Biological Explanations Of Depression - Wender

Question 0

What does Kety suggest to be the three neurotransmitters involved in depression?

Answer 0

Noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine

Question 1

What does the biological explanation assume about the cause of depression?

Answer 1

It assumes that we may have a genetic vulnerability to depression and that various neurotransmitters may have a role to play in depression

Question 2

What did Kety assume about serotonin?

Answer 2

That people suffering from depression would have low levels of serotonin which would prevent adequate control of the other two neurotransmitters

Question 3

What was the aim of the Wender study?

Answer 3

To investigate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors in the cause of mood disorders

Question 4

Describe the sample of Wenders study

Answer 4

Adoptive and biological relatives of 71 adult adoptees, with a mean age of 43.7, and 71 adult adoptees with a mean age of 44 who were psychologically normal

Question 5

Outline the procedure of Wenders study

Answer 5

Psychiatric evaluations of the relatives were made by independent blind diagnoses from mental hospitals and other official records

Question 6

How great was the increase in unipolar depression among the biological relatives of the adults?

Answer 6

There was an 8 fold increase

Question 7

How great was the increase in suicide among the biological relatives of the adopted adults?

Answer 7

There was a 15 fold increase

Question 8

What was concluded from Wenders study?

Answer 8

There is a significant genetic link between unipolar depression and suicide