The Bio-Psycho-Social Model

The biopsychosocial model is an approach or paradigm that helps understand the relationship between health and illness, based on biological factors, psychological functioning and environmental and social stressors. Biological factors include genetics, the developmental biological growth of the brain, substance abuse and medical conditions among others. Psychological aspects of evaluation include understanding how the mind works on an emotional and cognitive level, as opposed to something more purely "brain" in nature. And psychosocial stressors can include socioeconomic status, cultural pressures, death, divorce, illness and a multitude of life issues.