Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia - 1940 Words

Describe and evaluate biological explanations of schizophrenia (24 marks) Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by distorted thinking, impaired emotional responses, poor interpersonal skills and a distortion of reality. It is the most common of psychotic disorders that, in most countries around the world, affects around 1 per cent of the population. In terms of explanations for the disorder, two central types of explanations arise – psychological explanations and biological explanations. Whereas psychological explanations tend to focus on cognitive, emotional and environmental factors that may cause the disorder, biological explanations tend to focus on genetic, biochemical and neuro-anatomical factors as the cause of the†¦show more content†¦As Joseph (2004) pointed out, however, this is not always the case. Monozygotic twins are more likely to be treated in a similar way, encounter more similar environments, and be to be thought of as ‘the twins’ rather than two separate individuals. This, in turn, can lead to à ¢â‚¬Ëœidentity confusion’ and so potentially a higher concordance rate amongst monozygotic twins. Therefore Joseph argues that the greater concordance rate seen in monozygotic twins than in dizygotic twins is a result of the differing attitudes and environments experienced by the two types of twins. Adoption studies have also been used to determine whether home environment or genetic disposition are more influential in the causation of schizophrenia, as usually in twin studies twins are both genetically related and experience the same environment. Kety (1994) found high rates of schizophrenia in individuals whose biological parents were schizophrenic but were adopted by psychologically healthy parents. The most methodologically sound of adoption studies, though, was carried out by Tienari et al (2000) in Finland. In the study 164 adoptees whose biological mothers were schizophrenic were compared to 197 adoptees whose mothers were psychologically healthy. It was found that 6.7 per cent of the experimental group (those with schizophrenic mothers) developedShow MoreRelatedThe Biological And Psychological Explanations Of Schizophrenia1405 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay I will try to explain schizophrenia and talk about the main biological and psychological explanations, also s howing how similar and different they are. Schizophrenia is defined in the oxford dictionary as a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behaviour, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mentalRead MoreA Comparison of Biological and Psychological Explanations of Schizophrenia531 Words   |  3 PagesA Comparison of Biological and Psychological Explanations of Schizophrenia Both the biological and the psychological explanations of schizophrenia are supported by empirical evidence which justify their explanations. However ,within the biological explanation there is the genetic explanation which is used largely based on scientific research such as that of Gottesman’s research using meta-analysis which looked at the family (including twin) relationships and concordanceRead MoreTwo Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia Essay487 Words   |  2 PagesTwo Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia There are many biological explanations of schizophrenia. In this essay I will concentrate on the genetic explanation and biochemical explanation of the disorder. There are many studies that look in to genetics and the link to schizophrenia. This is dues to an original finding that schizophrenia runs in families and therefore suggests that genes are responsible for the disorder. I study was preformed by Janicak et al 2001;Read MoreB) Evaluate the Biological Approach’s Explanation of Schizophrenia.1054 Words   |  5 PagesThe biological approach asserts that something in our biology is the fundamental cause of dysfunctional behaviour which could be a genetic cause or a malfunction of brain structures. Although it is seen as the most common explanation for schizophrenia due to the use of drug therapy, it would be deterministic and reductionist to explain schizophrenia only with the biological approach since there are other numerous factors such as the ones related to the cognitive explanation or other environmentalRead MoreCompare and Contrast Psychological and Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia2340 Words   |  10 PagesCompare and contrast psychological and biological explanations of schizophrenia. Jessica F Smith University Of Sussex Schizophrenia has been termed a heterogeneous group of disorders with varied etiologies (Walker, Kestler, Bollini, amp; Hochman, 2004) which includes biological, social, cognitive and psychodynamic perspectives. To progress knowledge of schizophrenia, this essay focuses on how the biological and psychological explanations are independent and interdependent and how they mayRead MoreCritically Consider Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia Essay1909 Words   |  8 PagesThe term ‘schizophrenia covers a group of serious psychotic disorders characterised by a loss of contact with reality. It comes from two Greek words: schiz meaning ‘split and phren meaning ‘mind. DSM IV (1994) estimate that the occurrence rate of schizophrenia ranges from 0.2%-2.0% worldwide. There are two main explanations of schizophrenia: the biological explanations and the psychological explanations. In this essay I will critically consider the biological explanations. These include geneticsRea d MoreOutline and Evaluate Two or More Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia.1443 Words   |  6 PagesThere are two main biological theories which explain the assumed causes of schizophrenia: Genetic and Dopamine Hypothesis. Research by Mikaywa et al has found that there must be a genetic explanation of schizophrenia due to the fact that concordance rates for environmental causes are not 100%. Also Mikaywa noticed that schizophrenia runs in the family, meaning there must be something other than environmental causes, causing the disorder. What Mikaywa studied was DNA from human families who wereRead MoreOutline and Evaluate One or More Biological Explanations to Schizophrenia1149 Words   |  5 Pagesand evaluate one or more biological explanations of schizophrenia (8 marks AO1/16 marks AO1) Schizophrenia is classified as a mental disorder that shows profound disruption of cognition and emotion which affects a person’s language, perception, thought and sense of self. The dopamine hypothesis states that schizophrenic’s neurones transmitting dopamine release the neurotransmitter too easily, leading to the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia. This hypothesis claimsRead MoreDescribe and evaluate one or more biological explanations of schizophrenia1827 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Describe and evaluate one or more biological explanations of schizophrenia Research has shown that schizophrenia is heredity and can runs  in families. This suggests that genes play a significant role. The  closer the genetic relationship the more likely the people are to  share the disorder. Evidence from family studies by Gottesman showed that when bothparent are schizophrenic then there is a 46% chance of  the child getting it, however, if  only one parent had it, it dropped to 17%. This suggestsRead MoreDescribe Two or More Psychological Explanations of Schizophrenia725 Words   |  3 PagesDescribe two or more psychological explanations of schizophrenia 8+16 marks A01 A02 Sociocultural AO2 Cognitive Introducing Biology The cognitive explanation acknowledges the role of biological factors in schizophrenia, suggesting that the basis of the condition is abnormal brain activity producing visual and auditory hallucinations. Further features of the disorder emerge as people try to make sense of the hallucinations. When schizophrenics first experience voices and other worrying sensory