Biopsychosocial Model Essay

Introduction

The Biopsychosocial Model is a general model theorised by George L. Engel which emphasises that in order to understand health and illness, biological, psychological and social factors must all be taken into account. According to this model, a person’s genetic make up or biology; personality, synonymous to psychology and social environment or factors all contribute to a patients’ experience of health and illness. The biological component refers to aspects such as genetics, infection, physical trauma or hormones. The psychological element examines psychological explanations for a negative health problem such as negative thoughts, emotions or behaviours. The social aspect of the model takes into consideration how negative or stressful
While I have chosen to examine peripheral neuropathy in diabetics, it is important first to have an understanding of Diabetes Mellitus as a whole and as an illness. Diabetes Mellitus most commonly known as diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases, characterised by high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period in time. Diabetes is due to either a lack of insulin, required for the uptake of glucose, being produced by the pancreas, or else the body not responding to the insulin that is produced. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is growing rapidly and globally with The International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas (2013) estimating that there are 207,490 Irish people suffering from diabetes which makes up 6.5% of the population of Ireland. Diabetes has a huge emotional impact as well as the obvious biological, and so the implementation of the biopsychosocial is paramount in the treatment of this disease. While diabetes has a number of severe and potentially life threatening long term complications associated with hyperglycemia, the complication which I have chosen to examine and one which I find to be the most interesting is that of
Peripheral diabetic neuropathy otherwise referred to as symmetrical polyneuropathy or sensorimotor neuropathy is the most prevalent form of diabetic neuropathy. It occurs in the peripheries of the body, most commonly in the feet and legs, or else in patients hands or arms and is characterised by pain or loss of feeling. Peripheral diabetic neuropathy is a result of diabetic microvascular injury involving the peripheral blood vessels that supply nerves. There is a strong correlation between neural and vascular diseases, the arteries provide blood to the nerves while the blood vessels depend on normal nerve function. The pathophysiology of peripheral neuropathy is thought to begin as microvascular vasoconstriction when hyperglycemia forces endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels and do not depend on insulin, to absorb an excessive amount of glucose. These cells are then forced to form more glycoproteins than normal on their surface which in turn causes the basement membrane, this membrane separates the epithelial layer to the underlying connective tissue, to grow wider and weaker. This results in the narrowing of the blood vessels which combined with the weakened walls that begin to leak protein, the flow of blood is compromised. This