Glossary / Lexicon

Biomedical Model refers to a conceptual model of illness that excludes psychological and social factors and includes only biological factors in an attempt to understand a person's medical illness or disorder.

The biomedical model is a theoretical framework used in psychology that considers health and illness as physical phenomena that can be explained by biological factors, such as genetics, biochemistry, and anatomy. This approach tends to emphasize the importance of treating illness through medical interventions, such as medication and surgery.

Some examples of how the biomedical model can be applied in psychology include:

• When a patient is diagnosed with depression, the biomedical model may attribute the condition to an imbalance in brain chemicals such as serotonin and prescribe medication to correct it.

• In the case of a person experiencing chronic pain, the biomedical model may seek to identify the physical source of the pain, such as a herniated disc, and recommend surgery to alleviate the symptoms.

• When a patient presents with symptoms of a particular disease, the biomedical model may focus on identifying the underlying biological causes of the illness through diagnostic testing and treating those causes with medication.

While the biomedical model has been helpful in advancing medical treatment and understanding physical health, some criticisms of this approach have been raised. Some argue that this approach can overlook the importance of social and psychological factors in determining health and illness, leading to an overemphasis on medical treatments rather than holistic approaches.