Psychosomatic Medicine from a Social Medicine Perspective : An Introduction to the Practice of a Biopsychosocial Model

<p>The biopsychosocial model is the foundation of psychosomatic medicine’s clinical and practical activities. However, the position of social factors has not been thoroughly discussed in psychosomatic medicine, although research and education focusing on mind−body connections have been mainstream. For example, as of October, our official journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine has published 331 articles, with 142 (43%) pertaining to the biological/psychosomatic domain, 120 (36%) pertaining to the psychological domain, 51 (15%) pertaining to social medicine, and 18 (5.4%) in “others” (Nakao M, Komaki G, Yoshiuchi K, Deter HC, Fukudo S. BioPsychoSoc Med 2020, 14 : 30).</p><p>The purpose of this symposium was to delve deeper into the social aspects of psychosomatic medicine. As social medicine encompasses a vast wide range of fields, we invited behavioral medicine specialists familiar with society so that they could shed light on what social medicine is and how psychosomatic medicine can incorporate it. In the symposium, we discussed how psychosomatic medicine could contribute to social medicine. Psychosocial factors that affect psychosomatic disorders are plagued by problems that cannot be understood until the individual, their family, job, and social structure are considered.</p><p>Psychosomatic medicine is a major academic field that encompasses both medical care and health. Clinical medicine is closely linked to the public health approach, and medical practices should be undertaken with the limited human, time, and financial resources available. In addition to a high-risk approach for those who suffer from or are likely to suffer from illnesses, a population approach emphasizing health communication, a health program, and the health system should be employed to maintain people’s health (Biopsychosoc Med. 2010 ; 4 : 19). In this way, psychosomatic medicine helps create a bridge between clinical medicine and public health.</p>