BioSocial Futures: Toward a Community Ecology of Health and Well-Being-View Presentation

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Helena Hansen, an anthropologist and addiction psychiatrist, uses her unique training to blend social science with psychiatry. In her lecture, she emphasizes the importance of moving beyond George Engel's biopsychosocial model (1971) to a more updated biosocial model that integrates life science developments like the microbiome, epigenetics, and neuroplasticity. Hansen argues that human biology and social environments are intricately linked, essential for understanding mental health outcomes.<br /><br />In the context of an ongoing national mental health crisis, Hansen critiques the current healthcare system's reliance on individual molecular treatments and underscores the need for social science concepts within psychiatric practice. She advocates for a robust model that foregrounds how social and systemic structures impact mental health, and promotes the design of health-enhancing social environments.<br /><br />Hansen shares her personal experiences growing up in Oakland, California, witnessing systemic drivers impacting her uncles' mental health. Her interest in translational social science was sparked by working during the AIDS pandemic, observing successful partnerships between affected communities and healthcare providers. This led her to an MD-PhD program combining medicine and anthropology, aiming to employ social science in healthcare systems.<br /><br />Highlighting her work at Bellevue Hospital, Hansen emphasizes the importance of designing interventions that incorporate social environments, such as community gardens and art therapy, enhancing traditional addiction treatment. Through structural competency and social technologies, she illustrates a collaborative approach involving community members, social scientists, and clinicians to reshape psychiatry. Hansen visualizes a shift towards ecological approaches, combining biosocial research, neuroscience, and community engagement to promote mental well-being.

Keywords

Helena Hansen

anthropology

addiction psychiatry

biosocial model

mental health

social science

biopsychosocial model

systemic structures

translational social science

community engagement

structural competency

ecological approaches