Premium Essay

Biological Explanations Of Major Depression

Submitted By
Words 874
Pages 4
In this paper I will discuss the difference in theories of the psychological and biological explanations of major depression. Psychological explanations refer to the cognitive and behavioral theories of major depression such as negative cognitions, learned helplessness, and hopelessness. While biological explanations refer to genetic and neurochemical factors to explain the development and maintenance of major depression (Davey, 2011).
Major depression, also commonly referred to as clinical depression, major depressive illness, major affective disorder, or unipolar mood disorder, is a clinical mood disorder including one or more episode of serious depression lasting two or more weeks with no manic episodes. Symptoms include fatigue, impaired …show more content…
The first biological theory of major depression is related to genetic factors. This is a belief that mood disorders such as major depression run in families, implying that there is an inherited or genetic element to depression. That being said, your chances of developing major depression are five to ten times more likely if you are related to someone who has major depression. In twin studies, monozygotic (identical) twins were forty six percent more likely to develop major depression if one twin had it compared to dizygotic (fraternal) twins who were twenty percent more likely to develop major depression (Davey, 2011). According to Sutton (2012), it is known that a biologically hereditary tendency to develop major depression is linked to a younger age of depression onset, and that new onset depression taking place after age sixty is less likely to be due to a genetic …show more content…
Major depression is linked to low levels of serotonin and norepinephrine unlike bipolar disorder which is linked to high levels of norepinephrine. During the 1950s it was discovered that medications that resulted in lowering serotonin levels, such as blood pressure medicine, were causing depression (Davey, 2011). Serotonin controls several functions such as sleep, aggression, eating, sexual behavior, and mood. Therefore, as research suggests a lower level of serotonin production can cause several of the symptoms of major depression. Norepinephrine play a role in an individual’s mood and ability to concentrate. Therefore a low level of norepinephrine may lead to major depression in that low levels can make you feel fatigues and in a state of mental fog (Davey, 2011). Another neurotransmitter that plays a role in major depression is dopamine. It is believed that dopamine levels help in regulating our ability to feel pleasure and our ambition for rewards. This explains why people with depression have trouble finding pleasure in activities they once enjoyed (Nemade,

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Biological Explanations for Depression

...factors A01 – Family studies >having a 1st degree relative (parent or sibling) with depression appears to be a risk factor for depression >the studies select people who already have depression (probands), and then examine whether other family members have been, or might be, diagnosed with depression -if there is a genetic link for this disorder, the probands’ relatives should show higher rates of depression than the rest of the population Harrington et al (1993) >found that around 20% of proband’s close relatives have depression compared to 10% for the general population A01 – Twin studies >basis is that identical (monozygotic) twins are clones of each other and have all the same genes -fraternal (dizygotic) twins share just half of their genes -we assume that the environment shared by the twins is roughly the same for both types of twin McGuffin et al (1996) >studied 177 probands with depression with their same-sex co-twins >concordance rate was 46% for identical twins and 20% for fraternal twins >suggest that depression has a large heritable component A01 – Adoption studies Wender et al (1986) >studies the biological relatives of adopted individuals who had been hospitalised for severe depression >found a much higher rate of severe depression in the biological relatives of the depressed group than in the biological relatives of a non-depressed control group (nature may be a stronger component than nurture) ...

Words: 1744 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Biological Approach to Depression

...Outline and evaluate the Biological Approach to Depression According to the biological approach all psychological illnesses have a physical cause; it focus is on the treatment not the cure this can support the reason why relapse rates are high for individuals with depression. The biological approach to abnormality states that abnormality is caused by a range of different physical factors: Genetics and chemical imbalances in the brain. It is suggested that people possess certain genetic characteristics that make them more prone to developing abnormal behaviour such as depression. It is also thought that chemical imbalances in the brain produce abnormal behaviour, for example a lack of serotonin causes depression. This approach is better at explaining endogenous depression. Family, twin and adoption studies are used to research into depression. Supporting evidence for the biological approach is that depression is universal, as they are increasing and found cross culturally. Weismann (1987) stated that family evidence suggests that a person is 10 times more likely to suffer from depression, if a parent or sibling has a similar disorder. This could be because living with a person who is depressed could be depressing. However, according to a behavioural explanation this behaviour could have being modelled as the female could identify with the eating disorder and use them as a role model. Also family studies are conducted using retrospective data (looking back) and rely on correct...

Words: 1090 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Mood and Addictive Disorders

...afflictions. Mood disorders include those who suffer the symptoms of depression and mania. The depressive disorder unipolar depression, are those who only experience the lows of depression, while bipolar disorder is marked by both the low of depression and the frenzied high of mania. Substance use disorders are marked by recurrent use of substances, such as alcohol or drugs, that results in maladaptive behaviors (Comer, 2014). To explain the development if both mood and substance disorders there are biological, psychological, and sociocultural models. Treatment for these maladaptive behaviors also use biological, psychological, and sociocultural methods. Finally, there are several gender and cultural differences in the development, frequency, and treatment in these disorders. Mood disorders Depressive disorder has symptoms such as sadness, low energy, guilt, and low self-worth (Comer, 2014). When these symptoms occur without periods of mania, it is called unipolar depression. Overall, about 19 percent of the adult population experiences an episode of unipolar depression in their lifetime. Severe cases interfere with the daily activities of life and can include physical symptoms such as physical pain and muscle fatigue. Severe moodiness and suicidal thoughts may also accompany severe cases. To explain the causes of depressive disorder professionals turn to biological, psychological, and sociocultural theories. Biological causes include genetic and biochemical theories. According to...

Words: 2197 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Biological Explanation of Eating Behaviour

...LESSON FIVE & SIX – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EATING DISORDERS ------------------------------------------------- Specification link: You will be able to outline and evaluate: ------------------------------------------------- Biological, including neural and evolutionary, explanations of anorexia nervosa ------------------------------------------------- Psychology explanations of anorexia nervosa Outline and description of theories | Research evidence and commentary | IntroductionThe DSM-IV Rev identifies three categories of eating disorder: * Anorexia nervosa 1. AN -restricting type – refusal to eat 2. AN- binge eating/purging type – episodes of binge eating followed by removal of food from the body by vomiting, laxatives, or enemas.Both of these are associated with significant weight loss and the other symptoms of AN. * Bulimia nervosa – episodes of binging followed by removal of food from the body by vomiting, laxatives, or enemas (no significant weight loss). * Eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)The four major symptoms of anorexia nervosa are: * The body weight is 85% or less of normal weight for age and height * Distorted perception of body weight/shape, and/or denial that the weight loss is severe * Intense fear of becoming fat * Loss of three consecutive menstrual cycles in women (amenorrhoea)Anorexia nervosa (AN) and Bulimia nervosa (BN) have much in common, particularly a dissatisfaction with body weight and/or shape....

Words: 3915 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Psychology

...Chunxiao Bao Psychology101 03/10/2016 Homework #3 * How has mental illness been defined in the past? Contrast these explanations for how abnormal behavior and thinking is defined today. (3 points) 1)Ancient peoples have assumed that some among them who were behaving oddly were possessed by evil spirits. Hippocrates was the first recorded attempt to explain abnormal behavior as due to some biological process. During the Renaissance, belief in demonic possession (in which the possessed person was seen as a victim) gave way to a belief in witchcraft, and mentally ill persons were most likely called witches and put to death. 2) One way to define normal and abnormal is to use a statistical definition.
Another way of defining abnormality is to see it as some- thing that goes against the norms or standards of the society in which the individual lives. Abnormal behavior that includes at least two of these five criteria is perhaps best classified by the term psychological disorder, which is defined as any pattern of behavior that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm themselves or others, or harms their ability to function in daily life. 1. Is the behavior unusual, such as experiencing severe panic when faced with a stranger or being severely depressed in the absence of any stressful life situations? 
 2. Does the behavior go against social norms? (And keep in mind that social norms change over time—e.g., homosexuality was once considered a psychological...

Words: 1187 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

As Psychology - Every Potential Essay Question & Answers

...SAJ DEVSHI (C) AQA Psychology (A) Psya2 A* Students Model Essays The A* Students Handbook For More Psychology Resources visit: www.Loopa.co.uk C HAPTER 1 A little about me Firstly thank you for purchasing this book for AQA Psychology Psya2 (Paper 2). A bit about me: My name is Sajan Devshi and I was a private student that self-taught myself AQA Psychology from 2011-2012 and I received my certificate in January 2013 Achieving an A* Grade. The certificate you can view on my website http://www.loopa.co.uk - You can also get my other A* model essay answers from there too for the other topics I did. I achieved an A* grade overall scoring two A’s in Psya1 and Psya2 as well as 100% in both my A2 exams (Psya3 and Psya4) My final score was 373/400 ums points. (You only needed 90% in A2 and 320 for an A* grade). So basically I didn’t just beat the boundary - I absolutely smashed it. How did I do it? It wasn’t easy and I am by no means some savant genius. I made great notes and essays that simplified things for me as I had no teachers and it is these notes I share with you now for Psya2 and the essay questions that can be asked for it. If your curious to know more about me you can visit my website at http://www.loopa.co.uk There it tells you more about me, how I self-taught myself as well as contact me directly for help and advice as well as get my other essay answers there instantly. Theres also great resources there too with more added on a weekly basis...

Words: 21741 - Pages: 87

Premium Essay

Depression Ans Suicide

...Major Depression and Suicide Kathy Lightsey AB200 Introduction to Applied Behavioral Science Carol Abraham Nov. 03, 2014 Major Depression and Suicide The word depression is used for a wide range of mental states. On one side are passing moods of disappointments, regrets, or anxiety that almost everyone experience one time or another. On the other side there are symptoms which are described by many psychiatrists as clinical depression. This is a lingering feeling of despair that last for weeks at a time. Normally when a doctor or psychiatrists make a diagnosis of clinical depression is when a person suffers from most or all of a group of symptoms for longer than two weeks. Depression is the common cold of psychological problems. People with the run-of-the-mill depression may feel sad, blue, or “down in the dumps.” They may complain of lack of energy, loss of self-esteem, difficulty concentrating, loss of interest in activities, and other people ( Nezlek et al., 2000), uncontrollable crying, and thoughts of suicide. These feelings are more intense in people such as Joe in our course case study with major depressive disorder (MDD). According to the nationally representative sample of more than 9,000 adults in the United States, MDD affected 6% to 7% of the people within any given year, and one person in six over the course of their lives (Kessler, 2003). About half of those with MDD experience sever symptoms such poor appetite, serious weight loss, and agitation or psychomotor...

Words: 2315 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

A2 Health

...Health & Clinical Psychology Healthy Living Stress Dysfunctional Behaviour Disorders [pic] [pic] [pic] Contents • Objectives for the Health and Clinical Psychology module 6 • What is Health Psychology? Careers in Health Psychology 7 • Unit G543: Health and Clinical Psychology 8 • Exemplar exam paper 9 PART A – INFORMATION TO HELP EVALUATE STUDIES • Evaluation sheet for the theories/studies of Health Psychology 10 • Guide for answering part A & part B exam questions 11 PART B – HEALTHY LIVING • Introduction to Healthy Living 14 • Theories of Health Belief 17 • Compliance with a Medical Regime for Asthma (Becker 1978) 18 • Internal versus External Locus of Control (Rotter 1966) 21 • Analysis of Self-Efficacy Theory of Behavioural Change (Bandura and Adams 1977) 23 • Summary of the health belief theories 26 • Comprehension questions for theories of health belief 27 • Part A exam question 28 • Part B exam question 29 • Evaluation sheet of health belief theories/studies 30 Introduction to Health Promotion 31 • Theories of Health Promotion • Chip pan fire prevention (Cowpe 1983) 32 • Legislation-Bicycle helmet laws and educational campaigns (Dannenberg et al. 1993) 34 • Effects of Fear arousal (Janis & Feshbeck 1953) 37 • Summary of the health...

Words: 32290 - Pages: 130

Premium Essay

Psychological Disorder Analysis

...be required to complete the diagnosis. Based on the information that is provided, it can be that the patient is suffering from major depression that is described in “ Faces of abnormal psychology integrative”(Kohn, 2007) website. The proper categorization can be Dysthymic Disorder, if Marla had experienced symptoms for more than years. The synopsis does not have this information about Marla. The condition that Marla can have can be evaluated better if there was additional information that was gathered that could allowed for a cause that can be disclosed. Then, a remedy could be designed to fit Marla’s symptoms. Within the clinical interview the therapist can be putting together a clinical picture with the purpose of reaching the proper diagnosis. The question that could ask during the interview: 1. How do you think therapy can do you as the mean of helping you? This can be answer that provide an insight on to what are the other symptoms that Marla may be experiencing that should be addressed. The American Psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) outlines the major depression as a condition that the patient has to experience at the minimum of five depression particular symptoms(Kohn,2007). Marla already described three of the five symptoms that she is experiencing. She has indicated that ...

Words: 1809 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Major Depression Hypothesis

...Major depression (MD) is a heterogeneous group of neuropsychiatric disease associated with significant morbidity, mortality and disability [1,2].. Recently, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), characterized MD by these symptoms depressed mood, diminished interest or pleasure, significant increase or decrease in weight or appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, pscychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, feeling of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt, inability to concentrate or indecisiveness, and suicidal thoughts. These symptoms reflect alternation in cognitive, psychomotor, biological, motivational, behavioral and emotional processes [1,2]. It is also affects the quality of daily life of community...

Words: 543 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Bipolar Disorder

...a very long time. The curiosity of the human being supporting it, further aids in discovering the secrets hidden behind the way a human being is. Biological rhythms or circadian rhythms also make up one of the hidden secrets for the functions of the human beings and scheduling of various tasks. The terms Circadian is derived from Latin word Circa, “around” or “about” and diem or dies “day” meaning literally “about a day” or “around a day”. This circadian rhythm is already built in the complex human body but is regulated by external factors known as “zeitgebers”. The primary or the most important zeitgebers is ‘light’ which helps human automatically start a particular process in one’s life and controls various cycles at regular intervals. This may include sleep/wake cycle, eating habits, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or bipolar disorder. Scientists have long been researching the effects of disturbance of circadian rhythms and its consequences on the life of a human being. This paper also considers the facts that have been established in this area to identify and discuss the process undergoing in a human being and its complexities with a particular reference to circadian rhythms and bipolar disorder, its causes and how shall it be handled to ease a human at such discomfort. Literature Review: Biological rhythms -By taking the two words and breaking them down into their separate meanings a...

Words: 1992 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Ptsd

...Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often associated with war veterans. These days, assuming symptoms of PTSD in soldiers returning from combat tours is almost stereotypical. In fact, in the 2012 American Psychological Association (APA) annual meeting, some argue to change PTSD to post-traumatic stress “injury” to be more accommodating to soldiers, and to resolve the issue of unreported PTSD-related symptoms within military ranks (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Military officials explained that many soldiers do not report their symptoms because of the fear of being viewed as weak (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, the incidence of PTSD can be as common among civilians as it is for those in the military. Barlow and Durand (2013) reported recent studies showing that those who are “raped, held captive, tortured, or kidnapped, or badly assaulted” are more at risk for developing PTSD than those who experienced military combat. While the reports conveying “zero” conditional risk of PTSD from exposure to military combat seem to need clarification, PTSD remains to be a debilitating condition for those who have the proclivity to develop the disorder. This paper will discuss the diagnostic criteria, etiology, effective treatment, and outcome research pertaining to PTSD. PTSD: A trauma and stressor-related disorder PTSD now belongs in the group of trauma and stressor-related disorders as published in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual...

Words: 2879 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Bipolar Disorder

...However, those people might begin to suspect a problem after they have lain in bed for days not wanting to do anything. These extreme feelings define bipolar disorder. The person is extremely happy or sad with no middle area. Even doctors have a difficult time diagnosing this disorder. The doctor must consider hereditary factors, biological influences, states of consciousness, and the person’s personality. All these factors play a part in the diagnoses and treatment of bipolar disorder. General Behavior Diagnosing bipolar people is difficult because of their general behavior. Bipolar people do show outward signs that a problem exist. However, most people have no idea what bipolar is, let alone the symptoms. Especially since the bipolar disorder has four stages or episodes. Each stage of this disorder can be dangerous. The manic part of the disorder has the person feeling good. They might do risky activities because they think they are invincible. The manic stage can make the person irritable or angry. During the depression episode they will feel very sad for a long period. They do not want to eat, get out of bed, or their normal activities. The depression stage can last for months, making this the most dangerous of the episodes. The hypomania episode is a miss leading stage for them. During this stage, they feel good and believe they are being productive. However, they can become manic or depressed with no warning. This stage does not get in the way of them functioning with family...

Words: 1600 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Depression Paper

...Depression Paper Nuewana Fultz 8/15/2015 PSY/270 Debbi Kutner University of Phoenix Unipolar and Bipolar There is often a confusion between Unipolar Depression and Bipolar Disorder Depression due to the fact they share the same symptoms of sadness, hopelessness, pessimism; anxiety and sleep problems; although Unipolar Depression and Bipolar Depression take very different directions. It is important that we are able to tell them apart and understand the differences in diagnosing and treating these disorders. Making an inaccurate diagnosis can result in making the disorder worse. There are two types of mood disorders: Unipolar Depression and Bipolar Disorder. It is believed both are genetic disorders and they share many of the same symptoms. These disorders differ in treatments, and some of the symptoms are also different. Both can be very severe and carry a risk of suicide.  Unipolar Depression Unipolar depression is a mood disorder that is categorized by depression without mania. Depression and mania are the opposite of each other; depression is a state of sadness that one is overcome by all of life’s challenges, whereas mania is when one is on a state of elation and has extravagant beliefs that the world is theirs. Unipolar can be brought on by many different types of circumstances one experiences chemically or in life’s...

Words: 2075 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

The Importance Of Stress

...to annotate the internal distribution of a force exerted on a material body which results in strain. In the 1920s and '30s, biological and psychological circles occasionally used the term to refer to a mental strain or to a harmful environmental agent that could cause illness used it in 1926 to refer to...

Words: 1397 - Pages: 6