the medical model Flashcards
how does the medical model explain mental disorders?
due to physical causes such as brain structure, genetics, biochemistry
why is the medical model seen as determinisitic
it emphasises that a person has no more free choice or control over a mental illness than a physical illness
why is the medical model seen as reductionist?
it over simplifies the causes of mental illness, ignoring psychological and environmental factors
how can the medical model be seen as holistic
the recent biological explanations are looking at complex interactions between genes and bio chemistry and are also acknoledging the interaction of genes and environment
give the assumption for the genetic area of the medical model
the closer the genetic relationship the higher the concordance rates
give the assumption for the brain abnormality area of the medical model
abnormalitys are cuase by the structure of the brain
give the assumption for the biochemical area of the medical model
imbalance of chemicals causes mental illness
why is the reliabiltity of concordance rates low?
the are only correlational
no cause and effect can be established
what do family studies show?
relationships between traits and inheritance
what are monozygotic twins?
genetically identical twins
what are dzygotic twins
non-identical twins
give the reults of gottesmans old study
monozygotic twins had a 48% concordnace rate with developing SZ compared with dyzygotic twins who had a 17% concordnace rate
why are twin studies critisised?
they do not contol the fact tht the nvironment may be more similar for MZ twins thsn DZ twins
decribe the method of tienaris study with adoption studies?
longtituinal study
155 children whos biological mothers had SZ, and been adopted out
give the results from tienaris study
9% of the children developed SZ compared to 1% of the children that mothers didn’t have SZ
name the cell that carries the impulse to the synapse
presynaptic cell
name the cell that recieves the impulse
postsynaptic cell
what do cells release?
neurotransmitters
what is the role of nuerotransmitters?
released into the synapse and diffuse to where they bind with receptors on the dendrites of the postnaptic cell
what are the gaps between cells called?
synpases
What SZ symptom is related to perception?
hallucninations and dellusions
What SZ symptom is related to motor contorl ?
catatonine behaviour
What SZ symptom is related to thinking?
derailment
who propsed the early dopamine hypohesis, and what was it?
carlsson
SZ is caused by cells either firing too easily or too often, leadin to excess dopamine
what does excess dopamine mean?
problems related to attention, perception, and thinking
explain the finding by wong
from post mortems
SZ suffers have twice the number of D2 receptors than non SZs
which side of the brain seems reated to SZ symptoms?
left- language
which area of the brain is linked with the negative symptom of low motivation in SZ?
ventral straigtum- linked to the anticipation of reward and motivation
why can the brain abnormality explanation between be seen as valid?
uses brain sans
these produce objective data
give the risks of head injuries in relation to mental illness
65% more likely to be diagnosed with SZ
59% depression
28% bipolar
what scanners are used when identifying areas of the brain?
PET scans
give an example of brain abnormality related to SZ
enlarged ventricles
places pressure on ajacent areas infering eith their function
describe the aim in gottesmans new study
to investigate whether two parents with mental disorders would increase the probability that their child would also be diagnosed with a mental disorder
give the sample of gottesmans new study
2.7 million danish children
minimum age of 10
no consent needed as it was from a register
give the IVs of gottesmans new study
SZ, bipolar, depression
give the DV of gottesmans new study
diagnosis of mental illness in children
give the results of gottesmans new study in relation to SZ
two parents with SZ 27.3%
one parent with SZ 7%
parent with any disorder 1.12%
give an example of of typical antipsychotics
chlorpromazine
give an example of of Atypical antipsychotics
clozapine
describe how Atypical drugs like clozapine works
acts on serotonin as well as dopamine
lowers the level of dopamine rather than complelty blocking it
fewer side effects
state the effectivness of Atypical antipsychotics
85% benefical
what did remington and Kapur find?
Atypical drugs were helpful in reducing mainly negative symptoms
what symptoms is typical antipsychotics best for treating?
positive
describe how typical drugs like chorpromazine work
dopamine antognaists
they block dopamine receptors on the surface of neurons
therefore reduce dopamine activity
give examples of the side effects of typical antipsychotics
tardive dyskinesia- uncontrolable movements of the lips, tounge and involuntary sucking and chewing, and jerky movements
affects 20-30% of patients
describe the process of ECT
a brief electrical stimulus givrn to the brain via electrodes placed on the temples
how often does ECT treatment need to take place?
6-12 a day 2-3 times a week
describe the side effects of ECT
memory loss and cardiovascular changes and headaches
give the strengths of drug treatments
- reduces symptoms
- more ethical than ECT
give the weakness of drug treatments
- treats symptoms rather than the cause
- not 100% effective
- side effects
give the effectivness of typical antipsychotics
65% effective
what are two explanations linked to enlarged ventricles?
swayze- increased amounts of liquid in brain cavity. also cause pressure to build up on adjecent areas interfering with functon.
holt and lewis- large ventricles due to loss of brain tissue that would of occuiped that space.
how many gene variations have been linked to and increased risk of SZ?
108
what is the risk of developing SZ in DZ twins?
17%
what is the risk of developing SZ in MZ twins?
48%
what is the difference between early dopamine hypothesis and alves dopamine hyposthesis in SZ?
guyhj
why is dopamine implicated in SZ?
if it it is fired too easily or too often, causes problems with attetion, perception and thinking
what is the role of dopamine?
involved in perception, thinking, and attention
define concordance rates
ergar
define comorbidity
more than one illness is diagnosed at the same time
