Discuss biological influences on abnormality

Introduction
1. Define abnormality
  1. Deviation from social norms
  2. Deviation from ideal mental health
  3. Failure to function adequatley
2. Define MDD
  1. Prevalence
    1. 15% of people at one time in their life(1988), most common in women, young adults, and those in lower socio-economic conditions
  2. Symptoms
    1. ABCS
      1. Affective: e.g. feelings of guilt
      2. Behavioural: e.g. passivity
      3. Cognitive: e.g. suicidal thoughts
      4. Somatic: e.g. hyper/insomnia
3. Define Bulimia
  1. Prevalence
    1. 2-3% women, 0.02-0,03% men in the US
  2. Symptoms
    1. Somatic: e.g. swollen salivary glands
    2. Cognitive: e.g. poor body image
    3. Behavioural: e.g.recurrent episodes of binge eating/purging
    4. Affective: e.g. guilt or shame
Biological etiologies of MDD as an example of abnormality
1. Bio-Chemistry
  1. Combination
    1. Faulty gene coding for 5-HTT
    2. Faulty MAOA gene
      1. Monoamine oxidase
      2. Both play roles in the metabolism of serotonin. If too much is removed, it can lead to low moods
  2. Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters and hormones
    1. Cortisol
      1. Major hormone in the stress system
        RESEARCH: meta-analysis to see cortisols influence on MDD. Results showed a difference in reactivity to stress between depressed and non-depressed people: when non-depressed people are put under stress, cortisol levels rise and fall rapidly but depressed people have a more blunt reaction and remain under stress for longer
    2. Serotonin
      1. Burns (2003) cannot ever find definitive evidence as you can never measure the levels of neurotransmitter activity in a living brain
      2. Linked to happy moods, low levels linked to MDD
      3. Link to successful treatment-SSRIs
2. Genetics
  2. Twin studies
    1. Monozygotic (Mz) twins develop from the same egg, and share 100% of the same DNA
    2. Dizygotic (Dz) twins develop from two eggs and share only 50% of the same DNA
    3. Concordance rate (CR): The rate of which if one twin has the illness, the other does.
    4. RESEARCH: Meta-analysis of 7 twin studies that investigate the influence of genetic on MDD. CR Mz twins=65% Dz twins = 36%
      1. Meta-analysis = reliable
      2. If it was fully genetic, then the concordance rate would be 100%, there must be other factors influencing abnormality
3. REDUCTIONIST
4. Cause and effect: We are unsure if these symptoms (e.g. low serotonin levels) are a cause of MDD or just an effect of MDD
Biological etiologies of bulimia as an example of abnormality
1. Genetics
  1. Twin studies
    1. Kendler et al. 1991. 2000 female twins. CR in Mz twins: 23% and Dz twins: 9%
  2. Relatives
    1. Strober 2000, females with first degree relatives with bulimia are 10 times more likely to develop the abnormality
      1. This could show the influence of genetics, but it could also be a result of the females environment. SLT as the first degree relative could be a role model.
2. Bio-chemistry
  1. Abnormal levels of neurotransmitter
    1. Serotonin
      1. High levels of serotonin stimulate the hypothalamus and decrease food intake
      2. Carraso, 2000, there are lower level of serotonin in bulimic patients
    2. Nitric Oxide
      1. Regulates how much food we intake, therefore controls eating behaviour
      2. Vannacci et al. Of 62 female participants, the plasma nitrate and cgnp were higher in bulimia and was linked to binge eating.
Conclusion
1. Looking only at biological influences is too reductionist. It is important too look at different ideas that intergrate cognitive and sociocultural psychology.
  1. Bio-social approach
    1. Diathesis stress model
      1. Furnald and Gunnar studied mexican families in lower socio-economic conditions
        Genetics
        Environment
        Bio-chemistry

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Discuss biological influences on abnormality

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	Created by mollywilding33 over 10 years ago