The Medical Model Flashcards
What are the 3 parts of the medical model and what are there assumptions?
Biochemical : neurotransmitters affect our behaviour, our bodies have a balance of chemicals that can become unbalanced
Genetic : the idea that behaviour is inherited
Brain abnormalities : idea that brain structure and activity can affect behaviour
Explain what happens in the biochemical explanation (synapse)
Neurons transfer via synapse
This connection allows once cell to pass to another
Chemicals = neuro transmitters
Transmit electric signal. Post synaptic cell. Taken back to first pre synaptic
What is the chemical imbalance in depression and in scitzophrenia?
Depression : serotonin, once released it activates receptors, neurons can them be taken up again and re used.
Scitzophrenia: dopamine, illegal substances often contain high levels of dopamine so drug users may often show signs of a psychotic disorder
What is the genetic explanation for mental health?
Genetic transfer- behaviour is transferred from parent to child
Monozygotic twins - share 100% genes
Dizygotic twins - share 50% genes
What is the brain abnormality explanation about?
- mental disorders are a result of abnormalities within the Brain
E.g brown// 41 scitzophrenia patients, 29 affective disorder patients, 6% scitzophrenia had lighter brains
E.g sheline// elederly women with depression in reminission have smaller hippocampus
What is the aim and sample for gottesmans key research?
Aim - to investigate and find if a child with two parents that have a psychiatric illness will also be diagnosed with a mental disorder
Sample - 2.7 million and parents from Denmark
1.3 million couples study
What is the procedure for gottesmans research?
Used data from national statistics to identify those with a diagnosis
Children also checked in the same register to check for any evidence of a diagnosis of a mental disorder
how do drug treatments work for biological treatments of disorders?
What are the strengths and weaknesses
chemotherapy, altering chemicals to change body works
Psychotherapeutic drug treatment block receptors so that neurotransmitters are reduced
S- can alter chemical imbalance and alieviate symptoms
W- headaches, takes several weeks to work, can increase suicidal thoughts
How does electroconvulsive therapy work for biological treatments?
Strengths and weaknesses
- put under anaesthetic and electrode placed on scalpe
Electric exites the brain creating a seizure which can alter the chemical imbalance and neurotransmitters
S- quick fix
W - can cause harm physically and psychologically
What is the overall assumption for the medical model
Assumes mental illness is caused but a physical factor and treatment is physiological
What did Thomas Szasz say about the medical model….
Why might the medicalisation of mental illness be problematic?
It Didn’t really make any sense and he believed that disorders do not exist and thought we were actually harming patients.
Because it sees individuals as needing medical treatments for a physical problem when it is not physical it is a mental illness.
What are 2 non biological treatments for mental illness
Flooding - exposing patient to their fear at first anxiety heightened but because they cannot escape it they learn to cope with it
Systematic desensitisation- hierarchy of fears, taught relaxation techniques, once comfortable with each stage you move to the next
