Busfield's Typology
Busfield (2000) makes a distinction between two types of explanatroy approaches to health. Below is Busfield's typology applied to the mental health issue of depression.
Individual Level
Type 1 - Behaviour E.g. An increase of binge drinking has been noticed in recent decades and a study has found that heavy drinking and in particular a binge pattern involving intoxiacations, hangovers or passouts produce depressive symptoms within the general population (Tapio, 2009). Study's have also shown that there is a relationship between poor diet and depression (Mental Health Foundation, nd). A study found that those who reported eating a healthy diet packed with fruit and vegetables were about half as likely to develop depression four and a half years later than those who did not (Rabin, 2009).
Type 2 - Attributes and circumstances E.g. It has been claimed that depression has been caused by a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain (France; Lysaker: Robinson, 2007). Whilst others have argued that there is a single gene reponsible for depression (DeGrandpre and Peele, 1995).
Due to their victim blaming nature and the fact that such explantions ignore social context, individual level explanations have been widely discredited. Societal level explanations as listed below have proved more popular because scientific research has shown that human genes cannot change that quickly and hence society, rather than biology or lifestyle choices are more likely responsible for the huge increases in depression noted in recent decades.
Societal Level
Type 3 - Material environment and resource distribution (mediated diretly by the body) E.g. The idea of 'food poverty' and poverty itself has been linked to depression.
Type 4 - Social relations (mediated by subjectivity) E.g. income inequality, lack of social capital /social cohesion and employment relations have been argued to cause depression.
The next two pages will expand upon societal level explanations as mentioned above.
Individual Level
Type 1 - Behaviour E.g. An increase of binge drinking has been noticed in recent decades and a study has found that heavy drinking and in particular a binge pattern involving intoxiacations, hangovers or passouts produce depressive symptoms within the general population (Tapio, 2009). Study's have also shown that there is a relationship between poor diet and depression (Mental Health Foundation, nd). A study found that those who reported eating a healthy diet packed with fruit and vegetables were about half as likely to develop depression four and a half years later than those who did not (Rabin, 2009).
Type 2 - Attributes and circumstances E.g. It has been claimed that depression has been caused by a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain (France; Lysaker: Robinson, 2007). Whilst others have argued that there is a single gene reponsible for depression (DeGrandpre and Peele, 1995).
Due to their victim blaming nature and the fact that such explantions ignore social context, individual level explanations have been widely discredited. Societal level explanations as listed below have proved more popular because scientific research has shown that human genes cannot change that quickly and hence society, rather than biology or lifestyle choices are more likely responsible for the huge increases in depression noted in recent decades.
Societal Level
Type 3 - Material environment and resource distribution (mediated diretly by the body) E.g. The idea of 'food poverty' and poverty itself has been linked to depression.
Type 4 - Social relations (mediated by subjectivity) E.g. income inequality, lack of social capital /social cohesion and employment relations have been argued to cause depression.
The next two pages will expand upon societal level explanations as mentioned above.
