Biopsychosocial Approach to Modern Health and Illness

Biopsychosocial Approach to Modern Health and Illness

Health is traditionally equated to the absence of disease. A lack of a fundamental pathology was thought to define one's health as good, whereas biologically driven pathogens and conditions would render an individual with poor health and the label "diseased". However, such a narrow scope on health limited our understanding of wellbeing, let down our treatments efforts, and perhaps more importantly, suppressed prevention measures.

Many institutions and medical doctors have managed to incorporate a holistic view of health in sound medical application, primarily based on the Biopsychosocial (BPS) Model of Health and Illness. The concept of wellness is particularly stressed, where the state of being in good health based on the Biopsychosocial model is accompanied by good quality of life and strong relationships.

In 1977, American Psychiatrist George Engel introduced the major theory in medicine, the BPS Model. This model accounted for biological, psychological, and sociological, as each a systems of the body. The model accompanied a dramatic shift in focus from disease to health, recognizing the psychosocial factors (beliefs, relationships, stress) that greatly impact recovery and the progression of and recuperation from illness and disease. Dr. Engel has offered a view on physiological effects;

To provide a basis for understanding the determinants of disease and arriving at a rational treatments and patterns of health care, a medical model must also take into account the patient, the social context in which he lives and the complementary system devised by society to deal with the disruptive effects of illness, that is, the physician role and the health care system. This requires a Biopsychosocial model.

Today, individuals are living with diseases that would have taken their lives in the past. We see health and wellness is a broader environment. Medical