Biomedical Model Of Mental Disorder

The Sociological Imagination and Healthcare

Discuss about the Biomedical Model of Mental Disorder.

Significant concerns confronting Australian society are the inequalities in health between socio-economic (SES) groups which result in lower SES groups having significantly higher rates of morbidity and mortality at an earlier age. Follow Table 1 to apply the SI template to analyse the construction of this problem for a disadvantaged group in Australia and reflect on the social model of heath to reduce these inequalities.

The sociological imagination is a primary concept in the field of sociology that was first proposed by an American sociologist named CW Mills. The sociological imagination template is a framework that enables an individual to grasp biography and history and the relationships between these two within the context of the society. In summation, sociological imagination template is a means of application of imaginative thought for addressing sociological questions. The template consists of four domains- history, structure, culture and critique (Denny et al., 2016).

I am a 23-year-old girl studying in Australia. I am originally from Nepal, and I have been staying in Australia for the past 14 months. I am a Hindu by religion. Socio-economic status plays an important role in the way a life of an individual shapes up. I belong to a family with the modest socio-economic background. I have had a modest upbringing with all basic amenities and necessities at my disposal. Access to all required health care needs has made a positive impact on my beliefs in biomedical model of health. I have developed an opinion that I need to address my health concerns separately from the living conditions and my lifestyle and emphasis needs to be put on the illness itself. This aspect is a governing principle of the biomedical model of health (Strickland & Patrick, 2015).

For me, my cultural values, beliefs, customs and traditions have played little role in founding my perspectives of health and illness. My patterns of heath behaviour have not been guided by my religious and cultural practices and shared ideas among my family members. In certain cultures, there is an emphasis on referring to traditional healers and herbal medicines for the treatment of illness and combating diseases. However, in my cultural context, I have learnt to adhere to westernised treatment options and let cultural beliefs take a back seat in health care delivery. As per the biomedical model of health cultural model of illness makes an impact on the delivery of care (Deacon, 2013). My perspective of health does not align with the biomedical model of health. Social factors are vital in influencing decisions about one’s own health. I have received education in a well-reputed institute were there was provision for adequate healthcare delivery as required. I have therefore developed the idea that basic access to healthcare is the basic right of all human beings. I have been provided with the best medical treatment and nursing interventions at times when I needed primary and secondary care. The effective collaborative team work of interdisciplinary teams who have addressed my needs have raised the standards of health care delivery as perceived by me. I strongly believe that the government back in Nepal as well as in Australia have been able to bring health care reforms to address the changing needs of the population.

Cultural Values and Healthcare Decision-Making

Primary health care (PHC) had been made the global health policy around the globe in the 1970’s. However, there had been requirements for changes in the distribution of resources, socioeconomic status and focused on basic healthcare services. Comprehensive primary health care may be expensive and too idealistic. Therefore the selective primary health care model is better as the focus is mainly on diseases (McMurray & Clendon, 2015). In my opinion, PHC is the means by which health professionals can contribute effectively to decrease health inequalities of low SES groups.

Social inequality is deep rooted in the history of an individual and encompasses family history perspectives of life expectancy. A wide range of factors forms to be the determinants of social inequality, having a deep impact on differences in wealth and income, life strategies and life chances. The factors that structure social inequality are the ‘usual suspects’ of social inequality. These are a geographical location, occupational status and class, educational skills. The socially unequal status is a result of inequality in occupational sectors with unemployment having a negative impact. Class closure or class endogamy are effective barriers for getting entry into equal status (Germov, 2014). According to Braveman and Gottlieb (2014) spatial factors, migration and ethnicity have a profound impact on how a socio-economic class is maintained by an individual. In addition, living in areas where larger settlements are there also has an impact on socioeconomic conditions. Ethnic beliefs and values may influence how an individual perceives the importance and value of wealth and uptakes a certain socio-economic status. Migrating to different countries or a different part of the country has a systematic impact on social status. Migration can be perceived to be a compensating method in the transition from one socio-economic class to another. The nineteenth century epidemiology on life expectancy provides valuable insights for low SES groups who live in squalid conditions. The significant variation in social inequality is found to be having a strong link with sub-regions in different countries. It can be summarised that for individuals from different socio-economic groups the curve for life expectancy is different. Recent data indicates that there is a diverging trend in life expectancy among individuals which is a result of the slowing of mortality rate. The divergence in life expectancy observed in high-income countries acknowledges variation in advantages areas across countries (Williams et al., 2016).

The significance of cultural values of individuals is to be acknowledged while discussing social inequality. Culture refers to the patterns of behaviour and norms that are accepted within a society by the various identifiable groups. Cultural groups are usually based on ethnic identities; however, other societal groups also make up distinct cultures (Germov, 2014). For certain ethnic groups, socioeconomic factors are central to culture. For example, in certain cultural groups, a particular social class is maintained from one generation to another, and it is difficult to bring changes in the socioeconomic class while giving respect to the cultural beliefs held (Gayg?s?z et al., 2017). Banwell et al., (2013) refer to culture as being a distinct pattern of behaviours, customs and ideas shared by a section of the society and the impact of culture on health are multi-faceted. Culture affects to a large extent the perceptions of illness and access to care. Different culturally acceptable practices can often lead to ill health. For example, in Asian and Pacific Islander ethnic group, the oldest family member takes up decisions regarding healthcare. Lack of knowledge about recent trends in healthcare can lead to poor patient outcomes. Among Asian cultures, referring to a traditional healer though thought to be beneficial, can bring about little improvement in health conditions. In Chinese populations there is a tendency to lack self-control behaviours, often leading to mental illness (Curhan et al., 2014).

Social Inequality and Healthcare Delivery

Social class is often conceptualised as a set of material conditions of life on different groups of the population. The class is often understood as a discreet social mechanism, and the result of this view of social class is that it is not possible to measure or conceptualise social class. The Neo-Marxist theory views inevitably social class to be class relations, enabling individuals to gain control over others. As per the Neo-Marxist theory, class effects social determinants of health as well as health outcomes. The theory elaborates on the relation of economic background, labour and ownership and exploitation with health care accessed by low socioeconomic groups (Germov, 2014).  The state and health care institutions have a major role in eliminating all challenges faced by individuals from low economic groups in the path of accessing health care. It is the responsibility of the institutions to bring about health acre reforms that are in support of individuals from low economic backgrounds. This can be achieved through adequate research and investigation on the factors that acts as major challenges for individuals from low socioeconomic background to access healthcare services (Cockerham, 2014). According to Thomas et al., (2017) a number of structural factors effect lack of access to healthcare for many low SES groups in Australia and globally. The most primitive ones among these are a lack of resources, lack of funding, lack of research, poor health policies and non-supportive relationships with providers of healthcare.  Indigenous and Aboriginal population in Australia lack decision making power, contributing to distance maintained from adequate healthcare services.

Primary health care (PHC) has been marginalised in the Australian health care system. The reason for this is the emergence of improved selective health care model. Primary health care had failed in addressing successfully the interrelationship between socioeconomic conditions and health. It has been found that the provisions of primary healthcare are not sufficient to address the varied needs of people coming from different socioeconomic backgrounds (Willis et al., 2016). Though patient satisfaction is high in primary health care, the system favours the rich over poor at certain cases. The concerned authorities are therefore searching for more efficient and responsive approaches within the healthcare system (Hayes et al., 2017). The social model of health can be effectively used for reducing health inequalities for low SES groups. The social model of health addresses the broader impacts on health by socioeconomic factors. The model reaches beyond lifestyles aspects and focuses on social change for providing prerequisites for health. A community framework is needed that can address the economic determinants of health. People can be educated that can prevent them from getting effected by ill health. The social model implies that less costly treatment options are to be utilised for people coming from low SES background. Lastly, individuals can be encouraged to take up responsibilities of own health (Germov, 2014).

Answering the present question has helped in achieving the ACU graduate attribute of being knowledgable and able to critically think and reflect, that is aligned with HLSC120. By answering the question on major concerns confronting Australian society in relation to inequalities in health between socio-economic groups, I have developed my knowledge on the problems faced by disadvantaged groups in Australia. The assignment has given me the opportunity to reflect on the biomedical model of health and how its addresses the inequalities present in the society. I have been subjected to major changes taking place in the Australian society, heath and culture due to globalisation. The cultural diversity that is consequentially increasing in Australian society makes a deep impact on the provision of healthcare services. I have taken up the chance of exploring how health and illness are constructed by different cultures. Factors shaping up healthcare access have also been critically analysed. I have developed the idea that socio-historical-structural context of health issues of vulnerable people have a major role in the way these people are marginalised in society. In my opinion, growing up in a suitable socio-economic environment influences beliefs and attitudes in later life of all individuals pertaining to health care. Addressing the research question has enabled me to critically think and reflect on my perspectives and relate to existing literature.

Banwell, C., Ulijaszek, S., & Dixon, J. (Eds.). (2013). When culture impacts health: global lessons for effective health research. Academic Press.

Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The social determinants of health: it’s time to consider the causes of the causes. Public health reports, 129(1_suppl2), 19-31.

Cockerham, W. C. (2014). Medical sociology. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Curhan, K. B., Sims, T., Markus, H. R., Kitayama, S., Karasawa, M., Kawakami, N., … & Ryff, C. D. (2014). Just how bad negative affect is for your health depends on culture. Psychological science, 25(12), 2277-2280.

Deacon, B. J. (2013). The biomedical model of mental disorder: A critical analysis of its validity, utility, and effects on psychotherapy research. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(7), 846-861.

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Germov, J. (2014). Second opinion: an introduction to health sociology| NOVA. The University of Newcastle’s Digital Repository.

Hayes, S., Wolf, C., Labbé, S., Peterson, E., & Murray, S. (2017). Primary health care providers’ roles and responsibilities: A qualitative exploration of ‘who does what’in the treatment and management of persons affected by obesity. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 1-10.

McMurray, A., & Clendon, J. (2015). Community health and wellness: Primary health care in practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Strickland, C. M., & Patrick, C. J. (2015). Biomedical Model. The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology.

Thomas, J. S., Gilbert, T. R., & Thompson, C. H. (2017). Preparing the future workforce for healthcare in Australia. Future Hospital Journal, 4(1), 67-71.

Williams, D. R., Priest, N., & Anderson, N. B. (2016). Understanding associations among race, socioeconomic status, and health: Patterns and prospects. Health Psychology, 35(4), 407.

Willis, E., Reynolds, L., & Keleher, H. (Eds.). (2016). Understanding the Australian health care system. Elsevier Health Sciences.