All About the Biomedical Models of Mental Illness, Their Limitations and How Alternative Models Can Explain Emotional Distress

What Are Biomedical Models of Mental Illness?

The biomedical models of mental illness are theoretical concepts that claim to explain the cause of mental health problems from a biological perspective.

Many people are surprised to read that these models are purely theoretical because they are portrayed in the media as ‘facts’, but this is NOT the case.

In fact, there has never been a single piece of convincing scientific evidence that mental health problems are the result of ANY kind of biological fault, although there are conditions in which neural architecture is a factor.

This model suggests that many of the normal human emotions that people experience, for example feeling depressed, are in fact NOT normal and are due to a disease inside the person’s brain.

The classifying of normal emotional responses as illnesses in this way is known as medicalisation or pathologisation.

It is no surprise, then, that advocates of the biomedical models of mental illness argue that these diseases can only be treated by medical approaches, such as medication or surgical intervention.

Psychosocial Models of Mental Distress

In contrast to the biomedical models of mental illness are the Psychosocial models.

These models seek to explain emotional distress as being the result of what has happened to a person rather than what is wrong with them.

Rather than seeing emotional distress as some sort of ‘biological fault’, the psychosocial model regards emotional responses as the result of their experiences and how they have been given meanings.

Clinical and empirical evidence gathered over many years suggests that psychosocial models are much more useful for developing recovery programmes and also provide a more coherent explanaition for distress.

Arrange a FREE initial consultation

If you’d like to find out more about the biomedical models of mental illness or recovering from mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular problems and the potential solutions in a safe and confidential environment without you having to commit to any therapy or counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet our therapists and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.