whole and its interaction with the world around them. Treatments offered in this model, most of the time involve drugs prescription, procedures and surgeries that are performed by a knowledgeable doctor.
Throughout history, explanations for mental illness have been described as supernatural, psychological, and biological. Prior to the early Greek physicians, the supernatural model of mental illness prevailed. Early humans did not have science to explain natural events so magic, mysticism, and superstition were used as a substitution. They believed in animism, the idea that all of nature is alive, and anthropomorphism, the tendency to project human features onto nature. Reification was also a popular belief that assumed if you can think of something, it exists. Sympathetic magic was the idea that one can heal and individual by influencing an object that is similar or closely associated to them (Frazer, 1890/1963). Primitive healers would often imitate the patient's ailments and then model the recovery. Reification also lead to the bel...
Health and illness narratives have long been part of the healthcare setting, however in more recent times, the biomedical model of healthcare with its facts and finding methodology has been the more common structure of healthcare. A byproduct of healthcare systems structured in such a way is it fails to focus itself on patient centered care and as such the treatment of a patient fails to establish and treat the cause of the issue.
Introduction: For this essay I am going to critically discuss the biomedical model as well as the social model of health and how they both relate to the lay perspectives on health and illness.
Health psychology is a relatively new concept rapidly growing and could be defined as the biological and psychological influences affect ones behaviour also bringing in social influences of health and illness (MacDonald, 2013). Biological determinants consider genetic and biological factors of an illness whereas psychological determinants focus on the psychological factors such as why people behave the way they do when dealing with issues such as anxiety and stress. Models such as the Health Belief Model and Locus of Control were developed in attempt to try and explain psychological issues around a chronic illness such as breast cancer (Ogden, 2012). Sociological factors can cause an enormous amount of pressure for one to behave in a certain way for example gender roles in society and religious considerations when dealing with health beliefs. Health Beliefs can be defined as one’s own perception to their own personal health and illness and health behaviours (Ogden, 2012). There are also theories and models used to explain pain and coping with diagnosis such as Moos and Schaefer (1984) Crisis theory and Shontz (1975) cycle of grief people go through when being diagnosed with a serious illness.