Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jul 4;46(4):1-5.
doi: 10.1192/bjb.2022.34. Online ahead of print.

Looking forward to a decade of the biopsychosocial model

Derek Bolton  1
Affiliations
Review

Looking forward to a decade of the biopsychosocial model

Derek Bolton. BJPsych Bull. .

Abstract

The topic of this article is the biopsychosocial model. My main contention is that - notwithstanding doubts as to what exactly it is, or indeed whether it is anything - there is a coherent account of it, in terms of both applications to particular health conditions and mechanisms with wide application. There is accumulating evidence from recent decades that psychosocial as well as biological factors are implicated in the aetiology and treatment of a large range of physical as well as mental health conditions. The original proposer of the biopsychosocial model, George Engel, back in 1977, was substantially correct about what he saw was on its way.

Keywords: Biopsychosocial model; George Engel; biomedical model; biomedically unexplained symptoms; biopsychosocial health sciences.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

References

    1. Engel MC. Engels, and the side of the angels. Lancet 2005; 365(9478): 2169–70.
    1. Ghaemi SN. The rise and fall of the biopsychosocial model. Br J Psychiatry 2009; 195: 3–4. - PubMed
    1. Ghaemi SN. The Rise and Fall of the Biopsychosocial Model: Reconciling Art and Science in Psychiatry. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010.
    1. Kendler KS. The rise and fall of the biopsychosocial model: reconciling art and science in psychiatry. Am J Psychiatry 2010; 167(8): 999–1000.
    1. Engel GE. The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. Science 1977; 196: 129–36. - PubMed