the medical model

Question 1

what are the three causes of mental illness?

Answer 1

biochemical, genetic, brain abnormality

Question 2

what are some biomedical treatments?

Answer 2

advances in neuroscience in the 20th century and increasing influence of drug companies mean that psychology is more medical than ever.

Question 3

what does the medical model see disorders as?

Answer 3

the result of biological malfunctions or disruptions

Question 4

biochemical explanations

Answer 4

our brain cells transmit information through electrical impulses that allow us to think, feel and act. at the end of each brain cell there is a synapse. neurotransmitters must cross the synapse to transfer information. different neurotransmitters are used to regulate different mental processes. believes that mental illness symptoms are caused by abnormal neurotransmitter levels or actions.

Question 5

what neurotransmitters are believed to be involved in depression?

Answer 5

the monoamines- serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine

Question 6

what does dopamine do?

Answer 6

regulates mood

Question 7

what does noradrenaline do?

Answer 7

it is linked to activity levels

Question 8

what does serotonin do?

Answer 8

controls the activity of the other neurotransmitters

Question 9

what is the first monoamine hypothesis of depression?

Answer 9

stressful events will lead to a reduction in serotonin levels, which causes a failure to regulate dopamine and noradrenaline functions. this disrupts mood and activity levels.

Question 10

what is the second monoamine hypothesis of depression?

Answer 10

the disruption of monoamines is caused by abnormally high levels of an enzyme which breaks down monoamines. this reduces their action and disrupts information being passed around the brain.

Question 11

genetic explanations

Answer 11

a person’s genotype comes directly from their mother and father. genes contain the instructions for producing physical structures, including the brain and chemicals such as neurotransmitters and enzymes. it is likely that genes exert an influence on psychological characteristics, including mental illness, by influencing physical structures such as the CNS.

Question 12

is mental illness purely down to genetic explanations?

Answer 12

it is unlikely, however it appears that some people are more vulnerable than others to developing mental health problems as a result of their genetic makeup.

Question 13

what mental illnesses are genetically vulnerable?

Answer 13

common depression is only moderately affected by genes, however vulnerability to schizophrenia is more affected to genetic variations

Question 14

what is the strongest predictor of depression?

Answer 14

stressful life events, rather than genetics

Question 15

what forms does the serotonin transporter gene come in?

Answer 15

long/long, long/short, short/short

Question 16

which serotonin transporter form is more vulnerable to depression?

Answer 16

short/short, as it is thought this form leads to inefficient serotonin production. this makes people less resilient to stress and more prone to depression.

Question 17

brain abnormality explanations

Answer 17

the human brain is an extremely complex system. the structure/function can be associated with mental illness. if structures are a different size, this means that electrical activity may be abnormal in particular regions. CNS does not function normally when suffering from certain conditions.

Question 18

is there evidence for brain abnormality in depression?

Answer 18

the frontal lobe (thinking) is thought to play a part, as its volume was significantly lower in depressed patients, and has an abnormal draw on blood flow

Question 19

gottesman (2010) disorders in offspring with two psychiatrically ill patients, method

Answer 19

a national-register based cohort study in denmark looking at the risk of schizophrenia/bipolar in people born between 1968-97

Question 20

gottesman (2010) disorders in offspring with two psychiatrically ill patients, schizophrenia results

Answer 20

risk of mental illness was much greater for offspring of two parents with a diagnosis. risk of schizophrenia was 27.3% in offspring with both parents having a schizophrenia diagnosis, and 7% with only one parent admitted.

Question 21

gottesman (2010) disorders in offspring with two psychiatrically ill patients, bipolar results

Answer 21

risk of bipolar was 24.9% in offspring of two bipolar parents, 4.4% for one parents, and 0.48% for neither.

Question 22

what does gottesman’s (2010) study suggest?

Answer 22

it suggests a genetic explanation for some mental illnesses

Question 23

what do biological treatments assume?

Answer 23

the physical makeup of a person has to be altered in some way

Question 24

which biological treatment is the most common?

Answer 24

drug therapy, as it is quicker than talking therapies such as CBT, but has side effects such as antidepressants increasing suicidal thoughts

Question 25

what are other biological treatments?

Answer 25

electroconvulsive therapy ECT- passes an electric shock through anaesthetised brain. a quick fix for relieving depression whilst waiting for drug therapy to become effective. can cause confusion/memory loss.

Question 26

how do older antidepressants MAOIs work?

Answer 26

prevents the breakdown of serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine so levels of all the monoamines build up

Question 27

how do older antidepressants tricyclics work?

Answer 27

prevents serotonin and noradrenaline being absorbed after crossing a synapse, which increases their levels

Question 28

issues with older antidepressants

Answer 28

old-fashioned so can have side effects as they interfere with a number of neurotransmitters

Question 29

how do newer antidepressants SSRIs work?

Answer 29

stops serotonin being broken down and reabsorbed after crossing a synapse.

Question 30

how do newer antidepressants NRIs work?

Answer 30

stops noradrenaline being broken down and reabsorbed after crossing a synapse helpful for patients who are feeling inactive.

Question 31

why is it important to have a lot of different antidepressants?

Answer 31

because they all work in slightly different ways and patients will respond differently to them

Question 32

benefits of biological treatment

Answer 32

most drug treatments seem effective in relieving symptoms and allowing people to manage day-to-day life; only requires patients to take the drug- no lifestyle change; relieves symptoms whilst the patient prepares for another type of therapy, or can be used alongside another therapy

Question 33

limitations of biological treatment

Answer 33

do not work for everybody- people may respond differently and side effects can be problematic; drugs are unlikely to provide a long term cure unless there is a clear biological cause- symptoms may return.

Question 34

bias in publication regarding drug treatments

Answer 34

81% of studies with significant findings were published, compared with 68% of studies reporting non-significant findings. this bias makes drug treatments appear more effective than they really are.