Biological Approach

Question 1

What are the three assumptions of the biological approach?

Answer 1

Evolutionary influences
Localisation of brain function
Neurotransmitters

Question 2

What is evolutionary influences

Answer 2

Natural selection- Darwin (the genes will be passed on to the next generation)
Example = altruistic behaviour, the parents risk their life to save their offspring, altruism is an inherited trait as saving an offspring enhances survival in that gene pool
EEA = environment of evolutionary adaptive mess
Eg 2 millions years ago when humans moved from forest life to savannahs in Africa
The human brain has evolved in response to the social organisation of our system
More likely to survive eg those who are better at forming alliances are good at forming relationships are more likely to survive in complex social world

Question 3

What is localisation of brain function?

Answer 3

Areas of the brain are responsible for different functions

Question 4

What are the four lobes of the brain?

Answer 4

Frontal lobe
Parietal lobe
Occipital lobe
Temporal lobe

Question 5

What is the cerebral cortex

Answer 5

The area of the brain responsible for higher order cognitive functions

Question 6

What is the frontal lobes function

Answer 6

Thinking and creativity
Linked to personalities

Question 7

What is the function of parietal lobes

Answer 7

Receive sensory information eg temperature, touch and pain

Question 8

What is the temporal lobe

Answer 8

Memory processing
Processing auditory information

Question 9

What is the occipital lobes function

Answer 9

Visual processing
Receive information directly from the eyes

Question 10

What is Broca’s area

Answer 10

Left hemisphere
Associated with speech production
Located in posterior portion of frontal lobe

Question 11

What is neurotransmitters?

Answer 11

Neurones are electrically excitable cells that form the basis of the nervous system
A chemical messenger
Released from presynaptic vesicles

Question 12

What is neurotransmitters and mental health

Answer 12

Serotonin play a role in our mood, sleep and appetite
Too little = depression
Antidepressants work by increasing the availability of serotonin at the post synaptic receptor sites
High dopamine levels = schizophrenia, drugs can block dopamine activity

Question 13

What is the therapy for the biological therapy?

Answer 13

Drug therapy

Question 14

What are the main components of drug therapy?

Answer 14

Antipsychotic drugs
Antidepressant drugs
Anti anxiety drugs

Question 15

What are antipsychotic drugs

Answer 15

Treats psychotic mental disorders eg schizophrenia
Person with psychotic disorder has lost touch with reality and has little insight in their condition
Conventional antipsychotics = combat positive symptoms of schizophrenia ev delusions and hallucinations, block the action of dopamine in the brain to bind to the receptors
Atypical antipsychotic drugs act by temporarily occupying dopamine receptors, and then rapidly dissociating to allow normal dopamine transmission- lower side effects

Question 16

What are anti depressant drugs

Answer 16

Lack of serotonin
Antidepressants reduce the rate of réabsorptions, and block the enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter
Selective serotonin reputable inhibitors are prescribed- block the transporter mechanism that réabsorba serotonin into presynaptic fell, and more serotonin is left in the synapse, prolonging the activity and making the next transmission of the impulse easier

Question 17

What are typical anyipsychotics

Answer 17

Bind to the dopamine receptor to block their action, caused by increased dopamine, eliminate hallucinations and delusions

Question 18

What are atypical antipsychotics

Answer 18

Combat both positive and negative symptoms of SZ
temporarily bind to dopamine receptors and rapidly dissociate to allow normal dopamine transmission

Question 19

What are the examples of anti depressant drugs

Answer 19

MAOIS
SSRIS

Question 20

What are MAOIs

Answer 20

block the enzyme that breaks down serotonin
depressed individual is already lacking serotonin
this raises serotonin levels, start to feel happier

Question 21

What are SSRIs

Answer 21

increase the binding into presynaptic neurone to prevent the serotonin from being absorbed back in
eradicates symptoms of depression

Question 22

What are the steps in the drug process

Answer 22

Seeks help from medical professional
Medical professional makes decision onto the type of mental illness
Prescribe the most appropriate drug
Pick up prescription
Take drugs every day and in 4-6 weeks return for a catch up
Behaviour of individual will be monitored and will be decided if they need to carry on with the drug therapy alone, change to another drug or just to stop

Question 23

Effectiveness of drug therapy

Answer 23

Soomro = 17 pieces of research where effects of SSRIs on patients with OCD, patients who were given SSRIs were found to be a lot more effective than patients give placebo, evident by the reduced levels of OCD
Unclear how long it lasts for