Comparing The Biomedical Model And The Social Model Of Health

595 Words3 Pages
The biomedical model and the social model of health are two completely different ways to view our health and its complications. The biomedical model is a scientific measure of health that sees diseases and illnesses as malfunctions of the human body, a breakdown due to biological reasons. This model has been around since the nineteenth century and is the main paradigm of viewing our health. It excludes the social, cultural and psychological factors that contribute to our health and only focuses on the biological and medical factors. Health care professionals such as doctors often only look for biological and genetic malfunctions in patients. Biomedicine claims that this biomedical approach is the only way to understand our health and the treatments of illnesses and diseases (Nettleton, 2006). In contrast to the biomedical perspective, the social model of health is much broader and complicated. This model is focused on the social, cultural, psychological and environmental factors that we…show more content…
The social determinants of health are conditions in which people work, grow, born, age and live (World Health Organization, 2015). Depression is a mental disorder that causes a constant feeling of sadness, loss and hopelessness that interrupts people’s daily lives and routines, and over 350 million people suffer from this globally (Medical News Today, 2015). One social determinant that impact depression is social and community networks. The people that surround us and how others treat us can have a massive impact on our lives and feelings, whether that is positive or negative. What others say and think about us can cause a lot of distress and pressure. But these are not the only aspects that contribute to depression, experts and researchers say that there is no one cause in depression, but rather a combination of factors (MNT,
Show More
Related

  • Key Public Health Model

    4675 Words  | 19 Pages

    Mental illness – a key public health issue The World Health Organization upon acknowledging the significance of global mental health defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1946, p.1). This apt definition led the dictum that “there is no health without mental health” (WHO, 2004, p.10), with endorsements from reputable organisations such as the World Federation of Mental Health, EU Council of Ministers, etc

    Read More

More about Comparing The Biomedical Model And The Social Model Of Health

Open Document