What is a Biopsychosocial Assessment?

Better Understanding a Biopsychosocial Assessment

The biopsychosocial assessment is a method that is utilized by therapists to evaluate the biological (“bio”), psychological (“psycho”), and social elements that affect a person’s cognitions (thoughts), emotions (feelings), and behaviors (actions). This assessment generally takes place at the initial stages of recovery planning and will include a deep dive into an individual’s background, including family dynamics, culture, work life, and education.

What Is the Biopsychosocial Model?

Essentially, the biopsychosocial model helps both therapist and client understand both the internal and external factors that affect them most. According to the peer-reviewed journal the Annals of Family Medicine, “The biopsychosocial model is both a philosophy of clinical care and a practical clinical guide. Philosophically, it is a way of understanding how suffering, disease, and illness are affected by multiple levels of organization, from the societal to the molecular. At the practical level, it is a way of understanding the patient’s subjective experience as an essential contributor to accurate diagnosis, health outcomes, and humane care.”

Biopsychosocial Assessments for Effective Recovery

An effective biopsychosocial assessment can be the vital foundation of any effective recovery plan. It is the information upon which all planning can stand. For example, a quality assessment can let a licensed and credentialed clinician know whether there is a need to incorporate family therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) into an individual’s mental health plan. Also, a well-performed assessment can help to determine if any underlying traumas or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) need to be addressed.

Many people don’t realize just how prevalent trauma and PTSD are in the U.S. According to the peer-reviewed journal, “General population studies have shown that a large proportion of people in developed countries have been exposed to at least one TE [traumatic event] in their lifetime (estimates from 28 to 90%), with the most common events being the unexpected death of a loved one, motor vehicle accidents and being mugged.”

There are similar statistics regarding PTSD. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and the National Center for PTSD, “About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.” Also, “About 5 out of every 100 adults (or 5%) in the U.S. has PTSD in any given year. In 2020, about 13 million Americans had PTSD.” These issues of PTSD and other traumas often underly more visible matters of mental health. A biopsychosocial assessment helps to bring these core causes of illness to the surface so they can be addressed. 

Biopsychosocial Assessments for Mental Health

Frankl also said, “A human being is a deciding being.” This is emblematic of the decisions that must be made when choosing a path of mental health treatment and recovery. A biopsychosocial assessment ensures that the right decisions are made right away. 

Biopsychosocial Assessments for Individualized Treatment

One would never go into a medical procedure without first knowing what the procedure is intending to treat. The same must always be true when it comes to an individual’s mental health. In today’s mental health treatment industry, there are far too many facilities that utilize broad overarching recovery plans that don’t focus on an individual’s needs. At Wisconsin Wellness, we understand the importance of individualized care and that care can only be made possible by getting to know what influences and drives the individual. 

Biopsychosocial Assessments Bring Goals Into Focus

We also understand that the biopsychosocial model helps both therapist and client understand their goals better. According to the Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “Using this model, the individual and their personal choices are located in the core of a series of concentric circles, with the next influences being their family and neighborhood, followed by urban, suburban, rural circumstances, then their province, country and so on. Their experience is infused with class, gender, ethnicity, age, and ability issues and then interacts with the dominant culture’s positive or negative portrayal of these. Not only is the client/patient person then located in this model, but so is the helping professional…”

It is also important to remember that mental health is not a monolith. Mental health is not just one concern that needs to be addressed. It is comprised of many components – these include the biological, psychological, and social.

Biopsychosocial Assessment: Biological Factors

Taking a full biological assessment regarding mental health is essential. This can help both therapist and client understand if any physical determinants may be responsible for matters of mental health. These include genetics, previous illnesses, toxic environmental exposures, previous head injuries or damage to the nervous system, and prior alcohol and substance use (just to name a few).

Biological Components to Mental Illness

It is now widely believed that mental illness carries with it a significant genetically biological component. Take attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for example. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Genes also play a role in determining whether someone develops a mental illness. The illnesses that are most likely to have a genetic component include autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADHD. For example, the observation that children with ADHD are much more likely to have a sibling or parent with ADHD supports a role for genetics in determining whether someone is at risk for ADHD.”

Brain Development, Brain Chemistry & Mental Health

Other biological factors have to do with brain development. It is not uncommon for there to be issues with brain chemistry when it comes to matters of mental health. This is especially true for younger individuals and individuals who use alcohol and substances at a younger age.

Alcohol & Substance Use Effects On the Brain

According to the Official Journal of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society, “Current research suggests that substance use in adolescence leads to abnormalities in brain functioning, including poorer neurocognitive performance, white matter quality, changes in brain volume, and abnormal neuronal activation patterns. fMRI studies have illuminated enhanced cue response in adolescent drinkers and have shown the potential to predict treatment outcomes in stimulant dependent adults. A few questions still remain, such as whether heavy substance use during adolescence causes cognitive impairments and changes in neurodevelopment…” These determinants must also be taken into account with other psychological and social factors.

Biopsychosocial Assessment: Psychological Factors

When one thinks of mental health treatment, it only makes sense that one would first turn their attention to the psychological elements of the matter. The psychological component of mental illness is undeniable, but that does not mean that it is easily discernable. 

Psychological Facets for Determining the Right Therapy

One’s psychology is deeply rooted in how they view themselves and the world around them. These views are broken down into the way one thinks about oneself (their cognitions) and how one feels about oneself (their emotions). Ultimately, these are the two contributing factors to how one is going to act and behave in the world.

It is important to assess these psychological facets because it can quickly determine what type of therapy may best be suited to serve an individual’s needs. For example, an individual who is struggling with issues of self-directed negative thoughts and emotions may best be served by psychotherapy like CBT.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) refers to a class of interventions that share the basic premise that mental disorders and psychological distress are maintained by cognitive factors… [T]hese maladaptive cognitions include general beliefs, or schemas, about the world, the self, and the future, giving rise to specific and automatic thoughts in particular situations.” Once these cognitions and emotions are brought to the surface, then the negative behaviors that they influence can be managed and mitigated (potentially even eliminated).

Types of Therapies for Mental Illness

There are also many other types of means, methods, and modalities that can help an individual recover from mental illness at the molecular level. But only if the initial psychological pitfalls are first identified and assessed. These methods include:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Art therapy
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
• Group therapy
• Trauma therapy
• Music therapy
• Yoga therapy and meditation
• Internal family systems (IFS)

Biopsychosocial Assessment: Socio-Environmental Factors

There is now little argument that the world in which one lives greatly influences one’s mental state. Frankl once explained that “Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.” These goals and drives most often emanate from socio-environmental factors. 

What Are “Psychosocial Factors”?

One way to look at mental illness is through the lens of “psychosocial factors.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Psychosocial factors, such as occupational stress, social support or isolation, sleep quality, and mental health, are shaped by racial, economic, and other societal structures. For example, unemployment and loss of income may lead to increased stress and feelings of worthlessness, which then affect health through lifestyle or behavioral changes (e.g., less healthy eating, increased drinking or smoking) or through neurological changes.” Also, “Psychosocial pathways refer to both the indirect influence of psychosocial factors on health through behavior modifications and the direct impact on health via psychoneuroendocrine changes.”

Mental Health Impact of Home, Family Dynamics & Social Relationships

One of the most influential socio-environmental factors exists within one’s home life and with familial relations. This only makes sense as this is where an individual’s initial development takes place, and this is where an individual will generally spend most of their waking hours.

According to the peer-reviewed journal Innovation in Aging, ”Family members are linked in important ways through each stage of life, and these relationships are an important source of social connection and social influence for individuals throughout their lives. Substantial evidence consistently shows that social relationships can profoundly influence well-being across the life course. Family connections can provide a greater sense of meaning and purpose as well as social and tangible resources that benefit well-being.” Through a biopsychosocial assessment, the familial aspect of one’s mental health can be sussed out.

It can be determined as to whether family dynamics are a significant factor that needs to be addressed. If it is determined, then the family may need to become an intimate part of the recovery process, which may include family therapy and family counseling.

Biopsychosocial Assessment: Who Is It For?

A biopsychosocial assessment is for anyone who wishes to know more about the internal and external factors that influence how they live their day-to-day lives. Of course, anyone could benefit from this information. However, it is particularly useful to those individuals looking to diagnose and recover from mental illness. Biopsychosocial assessments can also be particularly useful for individuals who are struggling with chronic pain.

Chronic Pain Is Not Just Physical

Many people are under the misconception that chronic pain only relates to a physical ailment. This is a fallacy. According to the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics, “[T]he subjective experience of chronic pain (including its site, intensity, quality, unpleasantness, and associated suffering) has long been believed to result from interactions between multiple contributors, including nociceptive, affective, sociocultural, behavioral, and cognitive. Regardless of whether the antecedent of chronic pain is known or unknown, similar patterns of symptoms, behaviors, and disability are often seen. Historically, however, there has been an unhelpful tendency to dichotomize chronic pain as either physical or functional in origin.”

Dual Diagnosis Recovery

It is also important to note that those looking to recover from issues of dual diagnosis also highly benefit from a biopsychosocial assessment. This may be comorbidities of mental illness or comorbidities of mental illness and alcohol and/or substance addiction. Often, when comorbidities are present, one illness masks the other, and a full recovery cannot occur. A complete and thorough biopsychosocial assessment can best ensure that all issues of mental health are discovered and diagnosed. Ultimately, an individual who will benefit from a biopsychosocial assessment is an individual who is looking to recover, not just in the immediate but in the long term.

Biopsychosocial Assessment: How It Works

Many people can get intimidated by the term “biopsychosocial.” This is understandable – it does sound quite clinical. However, while they may take place in a clinic, they are very straightforward and painless.

How A Biopsychosocial Assessment Is Conducted

Essentially, a biopsychosocial assessment is a survey taken by a mental health professional (or mental health professionals, which may include therapists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, and counselors). This survey will provide an accurate assessment of the health psychology needs of that particular patient (or client). When an assessment has concluded, both the professional and patient will have an accurate electronic health record to work with and create the best mental health recovery plan possible.

A thorough biopsychosocial assessment is also a critical tool that can be utilized throughout the recovery process. For example, if a certain component of a recovery plan is not being adequately effective, a look back at the assessment may offer an explanation as to why. A quality assessment is also something that can be highly beneficial throughout one’s recovery journey, as it can be drawn upon post-treatment center to ensure that a long-term recovery plan is, and remains, effective.

Effective Biopsychosocial Assessments With Wisconsin Wellness

Here at Wisconsin Wellness, we know the value of biopsychosocial assessments, which is why we utilize them with each of our clients. We believe that having the best information to go off of offers us the opportunity to create the best road to recovery.

Perhaps Viktor E. Frankl’s most iconic message was, “When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.” This is the opportunity for change that we offer here at Wisconsin Wellness. Change and a new way of life are just beyond the horizon. The key is to ask for help and start walking toward it.

Here at Wisconsin Wellness, we understand the benefits of assessments for mental health. This includes the wide range of benefits that come from biopsychosocial assessments. For more information about biopsychosocial assessments and how they can help you heal your mind, body, and soul, please reach out to Wisconsin Wellness today at (920) 404-2100.