Icf Framework Analysis

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The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as being “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (WHO, 2018). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) was developed by the WHO in 2001 and is a classification system that focuses on the various components of health and health-related domains. This framework provides standard language that can help to classify and accommodate people functioning at various levels while taking into account personal factor components. This system is meant to be utilized globally and …show more content…

It can be utilized for education purposes in teaching the interaction between function, activity and participation and environmental factors impacting various health conditions to any professional. It can also be utilized to establish various social policies and programs globally. It can be utilized for statistical purposes to study the various components of health and factors impacting on health and well-being. This model can also explain the relation between psychological disorders or social factors (such as smoking, stress, excessive drinking) that can sometimes result in physiological problems (such as obesity) and doesn’t limit itself to a biological …show more content…

Additionally, it is difficult to teach this model academically and when utilized inappropriately, can lead to confusion due to the significant categories. Furthermore, since the ICF is a fairly a new concept (2001), there has been little evaluation of the theoretical efficacy of the ICF. Finally, since it takes into consideration the effects of society on an individual, it can become challenging to determine which social factors should be considered to determine the relevancy to the current problem along with the psychological and biological factors. From a return to work and retention perspective, it could be viewed as a disadvantage to utilize this model as the DM professional may not have the resources or the mandate to address the worker’s ability to address and manage their symptoms in various environments and may be considered as an overgeneralization of a person’s ability to function due to the broad