Biological approach

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  • Created by: z_mills1
  • Created on: 17-05-14 16:40
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  • Biological approach
    • Brain damage
      • a degeneration or malformation of brain cells can cause memory loss often present in Alzheimer's
    • Infection
      • sometimes an infection that causes one illness can lead to a secondary illness that has psychological symptoms
      • syphilis - causes short-lived sores followed by general forgetfulness and mental deterioration
      • influenza virus has been linked to schizophrenia, research has has shown schizophrenic cases may be linked to the foetus being exposed to the virus in the womb
    • Neurotransmitter imbalance
      • certain neurotransmitters have been thought to contribute to many psychological disorders
      • excessive dopamine - schizophrenia
      • low levels of serotonin - depression
    • Genetics
      • individuals may inherit a predisposition to certain illnesses - these are carried on genes and pass from one gen to the next
      • concordance rate - measures how often two individuals, who are closely related, have the same disorder
    • Limitations
      • Genetics don't provide a complete explanation -  environmental influences are equally important as shown by concordance rates
        • it is possible that what is inherited is a vulnerability to the disorder which only develops under certain stressful conditions
      • the approach focuses on curing the symptoms not the cause of the disorder

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