The medical model suggests thatmental health disordersare the product of some type of physical condition. Psychiatrist R.D. Laing coined the term inThe Politics of the Family and Other Essays, indicating that this model is a “set of procedures in which all doctors are trained.”

Learning more about what the medical model is, including its assumptions, can help us better understand why certain psychological conditions are treated using similar methods as those used for physical illnesses. An example of this isusing medication to treat anxiety disorders.

What Is the Medical Model?

Supporters of the medical model usually consider symptoms to be telltale signs of an inner physical disorder. They believe that if symptoms are connected, it can be characterized as a syndrome.

Medical Model Assumptions

The biological approach of the medical model focuses on a person’s genetics, neurotransmitters, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and other aspects of their physical makeup. It uses the same type of framework used to diagnose and treat physical illnesses such as the common cold to also diagnose and treat psychological conditions.

Psychopathology says that disorders have an organic or physical cause. The medical model approach suggests that mental conditions are related to the brain’s physical structure and functioning.

Medical Model and Mental Health

Based on the medical model, mental illness should be treated, in part, as a medical condition. Thus, this treatment typically involves the use of prescription medications.

In the correct dosage, medication can have a profoundly positive impact on mental health functioning.

Medical Model Example: Anxiety Disorders

One example of how the medical model is applied to mental health is anxiety. Studies have shown that individuals who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders, including phobias, often have an issue with the regulation ofserotonin levels in their brains.

Serotonin is a chemical that acts as a neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters modulate the signals between neurons and other cells. Serotonin impacts a variety of mental health processes, one of which impacts mood.

A serotonin level that is too high or too low is associated with both depression and anxiety.Consequently, these types of mental health conditions are often treated with a class of antidepressants known asselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs).

An SSRI prevents some of the serotonin from being reabsorbed. It stays in the synaptic gap in order to further stimulate the second nerve cell. SSRIs are not the only medications used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, but they are among the most effective.

Criticisms of the Medical Model For Mental Illness

Not everyone accepts that mental health disorders are always a result of some type of medical or physical health issue. One of the main criticisms of this approach is that it fails to take into account other factors that can impact a person’s mental health, such as their environment.

Medical model criticisms are just one example of the age-oldnature versus nurture debate. Are mental health conditions a result of our biology or our environment? Most experts agree that it is a combination of both,so treating these issues often involves a variety of approaches—including medication and psychotherapy.

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Laing RD.The Politics of the Family and Other Essays.Pilecki BC.Medical model of psychopathology.Encyclop Personal Indiv Diff. 2020:2834-2841. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_911Huda AS.The medical model and its application in mental health.Int Rev Psychiatry. 2021;33(5):463-470. doi:10.1080/09540261.2020.1845125Deacon BJ.The biomedical model of mental disorder: A critical analysis of its validity, utility, and effects on psychotherapy research.Clin Psychol Rev. 2013;33(7):846-61. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.09.007Bystritsky A, Khalsa SS, Cameron ME, Schiffman J.Current diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders.P T. 2013;38(1):30-57.Albert PR, Vahid-Ansari F, Luckhart C.Serotonin-prefrontal cortical circuitry in anxiety and depression phenotypes: pivotal role of pre- and post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptor expression.Front Behav Neurosci. 2014;8:199. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00199Farre A, Rapley T.The new old (and old new) medical model: Four decades navigating the biomedical and psychosocial understandings of health and illness.Healthcare. 2017;5(4):88. doi:10.3390/healthcare5040088Hogan AJ.Social and medical models of disability and mental health: evolution and renewal.CMAJ. 2019;191(1):E16-E18. doi:10.1503/cmaj.181008Sravanti L.Nurture the nature.Indian J Psychiatry. 2017;59(3):385. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_341_17

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Laing RD.The Politics of the Family and Other Essays.Pilecki BC.Medical model of psychopathology.Encyclop Personal Indiv Diff. 2020:2834-2841. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_911Huda AS.The medical model and its application in mental health.Int Rev Psychiatry. 2021;33(5):463-470. doi:10.1080/09540261.2020.1845125Deacon BJ.The biomedical model of mental disorder: A critical analysis of its validity, utility, and effects on psychotherapy research.Clin Psychol Rev. 2013;33(7):846-61. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.09.007Bystritsky A, Khalsa SS, Cameron ME, Schiffman J.Current diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders.P T. 2013;38(1):30-57.Albert PR, Vahid-Ansari F, Luckhart C.Serotonin-prefrontal cortical circuitry in anxiety and depression phenotypes: pivotal role of pre- and post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptor expression.Front Behav Neurosci. 2014;8:199. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00199Farre A, Rapley T.The new old (and old new) medical model: Four decades navigating the biomedical and psychosocial understandings of health and illness.Healthcare. 2017;5(4):88. doi:10.3390/healthcare5040088Hogan AJ.Social and medical models of disability and mental health: evolution and renewal.CMAJ. 2019;191(1):E16-E18. doi:10.1503/cmaj.181008Sravanti L.Nurture the nature.Indian J Psychiatry. 2017;59(3):385. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_341_17

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Laing RD.The Politics of the Family and Other Essays.Pilecki BC.Medical model of psychopathology.Encyclop Personal Indiv Diff. 2020:2834-2841. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_911Huda AS.The medical model and its application in mental health.Int Rev Psychiatry. 2021;33(5):463-470. doi:10.1080/09540261.2020.1845125Deacon BJ.The biomedical model of mental disorder: A critical analysis of its validity, utility, and effects on psychotherapy research.Clin Psychol Rev. 2013;33(7):846-61. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.09.007Bystritsky A, Khalsa SS, Cameron ME, Schiffman J.Current diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders.P T. 2013;38(1):30-57.Albert PR, Vahid-Ansari F, Luckhart C.Serotonin-prefrontal cortical circuitry in anxiety and depression phenotypes: pivotal role of pre- and post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptor expression.Front Behav Neurosci. 2014;8:199. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00199Farre A, Rapley T.The new old (and old new) medical model: Four decades navigating the biomedical and psychosocial understandings of health and illness.Healthcare. 2017;5(4):88. doi:10.3390/healthcare5040088Hogan AJ.Social and medical models of disability and mental health: evolution and renewal.CMAJ. 2019;191(1):E16-E18. doi:10.1503/cmaj.181008Sravanti L.Nurture the nature.Indian J Psychiatry. 2017;59(3):385. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_341_17

Laing RD.The Politics of the Family and Other Essays.

Pilecki BC.Medical model of psychopathology.Encyclop Personal Indiv Diff. 2020:2834-2841. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_911

Huda AS.The medical model and its application in mental health.Int Rev Psychiatry. 2021;33(5):463-470. doi:10.1080/09540261.2020.1845125

Deacon BJ.The biomedical model of mental disorder: A critical analysis of its validity, utility, and effects on psychotherapy research.Clin Psychol Rev. 2013;33(7):846-61. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.09.007

Bystritsky A, Khalsa SS, Cameron ME, Schiffman J.Current diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders.P T. 2013;38(1):30-57.

Albert PR, Vahid-Ansari F, Luckhart C.Serotonin-prefrontal cortical circuitry in anxiety and depression phenotypes: pivotal role of pre- and post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptor expression.Front Behav Neurosci. 2014;8:199. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00199

Farre A, Rapley T.The new old (and old new) medical model: Four decades navigating the biomedical and psychosocial understandings of health and illness.Healthcare. 2017;5(4):88. doi:10.3390/healthcare5040088

Hogan AJ.Social and medical models of disability and mental health: evolution and renewal.CMAJ. 2019;191(1):E16-E18. doi:10.1503/cmaj.181008

Sravanti L.Nurture the nature.Indian J Psychiatry. 2017;59(3):385. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_341_17

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