mental health: topic 2 - background Flashcards
1
Q
what is the BIOCHEMICAL explanation of DEPRESSION?
A
- disruption in seretonin levels leads to the failure to
regulate normal levels of noradrenaline and dopamine - disruption to monamine levels is the result of abnormally
high levels of enzymes that breaks down the monoamines
2
Q
what is the BIOCHEMICAL explanation of SCHIZOPHRENIA?
A
- high levels of dopamine
- excess dopamine in areas of the brain
that is responsible for speech may account
for the cause of hallucinations - reduced activity in the pre frontal cortext
that is responsible for thinking and
decision making may account for
incoherent thinking or speech
3
Q
what is the GENETIC explanation of DEPRESSION?
A
believed that the short form of the seretonin transporter gene is less resilient
4
Q
What is the GENETIC explanation of SCHIZOPHRENIA?
A
- runs in families
- this does not mean that schizophrenia is genetic in origin
- family members tend to share aspects of their
environment as well as their genes
5
Q
what does POLYGENIC mean?
A
influenced by a number of different factors, including multiple genes
6
Q
what does AETIOLOGICALLY HETEROGENEOUS mean?
A
more than one cause or combination of causes
7
Q
what is a SCHIZOGENE?
A
a gene that makes people more vulnerable to schizophrenia
8
Q
what is BRAIN ABNORMALITY in DEPRESSION?
A
- the mean frontal lobe volume is significantly smaller
- frontal lobes do not draw on blood flow in the brain as they
normally do (HYPOPERFUSION)
9
Q
What is BRAIN ABNORMALITY in SCHIZOPHRENIA?
A
- the left hemisphere doesn’t function properly
- PURDON untreated patients are significantly weaker in the
right hand than those who took antipsychotic drugs - decreased activity levels in the ventral striatum increased
the severity of the negative symptons - lower activity levels in the superior temporal gyrus and the
anterior cingulate gyrus is associated with hallucinations
