Will the biopsychosocial model of medicine survive in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning? - Scholarly reflection on personalized medicine

Aug 3, 2026

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The biomedical model of medicine was replaced by the biopsychosocial model to better capture psychological and social dimensions of illness. Machine learning enables truly personalized medicine, but it introduces new demands for how medical models interpret individual risk and protective factors. Scholarly reflection examines how predictive models can integrate diverse data to forecast presentation, course, and treatment response while emphasizing factor-level contributions. It argues that current biopsychosocial practice is not sufficiently prepared for these possibilities and highlights needed clinician skills and better data design and integration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and Aim

Methods and Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Origin of the biopsychosocial model

Shift toward personalized medicine with AI

This is a repository copy of Will the biopsychosocial model of medicine survive in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning?. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: [https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/197634/](https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/197634/) [Version: Accepted Version](Version: Accepted Version) Article: Leentjens, Albert F G and Smith, Stephen Leslie [orcid.org/0000-0002-6885-2643](orcid.org/0000-0002-6885-2643) (2023) Will the biopsychosocial model of medicine survive in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning? Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 111207. ISSN 0022-3999 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111207](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111207) Reuse This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. This licence only allows you to download this work and share it with others as long as you credit the authors, but you can’t change the article in any way or use it commercially. More information and the full terms of the licence here: [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/) Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [eprints@whiterose.ac.uk](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk) including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [eprints@whiterose.ac.uk](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk)[ ](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk)[https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/](https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/) Journal of Psychosomatic Research Will the biopsychosocial model of medicine survive in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning? --Manuscript Draft-- | Manuscript Number: | | | --- | --- | | Article Type: | VSI: EAPM Papers | | Keywords: | biopsychosocial model; psychosomatic; artificial intelligence; machine learning; predictive model | | Corresponding Author: | Albert Leentjens, M. D. , Ph. D.
Maastricht University Medical Centre
Maastricht, NETHERLANDS | | First Author: | Albert F.G. Leentjens, M. D. , Ph. D. | | Order of Authors: | Albert F.G. Leentjens, M. D. , Ph. D. | | | Stephen L. Smith, Ph. D. | | Suggested Reviewers: | Wolfgang Soellner
[wolfgang_soellner@t-online.de](wolfgang_soellner@t-online.de)
published on biopsychosocial health vcare needs before and held his Frits Huyse lecture on the topic 'societal influence of machine learning' | | | Judith Rosmalen
[j.g.m.rosmalen@umcg.nl](j.g.m.rosmalen@umcg.nl)
Interest in biopsychosocial research (see also the JPR editorial november 2021) | Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation Manuscript File Click here to view linked References Will the biopsychosocial model of medicine survive in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning?* Albert F.G. Leentjens, M. D. , Ph. D. , Professor of Neuropsychiatry 1 Stephen L. Smith, Ph. D. , Professor of Electrical Engeneering2 1. Department of Psychiatry, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands 2. Department of Electrical Engineering, York University, York, England * This paper reflects the content of the Frits Huyse award lecture of the first author, presented at the EAPM conference in Wroclaw, Poland on 17 June 2023. Address for correspondence: Prof. dr. A.F.G. Leentjens Department of Psychiatry, Maastricht University Medical Centre P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands phone + 31 43 3874130; fax + 31 43 3875444 email: [a.leentjens@maastrichtuniversity.nl](a.leentjens@maastrichtuniversity.nl) Number of words text body (excluding abstract and references): 2496 Number of words abstract : 243 Figures : 1 Tables : none Conflict of interests : none Abstract Background: the biomedical model of medicine was replaced by the biopsychosocial model in order to better accommodate psychological and social

FAQs

Why was the biopsychosocial model introduced in medicine?

It was introduced to better accommodate psychological and social aspects of illness, replacing the biomedical model’s reductionistic limitations.

What role does machine learning play in personalized medicine according to the document?

Machine learning helps integrate diverse data to build predictive models for individual presentation, disease course, and treatment response.

What gaps and adaptations are proposed for the biopsychosocial model?

The document states the biopsychosocial model is not well prepared for personalized medicine and calls for adaptations, including new clinician skills and research data designed for machine learning integration.

Aug 3, 2026

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