Psychiatrikē = Psychiatriki
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Historical Article
The "Biopsychosocial Model": 40 years of application in Psychiatry.
In 1977, the American pathologist and psychiatrist George Engel (1913-1999) published in the Journal Science his paper "TheIn 1977, the American pathologist and psychiatrist George Engel (1913-1999) published in the Journal Science his paper "Theneed for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine", introducing the term Biopsychosocial Model. This model basedon the results of Engel's studies in ulcerative colitis, depression and psychogenic pain, constituted a challenge for biomedicineand the biomedical model. The basic principles of the model included the biological, psychological and social dimensions of the person's life and theperception that the person suffers as a whole and not as isolated organs. ⋯ Psychiatry in everyday practice presents particularities versus other medical disciplines due to the complexity and polymorphismPsychiatry in everyday practice presents particularities versus other medical disciplines due to the complexity and polymorphismof the expression of mental disorders, their close relation to psychosocial factors, the lack of explicit pathognomonicelements and the stigmatization of mental illness. For these reasons, the biopsychosocial model is particularly applicable inpsychiatric disorders, but it should not be over looked also in somatic illnesses. The biopsychosocial model, despite the criticism it was subjected to, continues to offer valuable clinical, educational andresearch services, as well as to provide an important contribution to the formation of health policies, not only for psychiatry, butfor the whole of medicine as well.