The Medical Model of the Disease Concept
- 1 June 1976
- journal article
- Published by Royal College of Psychiatrists in The British Journal of Psychiatry
- Vol. 128 (6) , 588-594
- https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.128.6.588
Abstract
Summary: According to the medical model of the disease concept, a class of patients is homogeneous only when it is characterized by manifestations which have their ultimate intra-organismic origin in a particular kind of physiopathological cause. Most patient classes are still heterogeneous because we are still ignorant of that cause.The medical model can be applied to the subdivision of all classes of patients, including classes of non-organic psychiatric patients. However, the successful application of the medical model depends on the acquisition of knowledge of relevant physiopathological facts. It is argued that the dimensional model of evaluating psychological abnormalities is not likely to help in acquiring that knowledge.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Part 1. A logical analysis of the medico-psychological concept of diseasePsychological Medicine, 1971
- Multivariate Statistical Methods and Classification ProblemsThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1971