Biopsychosocial Approach free essay sample

The Biopsychosocial approach integrates biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors. The levels of analysis differ but compliment one another at the same time. Alone these levels of analysis won’t show the whole picture. But together they offer a more complete understanding. For example, alcoholism can be explained using each of the three levels of analysis but you can’t get the full understanding using them alone. The biological level of analysis suggests that genetic factors influence the ways a human responds to and metabolizes alcohol. Using biological factors alone interprets to, if you have a low tolerance for alcohol, alcoholism is inevitable. This approach suggests that a person is born to be an alcoholic because of the way their body handles alcohol. The psychological level of analysis suggests that mental disorders contribute to alcoholism. Some people with mental disorders such as rage, anxiety, depression, mania, paranoid delusions, and phobias appear to use alcohol as a self medication. We will write a custom essay sample on Biopsychosocial Approach or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Rebelliousness and adjustment problems are signs in children of future alcoholism. Using just psychological factors suggests that people who suffer from mental disorders are likely to become alcohol dependant. The social-cultural level of approach suggests that the availability, cost of alcohol, alcohol use of peers, and the culture of a dominant society are contributors to alcoholism. Studies suggest that family related factors such as parental separation, parental abuse and neglect, low cohesion, and alcohol problems among family members are also factors that contributes to alcoholism. The approaches do not fully explain the reasons for alcoholism. The biological approach alone leads someone to believe that alcoholism is not a choice. Someone is born with alcoholism because of their genetics. The psychological approach alone leads someone to believe that mental problems cause alcoholism. A child who is rebellious, a loner, and has adjustment issues shows signs of pre-alcoholism. If someone has a mental disorder or weak minded they are more likely to turn to alcohol. The social-cultural approach suggests that alcoholism is depends on the availability of alcohol, price of alcohol, and the way someone is raised. A state with lower alcohol prices tends to have more alcoholism cases than a state with higher alcohol prices. A child that grows up with parents that abuse alcohol, abuse and neglect them, and have divorced parents is more likely to become an alcoholic than a child who didn’t have to grow up in similar situations. The Biopsychosocial approach integrates several levels of analysis to offer a better understanding of alcoholism. This approach suggests that factors of alcoholism are biological, psychological, and social-cultural. Integrating all three approaches makes it easier to identify a person in risk of alcoholism. It also helps to identify an alcoholic and the effects of alcoholism. The way a person handles alcohol and its withdrawal symptoms goes hand in hand with their mental state. For example, if a person is depressed it may be harder for them to handle withdrawal symptoms, thus making it harder to stop abusing alcohol. A persons mental state goes hand in hand with the way a person has grown up and the area where they live. If a child has been abused they can become depressed and turn to alcohol because it is easily available or it is something they grew up seeing often. It is difficult to understand alcoholism if all three approaches aren’t integrated. A persons genetics alone shouldn’t make them an alcoholic. Just as a persons mental state or the way they grew up shouldn’t make them an alcoholic. Without factors from all three categories there would not be a clear understanding of alcoholism.