What Is The Main Argument In Support Of The BPS Model
Mental health is becoming a more widespread topic in recent years especially since characters with mental illnesses have become popular in movies and t.v., like the hit Netflix original 13 Reasons Why who’s main character battles depression. Pop-culture music, books, and social media have also taken to spreading awareness for mental illnesses, steps to improve your mental health, and creative works that hope to help those without mental illnesses understand their struggling peers. This focus on mental health in the United States is most likely due to the high amount of people who are battling mental illnesses. The National Institute of Mental Health stated that, “One in six U.S. adults lives with a mental illness (44.7 million in 2016)” but
…show more content…
Many mental health professionals hope that the model will give psychology practitioners and doctors a more complete view of mental illnesses. Psychiatrist George Engel, the creator of the BPS model, writes that the medical field is neglecting the effects that psychological and social factors have on the health of patients and that the field of psychology is lacking proven strategies for improving their patients’ well-being (1977, p. 377-378). Engel recommends that doctors and mental health practitioners integrate the BPS model to ground the mental health field in science-based approaches as well as encourage medical practitioners to treat mental illnesses as real illnesses. (1977, p. 378, 384-385). Counseling professor Timothy Melchert agrees with Engel’s opinion that the psychology field needs to be based on science; “Perhaps the most important is that health care interventions should be based on scientific evidence regarding their safety and effectiveness.” (2010, p. 359-360). Many medical and psychology doctors alike also agree with Engle that integrating an all -inclusive model in their practice allows practitioners the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of their patients’ health. Two of these doctors are PhD Marco Stier and MD H. Helmchen. Stier comments that “Helmchen rightly cautions against any kind of dogmatism in psychiatry, regardless of whether it is a social, a psychological or a biological one. Instead, he favors the biopsychosocial model as a remedy for ‘the narrowing of conceptions that depict only partial aspects of mental illness’” (2014). Despite benefits of integrating the three-fold approach to mental health, mental and medical health professionals see some major flaws that prevent the model from
Many mental health professionals hope that the model will give psychology practitioners and doctors a more complete view of mental illnesses. Psychiatrist George Engel, the creator of the BPS model, writes that the medical field is neglecting the effects that psychological and social factors have on the health of patients and that the field of psychology is lacking proven strategies for improving their patients’ well-being (1977, p. 377-378). Engel recommends that doctors and mental health practitioners integrate the BPS model to ground the mental health field in science-based approaches as well as encourage medical practitioners to treat mental illnesses as real illnesses. (1977, p. 378, 384-385). Counseling professor Timothy Melchert agrees with Engel’s opinion that the psychology field needs to be based on science; “Perhaps the most important is that health care interventions should be based on scientific evidence regarding their safety and effectiveness.” (2010, p. 359-360). Many medical and psychology doctors alike also agree with Engle that integrating an all -inclusive model in their practice allows practitioners the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of their patients’ health. Two of these doctors are PhD Marco Stier and MD H. Helmchen. Stier comments that “Helmchen rightly cautions against any kind of dogmatism in psychiatry, regardless of whether it is a social, a psychological or a biological one. Instead, he favors the biopsychosocial model as a remedy for ‘the narrowing of conceptions that depict only partial aspects of mental illness’” (2014). Despite benefits of integrating the three-fold approach to mental health, mental and medical health professionals see some major flaws that prevent the model from