Evaluate the biological treatments of depression. (16 marks) Antidepressants such as monoamine-oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and trycyclics (TCAs) are effective in reducing depressive symptoms. Antidepressants have been tested in trials with placebos and have found to be effective in reducing symptoms of severe depression in around 65% to 75% compared with around 33% for placebos – Gitlin 2002. Gitlin carried out a clinical trial testing selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and placebos
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Outline and Evaluate the biological approach to abnormality The biological approach sees abnormality as a physical illness and removes psychological blame and responsibility for the behaviour form the patients. Biochemistry; which is where abnormal functioning in the brain can be caused by abnormal levels of neurotransmitters and hormones. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that allow neurones to communicate with one another at synapses. Hormones are chemical messengers that are secreted
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Clinical Psychology Assignment Evaluate the evidence for a psychological intervention for schizophrenia. Is there sufficient evidence to justify its use? There are perhaps two main prongs to the development of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as an intervention for schizophrenia‚ the first being based upon the sizable research that centre on family interventions‚ which have been successful in reducing patient relapse in schizophrenic families (Pilling et al.‚ 2002). Family interventions are important
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Outline and evaluate the biological model of abnormality (12 marks) The biological model of abnormality is the idea that all behaviour is rooted in underlying physical processes. The biological model of abnormality assumes that there is a physiological reason for psychological disorders. The disorders are considered an illness and supposedly make a person with these ’disorders’ abnormal. The model indicates that mental illnesses resemble physical illnesses and are thought to be treated in a similar
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Biological explanations for anorexia nervosa Biological explanations for anorexia nervosa include neural explanations and evolutionary explanations. 1st BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION - Neurotransmitters -Serotonin Disturbances in the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin appear to be a characteristic of individuals with eating disorders. Kaye 2005 found a reduction in the levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA in people with eating disorders. This suggests that brain serotonin pathways are underactive
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Discuss issues of reliability and validity associated with the classification and diagnosis of phobic disorders (24 marks) The biological explanation for the acquisition of phobic disorders establishes that phobias are caused by genetics‚ innate influences and the principles of biochemistry. This theory recognizes that an oversensitive fear response may be inherited‚ causing abnormal levels of anxiety. This is illustrated in the basis of inheritance‚ particularly the adrenergic theory that convicts
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Biological explanation of phobias Genetic factors One biological explanation for the cause of phobic disorders suggests that we can relate it back to our genetics. This theory values the ‘nature’ side in the nature vs nurture debate. This theory uses twin studies to try and separate genetic factors from environmental factors in order to draw a causal conclusion between genetics and phobias. If a closer concordance rate was found between MZ and DZ twins we could suggest a genetic inheritance
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Describe and evaluate social explanations of aggression. Aggression can be defined in many different ways. Bandura suggests that it is the intent to cause harm to another human being who is motivated to avoid such treatment. One of the main social psychological explanations of aggression comes from Bandura and Walters in 1963. He suggests that aggression is learned either indirectly; through observational learning and only replicated if vicarious reinforcement occurs‚ or directly- where aggressive
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The biological approach to psychology which looks at physical aspects controlling behaviour such as the structures of the brain‚ gives evidence that both nature and nurture are involved in our behaviour. For instance a study which compared the incidence of schizophrenia in MZ and DZ twins (Gottesman and Shields (1966)) found a concordance rate of 40% for the MZs but only 9% for the DZs. As arguably the only material differences between these groups was the fact that MZs share 100% genetic material
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Outline and evaluate biological explanations for schizophrenia There are many different explanations for schizophrenia and the biological one has a major influence on the explanation. There are two different approaches; genetics and the dopamine hypothesis. The genetic hypothesis argues that sz runs in families and is inherited through genes. According to the genetic hypothesis‚ the more closely related the family member to the schizophrenic‚ the greater their chance of developing the disorder
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