Biomedical Model

Biomedical Model

1. Used by physicians to diagnose disease

2. Considers Health to be the absence of disease pain or defect

3. Focuses purely on physical and biological causes of diseases

4. Curative approach - Main function to offer remedy and cure with medical intervention

5. Searches for biological causes of pathological symptoms

6. Each disease has a specific causal agent

7. Biomedicine - Also referred to as 'Allopathy, conventional medicine or modern western scientific medicine

8. Disadvantage: Approach is limited as it doesn't take into account psychological, environmental or social influences

   • Does not consider the fact that individual differences (personality, cognition, social support, cultural beliefs) cause people to respond differently to underlying diseases

9. Reductionist Approach - Believes that mind, body & behaviour can all be reduced to biochemical activity

10. Advantage: Broadly applied in most countries

11. Identifies, treats and attempts to restore health

12. Disadvantages: Very Costly

13. Disadvantage: Does not focus on prevention of Health

14. Dualist Approach - Mind and bodywork separately and disease arises from cellular and physiological processes

15. Individual is not responsible for their health