Health is biopsychosocial

Health is defined by the World Health Organisation as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

In otherwords, being healthy is not just about whether you’re ill or not but about your wellbeing in general. It’s about complete wellbeing. It’s about physical, mental and social wellbeing, otherwise known as ‘biopsychosocial’ wellbeing.

PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPONENT

For some, a non-mechanical viewpoint of health and healing is controversial. However, more contemporarily, it has become increasingly accepted that the role of the brain is more than just controlling our structure or biology but a component of its own that is closely related to our wider health. The psychological component does not only refer to illnesses of the mind itself but also the effects of health or illness on the mind.

SOCIAL COMPONENT

It is suggested that health and health care can be influenced by environment and community.
It is important to note that measuring wellbeing is not the same as measuring GDP.

CONFLICTING VIEWPOINTS OF THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL

The biopsychosocial model, as with any philosophical mode of care, has its advantages and disadvantages.

ADVANTAGES

One of the main advantages is that it tends to be considered as more patient-centric as well as evidence-informed. To be able to look at the causes of illness, the model suggests that it is not enough to focus on illness alone. Instead it suggests that it is more wise to look to the cause of the symptoms and to issues of wider wellbeing. These may include lifestyle, psychological or lifestyle issues (such as workplace wellbeing)

The model suggests that to become healthier you need to improve or grow on all three components of the model. The model suggests that the patient and their own support or community network have key roles behind the empowerment of health or wellbeing: It’s not all about what happens in at the clinic, but a connection and meeting of minds between all.

One of the really nice things about the biopsychosocial model is that it helps to connect the dots between healthcare and non-healthcare practices in terms of improving health or lifestyle. Through the biopsychosocial model concepts that would be seen as non-evidence-based, pseudoscientific or ‘woo’ to some, may still have a key impact on their future health.

Biopsychosocial healthcare is more tailored to the individual and, when in line with the evidence based model (as proposed by Sackett), does not rigidly apply concepts to evidence alone. Instead, it informs care based on the best available evidence, the skills and expectations of the practitioner and the expectations, lifestyle and choices of the patient.

Some of the more leading discussion against biopsychosocial working has been with reference to the fact it is vague. Certainly for proponents of more traditional philosophies of healthcare, it can be considered flawed from the outset. It is suggested by some that the biospychosocial model is more confusing in terms of providing equality or equity of healthcare and that it is not clear or consistent in determining what component is more important in comparison to others with each patient. For some the inclusion of social matters mean there are just too many variables and they would prefer to reduce matters to increase certainty.

CONNECTIVE CHIROPRACTIC’S STANCE ON BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH CARE

We operate through an integrative, biopsychosocial, evidence-informed philosophy of health care. We are happy to tailor our care plans and approach to you straight from the get go. Whilst recognising that health care is integrative, we are proud to serve our part in the larger puzzle by offering Connective Chiropractic as well as workplace-wellbeing workshops, open workshops and business wellbeing packages.

LEARN MORE

For more information about biopsychosocial health care or other modes of health care model or philosophy, please attend our ‘What is health’ workshop.