Recent studies have shown that within first-degree relatives “probands with mood disorders is consistently about 2 to 3 times greater than in relatives of controls who don’t have a mood disorders. (Barlow & Durand, 2015, pg. 235)” Additional studies have reflected that women characteristically have higher rates of depressive disorders. Though Marie was not around her mother for very long and she never knew her father was, not to have the historic genetic background of her family places a limit upon determining an adequate explanation of how her disorder came to be.…
In a study conducted by Kaminsky, Zachary, et al. the purpose was to determine if microarray-based epigenetic profiling done on a set of monozygotic twins could reliably detect any differences in DNA methylation. They also used several different psychometric tests to determine any major psychological differences between the set of twins and gathered a detail history from each twin to determine if links could be made from the differing aspects of their lives to the detected epigenetic differences. Each twin was given The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI; Wechsler, 1999), The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-II; Hathaway, 1989), and The Toronto Gambling task (Floden & Stuss, 2004) to determine any differences in IQ, personality, psychopathology, and the amount or impulsiveness and risk-taking propensity, respectively. Each twin was also given zygosity testing to confirm that they were in fact monozygotic twins.…
Nowadays, it has become evident that society and what is referred to as social determinants of health affect an individual quality of life and heath. When it comes to the case study Jose and Jorge-Identical Twins without Identical Lives, one would think that because they are twins, their outcomes in life would be the same. However, since both of them lived in different areas, they were affected differently by society. The case study Jose and Jorge-Identical Twins without Identical Lives describes perfectly how social determinants impact on one’s life can be radical. In this case, two individuals born similar, find themselves living completely different lives with one living in a slum and the other in a good community.…
A plethora of internal and external variables combine to create individual personalities, behaviors and psychopathologies supposedly unique to every human being. The argument of genetic makeup versus environmental influences, however, has researchers working to determine what really shapes us. Some say genotypes control how people think, feel and behave. Others believe it is the environment alone that is responsible for molding humans into who they are. There is much unknown in this field, but the perusal and review of twin, adoption,and family studies is a significant stepping stone in better understanding this topic.…
The risk is highest for an identical twin of a person with schizophrenia. He or she has a 40 to 65 percent chance of developing the disorder.” This illuminates the significance genetics play in the brain. If someone is more genetically inclined to be lonely or develop antisocial personality…
While depression can occur in people with no family history, it is also believed that is a product of life experiences, as well as genetics. In referencing the article “The Epigenetics of Depression”, written by biotechnologist Adam Alonzi, MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) affects up to 17% of the world's population. MDD, as defined by Mayo Clinic is a chronic, remitting syndrome involving widely distributed circuits in the brain. Heritability of MDD is between 31 and 42%.…
“Number of Stressful Life Events Versus Probability of Major Depressive Episode. Results demonstrate the association between the number of stressful life events (between ages 21 and 26 years) and probability of a major depressive episode at age 26 as a function of 5-HTT genotype. Life events predicted a diagnosis of major depression among carriers of the s allele (ss or sl), but not among carriers of two l alleles (ll) (Butcher, 2013). To sum things up, because of Amy’s age and depending on Amy’s genetic has ss, sl or 1,11 genotype the life event that happened to Amy could or could not have cause her to have major depression…
“Genetic Dilemmas and the Child’s Right to an Open Future,” by Dena Davis Thesis 1: Whether deafness is viewed as a disability, which narrows a child’s future options, or a culture, which narrows the child’s option to not be associated with that culture or participate fully in mainstream culture, purposefully having a child who is deaf is a moral harm to the child. Allowing an adult to make a decision for a child before they are born to place her in the Deaf culture or otherwise limit her future career options is morally wrong and is not a goal that should be assisted by genetic counsellors. Premise 1: If a deaf couple wishes to have a child that is also deaf the counselor has the right to reject their request because purposefully…
Furthermore, after Dr. Arthur was done talking to me, he asked me to call the first patient, and they were two newborn babies “Identical twins”. He started with his daily routine to check parts of the babies’ bodies to make sure they were fine. Firstly, he checked the circumference of the babies’ head and as he was measuring the circumference of the babies’ head, he told me it is really significant to know the circumference of the baby. As time goes on you correlate the data you gathered to know if the circumference of the baby is growing or not. If not it might be a sign of danger or a sign of premature brain.…
From a health perspective, nutritional support is very important for conjoined twins when it comes to survival, or in terms of treatment. What may happen if this is delayed is that they could catch infections and or feel a pain in the area the operation was done. Parents need to plan how their twins will be taken care of. They need to seek medical attention when anything too serious happens. Before that, they need to at least see their local doctor for any medical advice or assistance about any health related topics; regardless of whether it is sleeping habits or food.…
The concept of “blending” as championed by such scholars as Aristotle and Hippocrates states that any trait that an offspring receives is the average of both of its parents. This concept was widely believed until Mendel’s experiments. Incomplete dominance occurs when the heterozygous phenotype is an intermediate between both of the homozygous genotypes. This concept is demonstrated best through the inheritance of petal color in a snapdragon. In a heterozygote the phenotype would be pink, a mix between the homozygous genotypes of red and white.…
Being a twin is a unique experience that can have a variety of effects on the lives of the twin pair. However, being a twin does come with challenges, especially in personality differentiation and identity formation for each child. There are many topics relating to the development of personality and sociality within the realms of Psychological Development. The purpose of this essay is to discern that relationship and whether or not evidence may be found to prove that twins have different of developing psychology. This paper is also being written to examine the characteristics of a twin relationship in accordance to developmental psychology.…
The notion that there are genetic causes of speech, hearing, and voice disorders is relatively new, and studies in this field are beguiling to emerge as time passes. The article Exploring genetic and environmental effects in dysphonia: a twin study attempts to "explore the existence of genetic effects as well as the interaction between potential genetic effects and a voice-demanding occupation on dysphonia.” As a scientific study, the article first provides evidence that the research can be based on. Next, the methods section provides important information regarding the participants studied, assessments, treatments, and experimental manipulations conducted on the participants.…
However, mental illness is both biologically inherited and environmentally influenced due to the wide range of illnesses and the specific factors which cause the onset of each one. Nature vs. nurture and its relation to mental disorders immeasurably grasped my attention. As a child, my mother was diagnosed with bipolar depression. I am aware that bipolar depression is due to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. What I never knew was if just because my mom has it, will I have it too?…
A commonly held assumption is that children are bound to be very similar to their parents. While there is some truth in this, scientific research shows that genetic considerations do not entirely determine outcomes for individual development. From week 4 all the way to week 6 we have been reading different articles in regards to the different levels of contributions and influences that nature and nurturing have on individual development. Comprehensive clinical studies show that adverse conditions in early life can severely impact the developing brain and increase vulnerability to mood disorders later in life" (Murgatroyd, & Spengler, 2011).…