This is the first book-length historical critique of psychiatry's mainstream ideology, the biopsychosocial (BPS) model. Developed in the twentieth century as an outgrowth of psychosomatic medicine, the biopsychosocial model is seen as an antidote to the constraints of the medical model of psychiatry. Nassir Ghaemi details the origins and evolution of the BPS model and explains how, where, and why it fails to live up to its promises. He analyzes the works of its founders, George Engel and Roy Grinker Sr., traces its rise in acceptance, and discusses its relation to the thought of William Osler and Karl Jaspers. In assessing the biopsychosocial model, Ghaemi provides a philosophically grounded evaluation of the concept of mental illness and the relation between evidence-based medicine and psychiatry. He argues that psychiatry's conceptual core is eclecticism, which in the face of too much freedom paradoxically leads many of its adherents to enact their own dogmas. Throughout, he makes the case for a new paradigm of medical humanism and method-based psychiatry that is consistent with modern science while incorporating humanistic aspects of the art of medicine. Ghaemi shows how the historical role of the BPS model as a reaction to biomedical reductionism is coming to an end and urges colleagues in the field to embrace other, less-eclectic perspectives.

About the Author
S. Nassir Ghaemi, M.D., M.P.H., is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Tufts School of Medicine and the director of mood and psychopharmacology programs at the Tufts Medical Center. He is the editor of Polypharmacy in Psychiatry, coeditor of Bipolar Depression, and the author of Mood Disorders: A Practical Guide and The Concepts of Psychiatry, the last also published by Johns Hopkins.

Reviews
Ghaemi's book is highly relevant. It is also very well written and appears meticulously researched, and it should be of interest to everyone with a professional relation to psychiatry. Hereby recommended. -- Anders Jorgensen Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 2010 Provocative book... Essential. Choice 2010 This is a thoughtful and well-researched book. At minimum, it is an essential read for academic psychiatrists and residents involved in teaching and learning. More broadly, it is a good read for anyone interested in the historical and philosophical aspects of psychiatric theories. -- Hamid R. Tavakoli, MD Psychiatric Times 2010



Book Information
ISBN 9780801893902
Author S. Nassir Ghaemi
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 590g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm