Medical Model

Q: What are the strengths of the medical model?

The strengths of the medical model are:The approach takes an empirical and objective approach to understanding mental illness.The model has practical applications for diagnosing and treating mental illnesses.The treatment theories suggested are widely available, relatively easy to administer and effective for many mental illnesses.Supporting evidence has been found on the biological component of explaining mental illnesses (Gottesman et al. 2010).

Addiction

Aggression

Approaches in Psychology

Basic Psychology

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Biopsychology

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Cognition and Development

Cognitive Psychology

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Famous Psychologists

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Health Psychology

Preventive Mental Health Care

Individual Differences Psychology

Issues and Debates in Psychology

Personality in Psychology

Psychological Treatment

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Research Methods in Psychology

Schizophrenia

Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Scientific Investigation

Sensation and Perception

Social Context of Behaviour

Social Psychology

Stress

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to get a peek inside a doctor's mind? How do they think through illnesses and other body problems? Is there a certain perspective they tend to use as they make decisions and choose treatments? The answer is yes, and it is the medical model!

Let's begin by understanding the medical model definition.
Then, what is the medical model of mental health?
What is the medical model in psychology?
As we continue, let's look at Gottesman et al. (2010), an important medical model example.
Finally, we'll discuss the pros and cons of the medical model.

The Medical Model

Psychiatrist Laing coined the medical model. The medical model suggests that illnesses should be diagnosed based on a systematic process accepted by the majority. The systematic approach should identify how the condition differs from 'typical' behaviour and describe and observe if the symptoms match the description of the illness in question.

Medical Model Psychology Definition

Just like a broken leg can be identified through an x-ray and treated through physical means, so can mental illnesses such as Depression (using different identification techniques, of course).

The medical model is a school of thought in psychology that explains mental illness as a result of a physical cause.

The medical model is how mental and emotional issues are related to biological causes and problems. The model suggests they can be identified, treated, and monitored by observing and identifying physiological signs. Examples include abnormal blood levels, damaged cells, and abnormal gene expression.

For example, a mental illness can be caused by irregular neurotransmitter levels. Psychiatrists, rather than psychologists, typically accept this school of thought.

Medical Model Use in Psychology

So how is the medical model used in psychology? Psychiatrists/psychologists apply the medical model of mental health theory to treat and diagnose patients. They focus on using the approaches we discussed above:

The biochemical.
The genetic.
Brain abnormality explanation of mental illness.

To diagnose and treat a patient, they use these approaches to assess the situation. Typically, psychiatrists assess the patient's symptoms.

Psychiatrists try to use multiple methods to assess symptoms. These include clinical interviews, brain imaging techniques, observations, medical history (their and their families), and psychometric tests.

After assessing the symptoms, established diagnostic criteria are to match the patient's symptoms with a psychological illness.

If the patient's symptoms are hallucinations, delusions, or disorganised speech, the clinician will likely diagnose the patient with Schizophrenia.

Once a patient has been diagnosed with an illness, the psychiatrist decides on the best treatment. Various treatments exist for the medical model, including drug therapies. An old, outdated model is Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), now a largely abandoned treatment because of some severe risks. Also, the treatment method is still not fully understood.

Research has found that people diagnosed with mental illnesses may have brain abnormalities. These include:

Lesions.
Smaller brain regions
Poor blood flow.

Medical Model of Mental Health

Let's examine the biochemical, genetic, and brain abnormalities theories used to diagnose and treat patients. These explanations are models of how mental health illness is understood.

Medical Model: Neural Explanation of Mental Illness

This explanation considers that atypical neurotransmitter activity is a cause of mental illness. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers within the brain which allow communication between neurons. Neurotransmitters can contribute to mental illnesses in several ways.

Neurotransmitters send chemical signals between neurons or between neurons and muscles. Before a signal can be transmitted between neurons, it must cross the synapse (the gap between two neurons).

'Atypical' neurotransmitter activity is thought to cause mental illness. When there is a low level of neurotransmitters, it makes it difficult for the neurons in the brain to send signals. This can cause dysfunctional behaviour or the symptoms of mental illnesses. Similarly, abnormally high levels of neurotransmitters can lead to brain dysfunction, as it upsets the balance.

Research has linked low serotonin and norepinephrine (neurotransmitters) to manic Depression and bipolar disorder. And abnormally high dopamine levels in particular brain regions to the positive symptoms of Schizophrenia.

Serotonin is the 'happy' neurotransmitter; it passes along 'happy' messages to neurons.

Medical Model, chemical formula of serotonin, Vaia Fig. 1 Dug therapy affects neurotransmitter abundance in the synapse and can be used to treat mental illnesses.

A psychiatrist who accepts the medical model school of thought may choose to treat a patient using drug therapy. Drug therapy targets receptors, which affect the abundance of neurotransmitters in the synapses.

Take depression, for example. The typical type of drug used for this treatment is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

As mentioned, depression is linked to low levels of serotonin. SSRIs work by blocking the reuptake (absorption) of serotonin. This means there are higher serotonin levels, as they are not being re-absorbed at the same rate.

Medical Model: Genetic Explanation of Mental Illness

The genetic explanation of mental illness focuses on how our genes affect the development of certain diseases within the brain.

Humans inherit 50 per cent of their genes from their mothers and the other 50 per cent from their fathers.

Scientists have identified that there are variants of genes that are associated with specific mental illnesses. Some biopsychologists argue that these variants are predispositions for mental illnesses.

Predispositions refer to a person's increased likelihood of developing a mental illness or disease, depending on their genes.

This predisposition, combined with environmental factors such as childhood trauma, can lead to the onset of mental illnesses.

McGuffin et al. (1996) investigated the contribution of genes to the development of major depression (classified using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, specifically the DSM-IV). They studied 177 twins with major depression and found that monozygotic twins (MZ) who share 100 per cent of their DNA had a concordance rate of 46 per cent.

In contrast, dizygotic twins (DZ) who share 50 per cent of their genes had a concordance rate of 20 per cent, concluding there was a significant difference between them. This supports the idea that depression has a certain degree of inheritability, alluding to a genetic component.

Medical Model: The Cognitive Neuroscience Explanation of Mental Illness

Cognitive neuroscientists explain mental illness in terms of dysfunction in brain areas. Psychologists generally agree that certain brain regions are responsible for specific jobs.

Cognitive neuroscientists propose that mental illnesses are caused by damage to brain regions or disruptions that influence brain function.

The cognitive neuroscience explanations of mental illness are usually supported by research from brain imaging techniques. This means that the research theories and evidence are empirical and highly valid.

There are, however, limitations to using brain imaging techniques. For example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cannot give information on the timing of brain activity. To deal with this, researchers may have to use multiple imaging methods; this can be costly and time-consuming.

Medical Model Example

Gottesman et al. (2010) provided supportive evidence of the genetic explanation by calculating the risk levels of children inheriting mental illnesses from their biological parents. The study was a Natural Experiment and a national register-based cohort study based in Denmark and offers a great medical model example.

The Variables investigated were:

Independent variable: whether the parent had been diagnosed with bipolar or schizophrenia.
Dependent variable: child diagnosed with mental illness (using the ICD).

The comparison groups were:

Both parents were diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Both parents were diagnosed with bipolar.
One parent was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
One parent was diagnosed with bipolar.
Parents with no diagnosed mental illness.

The table shows how many parents were diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and the percentage of their children diagnosed with mental illnesses by 52 years old.

	No parent diagnosed with either disorder	One parent with schizophrenia	Both parents had schizophrenia	One parent with bipolar disorder	Both parents with bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia in offspring	0.86%	7%	27.3%	-	-
Bipolar disorder in offspring	0.48%	-	10.8%	4.4%	24.95%

When one parent had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and the other with bipolar, the percentage of offspring diagnosed with schizophrenia was 15.6, and bipolar was 11.7.

This research suggests that genetics is a significant contributor to mental illnesses.

The more offspring are predisposed to a genetic vulnerability; the more likely the child will be diagnosed with a mental illness. If both parents have been diagnosed with the respective disorder, the higher the child's chances are of developing the disorder.

Pros and Cons of the Medical Model

The medical model has a vital role in psychology as it is a widely accepted school of thought for treating mental illnesses. This indicates that the model's views are widely applied to the psychological services available.

However, there are cons to the medical model that should be considered when applying the model for diagnosing and treating mental illnesses.

Pros of the Medical Model

Let us consider the following strengths of the medical model:

The approach tends to be objective and follows an empirical approach to diagnosing and treating mental illnesses.

Research evidence such as Gottesman et al. (2010) shows a genetic and biological component to mental illnesses.

The medical model has real-life practical applications. For example, it describes how people with mental illnesses should be diagnosed and treated.

The treatment methods used nowadays are widely available, relatively easy to administer, and effective.

Medical Model, doctor looking at screen with cat scan making a diagnosis, Vaia

Fig. 2 Psychologists who accept the medical model use various sources to make diagnoses, increasing the likelihood of a correct diagnosis.

Cons of the Medical Model

One of the major causes of schizophrenia is high levels of dopamine. The drug treatment of schizophrenia typically blocks dopamine receptors (stops high levels of dopamine released). This has been found to reduce positive symptoms of schizophrenia but has no or little effect on negative symptoms. This suggests that the biochemical approach partially explains mental illnesses and ignores other factors (reductionist).

The treatments in the medical model do not try to get to the root of the problem. Instead, it tries to combat the symptoms. There are also certain debates the medical model tends to fall into in psychology overall:

Nature versus nurture - believes that genetic makeup (nature) is the root of mental illnesses and ignores other factors that may cause them. For example, it ignores the role of the environment (nurture).

Reductionist versus holism - the model only considers biological explanations of mental illnesses whilst ignoring other cognitive, psychodynamic, and humanistic factors. This suggests that the model over-simplifies the complex nature of mental illnesses by ignoring important factors (reductionist).

Determinism versus free will - the model suggests people have no free will over their well-being. For instance, the model indicates that their genetic makeup determines mental illness. This implies that you are helpless against developing certain mental illnesses and acting a certain way.

Medical Model - Key takeaways

The medical model definition is the concept of how mental and emotional issues are related to biological causes and problems.
The medical model use in psychology is to help with the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses.
The medical model of mental health explains mental illnesses as a result of brain abnormalities, genetic predispositions and biochemical irregularities.
Gottesman et al. (2010) provided supportive evidence of the genetic explanation by calculating the risk levels of children inheriting mental illnesses from their biological parents; this is a research medical model example.
There are pros and cons of the medical model, e.g. it is supported by empirical, reliable and valid research, but it is often criticised as reductionist and deterministic.

Frequently Asked Questions about Medical Model

The medical model definition is the concept of how mental and emotional issues are related to biological causes and problems. They can be identified, treated, and monitored by observing and identifying physiological signs. Examples include abnormal blood levels, damaged cells, and abnormal gene expression. Treatments alter the biology of humans.

The medical model of mental health explains mental illnesses as a result of brain abnormalities, genetic predispositions and biochemical irregularities.

The strengths of the medical model are:

The approach takes an empirical and objective approach to understanding mental illness.
The model has practical applications for diagnosing and treating mental illnesses.
The treatment theories suggested are widely available, relatively easy to administer and effective for many mental illnesses.
Supporting evidence has been found on the biological component of explaining mental illnesses (Gottesman et al. 2010).

Some limitations are it only considers the nature side of the nature versus nurture debate, reductionist and deterministic.

The medical model provides an empirical and objective framework to understand, diagnose and treat mental illnesses. This is needed in social services to ensure that vulnerable people have access to proper treatment.

Final Medical Model Quiz

Medical Model Quiz - Teste dein Wissen

Question

Which of the following is the most accurate description of the medical model?

Show answer

Answer

School of thought.

Show question

Question

Which approach does the medical approach consider?

Show answer

Answer

Biological.

Show question

Question

Which biological treatment is widely abandoned nowadays?

Show answer

Answer

Drug treatment.

Show question

Question

What are the strengths of the medical model?

Show answer

Answer

The strengths of the medical model are:

The approach takes an empirical and objective approach to understanding mental illness.
The model has practical applications for its use in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses.
The treatment theories suggested are widely available, relatively easy to administer, and effective for many mental illnesses.
Supporting evidence has been found of the biological component of explaining mental illnesses.

Show question

Question

How is the medical model reductionist?

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Answer

The model is reductionist because it only considers biological explanations of mental illnesses. Whilst ignoring other factors such as cognitive, psychodynamic, humanistic. This suggests that the model over-simplifies the complex nature of mental illnesses by ignoring important factors.

Show question

Question

Which component of the medical model does Gottesman et al. (2010) provide supporting evidence for?

Show answer

Answer

Genetic component

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Question

What is the practical application of the medical model for the treatment of depression?

Show answer

Answer

A psychiatrist who accepts the medical model school of thought could treat a patient with depression using drug treatment. The typical type of drug used for this treatment is called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Depression is associated with low levels of depression, SSRIs work by blocking the re-uptake (absorption) of serotonin. This means that there are higher levels of serotonin.

Show question

Question

Which neurotransmitters have been linked to manic depression?

Show answer

Answer

Low levels of serotonin and norepinephrine (neurotransmitters) have been linked to manic depression and bipolar disorder.

Show question

Question

How can neurotransmitters cause mental illnesses and their symptoms?

Show answer

Answer

When there are irregular levels of neurotransmitters, it makes it difficult for the neurons in the brain to send signals or causes over-activity. This can cause dysfunctional behaviour or the symptoms of mental illnesses.

Show question

Question

How is the medical model used in psychology?

Show answer

Answer

Psychiatrists typically use the medical model to diagnose patients with mental illnesses.

Show question

Question

How does the medical model explain mental illnesses?

Show answer

Answer

The medical model explains mental illness to be a result of a physical cause. For example, the onset of mental illnesses is because of irregular neurotransmitter levels.

Show question

Question

What did Szazs think of mental illnesses?

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Answer

They are a myth.

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Question

Which theory criticises the cognitive approach for not measuring phenomena that are directly observable?

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Answer

Behavioural.

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Question

How does the classical conditioning theory explain mental illnesses and apply this to our understanding of phobias?

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Answer

The classical conditioning theory describes that mental illnesses are learned when people form associations between a conditional stimulus and response. For example, someone may form a phobia of enclosed spaces after associating it with panic attacks they have when in small spaces.

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Question

Which theory has some commonalities with the medical model?

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Answer

Cognitive.

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Question

Which theories emphasise the role of experiences shaping mental illnesses?

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Answer

Behavioural.

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Question

Is the following statement true or false, "the medical model and the humanistic approach take opposing stances in the free will versus determinism debate"?

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Answer

True.

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Question

How did Beck's theory explain depression?

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Answer

Beck formed the negative triad theory to explain depression. People with a negative triad tend to see the world, their current and future selves negatively. Therefore, people with depression continuously see events negatively. This feeds into their depression as they continuously feel low (this is known as the vicious cycle).

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Question

How does the medical model explain mental illness?

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Answer

The medical model sees mental illness as resulting from a physical cause.

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Question

Szasz suggested that there are no physical components to mental illness.

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Answer

True.

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Question

How do behaviourists view mental illness?

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Answer

The behaviourist approach explains mental illnesses in terms of learned behaviour and our past experiences. Behaviourists believe that 'abnormal' behaviour can be unlearnt.

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Question

How can classical conditioning explain mental illness?

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Answer

Mental illnesses are learned when people form associations between conditional stimuli and responses.

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Question

How is learned helplessness acquired?

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Answer

People acquire 'learned helplessness' due to associations between life events and lack of control, they have been conditioned to believe they have no control over situations.

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Question

Learned helplessness is associated with which mental illness?

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Answer

Depression.

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Question

How does operant conditioning explain depression?

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Answer

The removal of positive reinforcement.

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Question

How can the behavioural approach be criticised?

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Answer

It doesn't consider the nature aspect of developing a mental illness.

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Question

How does the cognitive approach explain mental illness?

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Answer

The cognitive approach views mental illness as a result of faulty thought processes and cognitive distortions.

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Question

Who developed the negative triad theory to explain depression?

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Answer

Beck.

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Question

What is the criticism of the cognitive explanation of mental illness?

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Answer

It explains behaviour in terms of internal processes that cannot be directly observed, so it is difficult to objectively and empirically test.

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Question

What is the psychodynamic view of mental illness?

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Answer

According to psychodynamic theorists, mental illness can be caused due to early childhood trauma and the disruption of the balance between the three parts of the mind.

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Question

What are the three parts of the mind according to the psychodynamic approach?

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Answer

Id - primitive instincts such as sexual and aggressive desires.
Ego - the realistic part that moderates the id and superego.
Superego - our morals.

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Question

What is a strength of the psychodynamic explanation of mental illness?

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Answer

It highlights the importance of childhood experiences such as trauma and relationships and how they shape later life.

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Question

What is the medical model?

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Answer

The medical model is a school of thought in psychology that explains mental illness as a result of a physical cause.

Show question

Question

According to the medical model, mental and emotional issues are related to biological causes and problems. Is this true or false?

Show answer

Answer

True.

Show question

Question

Psychologists rather than psychiatrists typically accept the medical model. Is this true or false?

Show answer

Answer

True.

Show question

Question

What are the components of the medical model?

Show answer

Answer

The biochemical, genetic, and brain abnormality explanation of mental illness.

Show question

Question

What methods do psychiatrists use to assess symptoms?

Show answer

Answer

The methods include clinical interviews, brain imaging techniques, observations, medical history (their and their families), and psychometric tests.

Show question

Question

Is electroconvulsive therapy still used?

Show answer

Answer

No.

Show question

Question

What are neurotransmitters?

Show answer

Answer

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers within the brain which allow communication between neurons.

Show question

Question

Which neurotransmitter has been linked to schizophrenia?

Show answer

Answer

Abnormally high levels of dopamine have been linked to positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

Show question

Question

What are some brain abnormalities associated with mental illness?

Show answer

Answer

Some brain abnormalities associated with mental illness include lesions, smaller brain regions, and poor blood flow in specific brain regions.

Show question

Question

What is serotonin an example of?

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Answer

A neurotransmitter.

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Question

The medical model suggests that people have no free will over their well-being. Is this true or false?

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Answer

True.

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Question

The medical model takes into account the role of the environment. Is this true or false?

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Answer

True.

Show question

Question

The treatments given in the medical model aim to get to the root of the problem. Is this true or false?

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Answer

True.

Show question

Question

The medical model describes how people with mental illnesses should be diagnosed and treated. Is this true or false?

Show answer

Answer

True.

Show question

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Which of the following is the most accurate description of the medical model?

School of thought.

Which approach does the medical approach consider?

Biological.

Which biological treatment is widely abandoned nowadays?

Drug treatment.

What are the strengths of the medical model?

The strengths of the medical model are:

The approach takes an empirical and objective approach to understanding mental illness.
The model has practical applications for its use in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses.
The treatment theories suggested are widely available, relatively easy to administer, and effective for many mental illnesses.
Supporting evidence has been found of the biological component of explaining mental illnesses.

How is the medical model reductionist?

Which component of the medical model does Gottesman et al. (2010) provide supporting evidence for?

Genetic component

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Medical Model

The Medical Model

Medical Model Psychology Definition

Medical Model Use in Psychology

Medical Model of Mental Health

Medical Model: Neural Explanation of Mental Illness

Medical Model: Genetic Explanation of Mental Illness

Medical Model: The Cognitive Neuroscience Explanation of Mental Illness

Medical Model Example

Pros and Cons of the Medical Model

Pros of the Medical Model

Cons of the Medical Model

Medical Model - Key takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions about Medical Model

What is the medical model theory?

What are the four components of the medical model theory?

What are the strengths of the medical model?

What are the limitations of the medical model?

How did the medical model influence social work?

Final Medical Model Quiz

Medical Model Quiz - Teste dein Wissen

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