Social Model of Health and Illness: Depression in Adolescence Analysis

This essay provides a detailed analysis of the social model of health and its impact on depression, particularly within the context of adolescence. It begins with an introduction to various health models, emphasizing the social model's importance in understanding the broader factors affecting health and illness. The essay defines sound health and then explores the argument that the social model significantly contributes to our understanding of health and illness, contrasting it with the medical model's biological focus. It delves into the social model's components, highlighting factors such as community environment, education, economic stability, and social media's influence on adolescent mental health. The essay further examines the role of the social model in defining depression, breaking down the limitations of medical factors and relating depression to day-to-day life and social factors. The essay also discusses the social constructionism theory, the education system, economic instability, and the impact of social media on depression. The essay concludes by summarizing the key principles of the social model, its relation to the biological model, and the patient-doctor relationship in contemporary and alternative medicine. The bibliography provides a comprehensive list of sources used in the analysis.

Social Model of Health

Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Definition of sound health.....................................................................................................................2
Argument...........................................................................................................................................2
Analysis of Medical model.............................................................................................................2
Analysis of social model.................................................................................................................3
Role of social model to define depression.............................................................................................3
Environment of community in “social Constructionism theory”.......................................................4
Education system...............................................................................................................................4
Economic instability and community culture.....................................................................................5
Social media and depression.............................................................................................................5
Key principles of social model identifying depression in biological model........................................5
Medical environment and patient health in medical.........................................................................6
(CAM (Contemporary and alternative medicines).........................................................................6
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................6
Bibliography..........................................................................................................................................7

Introduction
Many model of health are introduced to discuss role of different factors affect the health of a
person or lead any type of issues to the health of a person (AIHW 2019). Famous models are
Social model of health, Medical Model, Bio psychosocial model, and Bio medical Model of
health. This essay will discuss the wider factors affecting health and disease of a person
living in a society with detailed analysis of Social model of health and illness (Kim & Kim
2019). Social model of health and illness is very wide and close to regular living activities of
a human hence, this essay will discuss all major factors of social health affecting depression
in an adolescence age person (Alasuutari & Qadir 2019).
Definition of sound health
Health is a combination of complete physical and mental wellbeing, living life as disease free
is not enough, but stability in psychological, social, and emotional stability is very important
for a better health. Healthy living is natural and fundamental right of every person without
discrimination because of race, gender, income, religion and other factors. Depression is a
very common health issue found in all age groups in present times; this essay is based on a
detailed analysis of Social Model of health affecting and cause risk of depression issues in a
person.
Argument
“How does the social model contribute to our understanding of health and illness?
Discuss in relation to sociological explanations, and apply concepts to a particular
disease/condition.”

Analysis of Medical model
Medical model represent biological factors of any disease, depression is mental issue caused
due to imbalance of hormones, mood swings disorders, and social model recognise social and
behavioural factors related to the economy and community factors (Sanaeinasab et al. 2019).
Analysis of social model
The social model of health and illness includes numerous ways and these factors are very
important in societies and community. To discuss the role of social factors this essay will
discuss about depression and impact of depression on health of a person with detailed
analysis of adolescence facing depression in the state of UK.
For example: Adolescence is a difficult phase in every manner many changes took place in a
boy and girl in different manner (Benmelech, Frydman & Papanikolaou 2019). A person in
the age of adolescence face difficulties in dealing with the emotional, behavioural and
biological changes in his body, boys face many health and physical changes in their health
and girls face other heath related issues like mensuration changes, these all changes are
biological and medical but they affect mental health as well (Ashton 2016). Because of these
issues, adolescences face difficulties to fit them in the society due to availability of many
social factor, these factors affect them psychologically and this cause depression among
them. According to Alex in a survey in England, one out of eight children is facing stress,
anxiety, and depression causing mental health problems for them (Brayley, Alston & Rogers
2015).
Role of social model to define depression
Mental health disorders are caused due to social factors affecting living of a person in a
society, and social model includes and discuss all those factors. Social model of health take
the definition of mental health beyond the biological health issues and this relate the issues of

depression with the factors that are hidden in the day-to-day life routine and social factors of
society. Social model break the limitations of medial and other factors, depression was not
acceptable in people at the age of adolescence but factors available in the society (Dardas &
Simmons 2015).
Living in a society a person need to learn legal ethical and moral rules of society, society is
consist of different factors like economic, political religious, educational and environment,
adolescence face many social challenges in their social life (Anderson & Jiang 2018). In the
age of adolescence person remain confused about sudden changing behaviour of others and
family members because sometimes they treat adolescence with pamper and care, sometimes
they are treated as an adult (Dudgeon et al. 2017).
This changing behaviour led many issues of confusion among adolescences, same thing
happen at the school or college with them. Detailed analysis of social model on basis of
medical surveillance system will discuss different social factors affecting mental health of
adolescences;
Environment of community in “social Constructionism theory”
Adolescence face challenges to make themselves fit in the idol structure of the community,
they are assumed a perfect person by the members of their families and friends, this [pressure
make lead many challenges for them. Community make the atmosphere of society and affect
a person’s belief and behaviour this is a social element related to the living of adolescence
regular stress in mind to behave perfectly causes depression in adolescences (Think mental
Health; 2019).
Education system
School and college life is an important stage in growth life cycle of a person, at the age of
Adolescence, boy and girl admire their friends and attracted personality more than their

families. At this age, they feel sudden attraction and sudden destruction form anything and
this disorder is cause due to flow of special hormones in their body and mind, this medical
concept related to the social attraction in one’s mind and this lead overthinking about
something and depression as well (Gellman & Rung 2018).
Economic instability and community culture
Economic stability represents a person’s social status that presents flow of earning and
expenses in proper manner. Individuals and community make the society and these affect the
access over the education and other basic requirements. Adolescence in the society measure
money as powerful source to buy anything needed or wanted inability or lack of proper
money make things difficult for them and they face challenges (Van Kleef & Stéphane 2018).
Social media and depression
Presents days adolescence spend his most time on social media, social media has a very
important place in their life. Social networking apps like Facebook, What’s app, Twitter and
many other apps connect them to a virtual world where they assume everything easy and
favourable but medical model also support that access use of social networking in
adolescence affect their thinking and mental health as well (Davidson 2016).
Key principles of social model identifying depression in biological model
Social model represents and includes broader determining points of health, these determiners
relates to age, gender, socioeconomic state affecting behavioural activities. These determiners
are closely related to the health and health promotion strategies. Social model aims to
promote equality to attain these social determiners, social model promote health care
awareness to reduce the level of health illness. Social model of health includes collaboration
of different stakeholders and groups to examine impact of health issues and factors causing
the mental health issues (Okuyama et al. 16-27). Medical screening surveillance and public

health campaigns raise awareness for health issues like consumption of alcohol, smoking are
social factors affect the health of people. Smoking and alcohol consumption in adolescences
are seen as luxurious symbol of living but this cause severe issues to health and they become
addicted to these element. Addiction leads mental and physical issues in them.
Medical environment and patient health in medical
(CAM (Contemporary and alternative medicines)
Patient and doctors relationship base on trust, emotions, and responsibilities, medical model
support technical competence, without emotional attachment on the other hand social model
assume emotions as important factor to cure the health issues. Patients according to the
medical model require sickness treatment and social model include dependency over the
nurses and doctors. Doctors and patients have different medical and social thinking affecting
the overall operations of health care and practice (Brannon, Fiest & Updegraff 2013).
Compulsory and Alternative medicines are useful for the patients to treat health challenges
whether they are physical or mental but these two have different treatment manner.
Conclusion
This report based on discussion of social model and factors in affecting the physical and
mental health of a person. Medical model support biological factors and assume every mental
disease as deficiency and abnormality, where social model represent mental disorders as
different aspect like gender, age and racial differences. Medical model represent depression
as curable issue with high care, social model represents depression as normal element in life
running with the routine life. Social model include factors relevant to beliefs, taste and
experience about diseases and health issue. Depression is a very serious issue commonly
found in the adolescence caused mainly due to social factors of society where they live and

spend their life. Educational factors, companion competition, and many other factors in the
society affect beliefs about the mental health disorder and issues.

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