Issues in MH Topic 2: The medical model

Question 1

Biochemical explanation of depression and treatment

Answer 1

Levels of serotonin too low and so may be absorbed back into presynaptic nerve cell too soon. Therefore message doesn’t pass effectively across the synapse. Body isn’t responding in an appropriate way to happy stimuli.

Balance out the levels of serotonin and block the uptake of serotonin.

Question 2

Biochemical explanation of schizophrenia and treatment

Answer 2

Serotonin too high and so an overload of dopamine reaches post-synaptic nerve cells - block the receptors

Question 3

Genetic explanations

Answer 3

Genes from parents:
genetic transmission - since its half/half genes from each parent could show tendency but for a parent not to. However concordance rates aren’t 100% so enviromental factors must play some part

Evolutionary Theory:
we have inherited traits which gave us an evolutionary advantage on our chances of survival

Treatment:
embryo manipulation to reduce the inheritance of genetic disorders is in the early stages of research

Question 4

Brain Abnormalities

Answer 4

Depression:
stress leads to high cortisol which can destroy hippocampal cells - not able to respond to stimulation.

Schizophrenia:
thinner parahippocampal cortices

Treatments:
drug therapy to control activity in different parts of the brain and surgery may be used in some cases

Question 5

Gottesman Study

Answer 5

Aim:
to investigate the probability of a child being diagnosed with a mental disorder if either or both parents had it

Sample:
anyone 2.7 million in Denmark with a clear link to biological parents. Four groups: both, either, none, admitted with a diagnosis and the general public

Findings:
both parents with schizophrenia is 27.2% and no parents is 0.86%

Conclusions:
where both parents had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital with schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder, their offspring are at ‘super-high risk’ of being admitted with a disorder themselves

Question 6

Drug Therapy

Answer 6

it aims to restore normal levels of neurotransmitter action, SSRIs block the reuptake of serotonin by the presynaptic neuron which means more serotonin in the synapse which increases the likelihood of sufficient gerontic reaching post synaptic receptor triggering electrical impulse to continue down neural pathway