The Biopsychosocial Explanation of Acute Intermittent Porphyria

As the video mention, biopsychosocial model is a model to know the cause of mental illness and also the solution to it. The first part which is biologically, it includes heredity, genes, illness, and also mood, and the solution for this is medication, the second part which is psychological, it includes experience and thoughts and feelings, which mostly are negative thoughts and feelings, the solution for it is therapy. The next part is social, which includes family stress, and job stress and transition, the solution for it is to know the boundaries and self-care. 

Figure 30. Biopsychosocial model of health

Biopsychosocial model is a model that says that a disease is result from a combination from the aspect of biology, psychological and social factors, this model is use to improve the previous model which is the biomedical model that says that disease is result from exposure of pathogen (Engel, 1980). Just like Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP), this disease is caused by the combination of biology, psychological, and social factors (American Porphyria Foundation, 2010). Just like Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP), this disease is caused by the combination of biology, psychological, and social factors (American Porphyria Foundation, 2010). 

Biology factor in AIP says that this disease is passed down from generations to generations through the genes (Sezgin, 2016), in other words, it means that AIP is an inherited disease. Most compelling evidence, previous research indicated that 90% of the individual with AIP who usually W198X mutation in the genes (Andersson, Floderus, Wikberg, & Lithner, 2000; Bylesjö, Wikberg, & Andersson, 2009).

The next factor, which is psychological factor, such as being depress all the time or having too much stress emotionally and physcially or exhaustion, burn-out could also increase the risk of triggering the AIP in the body, provided if the person family generation have the history of AIP (Balwani & Desnick; Ventura, Cappellini, Biolcati, Guida, & Rocchi, 2014). Prior findings highlighted that hypertension was relatively highly associated with Acute Intermittent Porphyria (Bylesjö, Wikberg, & Andersson, 2009).

Figure 33. Alcoholism, smoking and drug abuse

The last factor that could increase the risk of AIP is social factors. Social factors includes smoking, drinking alcohol, and consuming medications or drugs such as barbiturates or  methyldopa could also increase the risk of triggering AIP  (Lopes, Valle, Taguti, Taguti, Betonico, & Medeiros, 2008). Other than that, past study revealed that working environment was the most common factor which lead to severe attack of AIP, especially among men (Bylesjö, Wikberg, & Andersson, 2009).  According to Bylesjö, Wikberg and Andersson (2009), 11 patients had reported that they had shifted work, solvents, stress, physical strain and exhaust fumes.