How does the medical model explain psychological disorders?
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The classification and treatment of psychopathology within mental health care fields rests upon a set of assumptions that are important for those working in these fields to be aware of. One core assumption that has been present in the shaping of psychiatry, clinical psychology, and related disciplines is that of the medical model. With regards to mental illness, the medical model generally refers to conceptualization of psychological problems using an illness- or disease-based framework (Siegler and Osmond 1974; Mechanic 1999). Similar to a cold, a specific mental illness is viewed as a disease that causes a defined set of symptoms or functional deficits. This view relies on a normative paradigm that assumes there is such a thing as “mentally healthy” individuals who do not have mental illness. It also impacts treatment and how symptoms and problematic behaviors are understood by clinicians and patients. The medical model also arguably involves a... Show
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Rights and permissionsReprints and Permissions Copyright information© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG About this entryCite this entryPilecki, B.C. (2017). Medical Model of Psychopathology. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_911-1 How can psychological disorders be explained within the biological models?The biological approach to psychopathology believes that disorders have an organic or physical cause. The focus of this approach is on genetics, neurotransmitters, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy etc. The approach argues that mental disorders are related to the physical structure and functioning of the brain.
What is the medical model in health psychology?Definition. The medical model is a model of health which suggests that disease is detected and identified through a systematic process of observation, description, and differentiation, in accordance with standard accepted procedures, such as medical examinations, tests, or a set of symptom descriptions.
How does the medical model explain depression?The biomedical model assumes that depression originates from a physiological abnormality within the brain and there is no significant dissimilarity between mental and physical diseases (Andreasen, 1985).
What does the medical model of illness represent?Dominant since the rise of early germ theory (Pasteur, Koch), the medical model sees illness as a consequence of a germ (virus, parasite, or bacteria) entering the body and causing it to malfunction.
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