A defense of retaining some aspects of the medical model is provided by Wakefield (1992), who states:
A) some physical illnesses are diagnosed on the basis of associated dysfunction alone; in the future we will acquire more knowledge about physical correlates of mental disorders.
B) psychological symptoms invariably have physical processes which are causal.
C) decisions to intervene or not must be made on a categorical basis; serious mental illness requires professionals to think like doctors.
D) reliability will be improved by focusing on the underlying physical processes responsible for mental disorders.
E) at this point the most effective interventions are pharmacological.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Wakefield argues that some physical illnesses are diagnosed solely on the basis of associated dysfunction, which suggests that some mental disorders may also have underlying physical correlates yet to be discovered. Therefore, retaining some aspects of the medical model may be necessary in making accurate diagnoses.

A Defense of Retaining Some Aspects of the Medical Model