Fundamentals of Health Psychology

Fundamentals of Health Psychology

• Health psychology is headed by Graciela G. López Tejada, who is licensed in psychology.

Postulates and Implications of the Biomedical Model

• This model is based on two explanatory principles:
• Reductionism: health problems originate biologically, explained by physiological malfunctions from biochemical imbalances or external pathogens.
• Dualism: Mind and body function independently, the mind is abstract with thoughts and feelings, and it cannot influence over the body.
• Health problems originate from biological factors, not psychological or social processes.
• Subjective symptoms result from underlying biological imbalances.
• Biological aspects dictate psychological ones, not the reverse way around.
• Individuals aren't responsible for their illness, but rather are victims of internal forces, and therapeutic intervention should be guided by biological principles and unicausal explanations, where a symptom comes from a single cause within a biological disorder.

Implications for Health Conception and System Organization

• In the biomedical model, health means the absence of bodily disease, therefore actions revolve diagnosis and therapeutic intervention to eliminate the underlying organic pathology.
• Diagnosis and treatment target physical or biological aspects without accounting for the psychosocial ones in health problems.
• Illness and healthcare, are central to the model, focusing on patient care and cure.
• This has impacted our current healthcare systems.
• From the biomedical model, people are passive agents in their health; their health systems fail to understand citizens who are informed, educated, and who seek an active role in their health.
• These conditions have called for change in practical health organization and services, and for a less strict health concept emphasizing non-medical approaches.
• Disciplines like epidemiology, anthropology, sociology, and psychology point out deficiencies of the biomedical model, while explaining health and illness.
• Empirical evidence shows psychosocial and cultural factors influence experience, multicausality of health, and malleability of biological responses affected by social and psychological variables.
• The biomedical model has reduced biological aspects and has a mind-body dualism theory.

Questioning the Biomedical Model

• Social context impacts disease interpretation.
• Beyond a biological issue, disease shows sociocultural influences.
• According to Parsons in 1951, a disease is failing to execute social and work-related tasks, causing dependency, and socially characterizing rights and responsibilities:
• Rights include exemption from social responsibilities legitimized by medicine, and avoiding consequence on one's medical issue if it is outside of one's control.
• Obligation to accept "being sick" is undesirable, and the responsibility to seek professional help and being receptive to the therapeutic process.
• Medical approval by legitimized authorities is needed for individuals, to hold the "sick" status.
• Avoiding medical compliance to maintain illness may strip the sick status.
• Medicine regulates capacity, knowledge, and orientation, as a form of social control, sanctioning leaves or accessible services.
• Therefore, health means performance of social roles.
• It challenges a biomedical model.

The Patient's Perspective

• Talcott Parsons distinguished between "Being Sick"(objective disease) and "Feeling Sick" (subjective disease), associated to objective and subjective dimensions:
• "Being Sick": A diagnosable medical condition recognized by health pros.
• "Being Sick" is based on clinical or diagnostic evidence.
• "Being Sick" often limits physical and metal capacities.
• "Being Sick" Status acknowledged by society allows them to take on "the role of the sick" and be free from social duties(work and school duties).
• "Feeling Sick": One's self perspective of being sick from medical diagnosis.
• "Feeling Sick" may not be a related to a diagnosable condition
• "Feeling Sick" contains fatigue and pain.
• "Feeling Sick" Status must be backed by medical evidence, and acknowledged by the system and society.
• Genetic expression relies on social environment.
• Those that cannot adapt to immediate surroundings may need modification, as is the case with recessive diseases.
• Excessive environmental exposure damages a persons natural genetic and adaptability limits to an unmodifiable degree.
• Hereditary factors that increase health risk may be exacerbated by a harmful environment
• Health is defined by balance in a person's environment.
• The is how health is defined, not the opposite.
• Health and Illness must exist in balance.

Malleability of Biological Responses

• The ability for an organism to modify physiological and biological responses based on different aspects, which include the mental, social and its environment.
• Understand how connections through the body and environments, influence one's mental state, health and disease.
• Mind-body interaction: Emotions can change one's biological states.
• Social and Environmental Impact: Work conditions play a roll in ones body state. A bad work state can be damaging.
• Adaptation: Our bodies have the ability to adapt.
• Lifestyle choices matter a LOT. Habits like fitness have huge impacts.

Biopsychosocial Model

• Health can be maintained. It can be improved from a "healthing" perspective.
• A mutual compromise will be achieved as more people pursue health, not only individuals but the social system.
• Create an innovative "health culture" towards the improvement, and preservation of health.

Desmedicalizing Health

• The goal is:
• Health is not the absence, but the growth from a healthier world.
• The connection to one's mental and physical body is important, but should reflect on improving economical aspects and cultural factors.
• Improve one's health and character through treatment, to adapt to stressors from society.
• Actively changing from this is required!

Definition of Health Psychology

• The American Psychological Association dictates that the definition of health psychology is:
• The practice where health professionals have to promote health, prevent diseases and health improvement.
• Health psychology concentrates on the importance of a body, and how it relates to health, disease etc.
• The main goal is to better the maintenance of one's health, while preventing diseases.