Critical thinking stop point 30.1

Possible answer to: How do TCs differ from a medical model of mental health, and what can a social approach add to our understanding of mental distress and treatment?

There is plenty of information in the chapter addressing this point. TCs differ from the medical model in that mental health problems and how best to resolve them are seen in psychosocial terms. This is distinct from the very individualised view of psychopathology represented in the medical model. There are some obvious differences in practice that flow from this conceptual difference. Everyone present, staff and service users, contribute to the transaction of therapy. Though there are some one-one sessions, all of daily activities are opportunities for therapeutic relations and learning from social interaction. Under the medical model, professional–patient relations are always one-one, and the treatments are largely physical rather than psychosocial.  The unequal power relations that are typically present within bio-medically oriented services are purposively altered in TCs towards a much more democratic approach. This way of organising care offers insights into the importance of social relationships in the course of mental distress and upsetting behavior between people. It confirms that the way we behave with each other is crucial in understanding why people respond in particular ways and how best to respond in turn to help. This has great implications for all mental health treatment settings, such as wards.