Conceptualising Mental Health

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Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of conceptualising mental health issues from a biomedical perspective. The biomedical perspective of mental health relies on the approach that mental health is categorical, and these mental disorders are brain diseases that can be treated like physical illnesses, by using medication. This perspective has both advantages and disadvantages, influencing the understanding and treatment of mental health issues. The biomedical approach to conceptualising mental health offers a clear advantage in its ability to categorize individuals into distinct groups based on mental health conditions. This proves especially beneficial when exploring various courses of action, such as treatments. The biomedical approach …show more content…

The act of labelling mental health conditions can serve a functional purpose, providing legitimacy by equating mental illness with physical illness. This parallel not only promotes understanding and normalization, but therefore contributes to the reduction of stigma surrounding mental health issues. Kirkham et al. (2022) found that out of 526 patients 76.3% were satisfied with their mental health services and diagnosis. Furthermore, labelling gives professionals and individuals a common language, making communication easier and aiding in creating personalized treatment plans. Therefore, labelling can be viewed as extremely useful in helping individuals with mental health issues understand their disorder whilst also reducing …show more content…

Haslam and Loughnan's (2014) research highlights the frequent occurrence of dehumanization in medical contexts, especially within biomedically-oriented psychiatric practices. This perspective, treating mental health symptoms as mechanical malfunctions, may result in patients feeling unsatisfied, as it emphasizes symptom suppression rather than a comprehensive understanding of underlying causes. The risk of dehumanization is reinforced by Haslam's (2006) research, which portrayed patients' minds as malfunctioning machines. Laing (1960) argued for psychiatrists to prioritize listening to patients' expressed feelings over focusing solely on symptom sets. This movement views the biomedical approach in a negative light and argues that the biomedical approach's reliance on biology for diagnosis is a disadvantage, as not all mental health patients would benefit from such an approach as the anti-physiatry movement argues the social origins of psychosis such as trauma, which the biomedical perspective neglects in their

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