The Biopsychosocial Model!

The biopsychosocial model provides a more thorough and comprehensive overview of CIPA or HSAN IV. First of all, from the biological aspect, as mentioned in the earlier post on the cause of this disease, it is caused by mutation in gene NTKR1. This gene mutation leads to dysfunction in nerve cells receptors which affects sensation beyond temperature and pain. The main and only root to this disease is biological as it is related to gene mutation. Besides the root to this disease, another aspect from the biological factor is genetic testing. It is advisable for parents to undergo genetic testing as a precaution to rule out any possibility of inheriting the disease and passing it down to their offspring. This can be done before and after marriage, and also before conceiving a baby.

            

Moving on to the psychological factor, people with CIPA need psycho-social support from people around them, for instance family and friends, and also from the neighborhood. Other than that, as they get older, they may need to seek for counseling to understand better and accept their condition. Psychological aspect is not only limited to CIPA patients, their parents will also require emotional support from others, especially when they find out that their child has the disease. This is because it can be very difficult to take care of a child with CIPA as many complications may occur along the way.

         

Lastly, from the social aspect of biopsychosocial model, it is likely that people with CIPA may face discrimination because they are different from others and people might not understand them. Other people might not be aware of this disease as CIPA is a rare disease which has a very low occurrence. Furthermore, people with CIPA may also distant themselves from social situations due to the fear of unintentionally harming themselves with possible injury. This can be very dangerous and even fatal as they are not alert of physical pain.

           

By looking through CIPA from the biopsychosocial model, we can clearly visualize this disease at different perspectives and how a CIPA patient is affected in different ways. 


Reference: 
Natural Organization for Rare Disorders. (2014). Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type iv. National Organization for Rare Disorders. Retrieved 13 October, 2013 from https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/hereditary-sensory-and-autonomic-neuropathy-type-iv/