To what extent do biological, cognitive and socio-cultural factors influence abnormal behavior?
The etiology of the affective disorder depression will be analyzed in terms of biological factors.
There are many studies that support the idea that genetics are a possible contributor to the formation of genetics. Harrington et al conducted a study in 1999 that suggested a greater chance of depression if either your parent or sibling has had it; on average 20% of first-degree relatives of those diagnosed with depression were sufferers, in comparison to the 10% of the normal population. Though an issue with this study is that it is purely observational, and there are many variables that could have impacted the likelihood of depression rather than …show more content…
Studies have found that some depressed people have elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is one of the hormones released by the adrenal glands during stress and this could be the reason why stressful events can trigger depression, this is supported by the effectiveness of a drug called dexamethasone that temporarily slows down the secretion of cortisol. Furthermore serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is often found at a lower level in the brain of depressives. It is often the case that raised levels of cortisol lead to lowered levels of serotonin so the depression may be a cause of an interaction between the two. Evidence for a lowered level of serotonin causing depression comes from the effectiveness of anti depressant drugs such as Prozac, which increases serotonin activity whilst reducing the depressive symptoms. However the anti-depressants tend to take a few weeks before they start to take effect on the mood of the patients even though the serotonin levels immediately rise after the drug is taken, therefore low levels of neurotransmitters cannot be the simple explanation of depression, this is also supported by the fact that not everyone who is depressed is helped by drugs which raise serotonin levels, whilst other depressed people have completely normal levels of serotonin and similarly not all people with low serotonin levels suffer from depression. Further evidence comes from the use of a drug to treat high blood pressure called reserpine; this reduces serotonin levels and can lead to depression in some, but not all, patients. So it may be a mistake to say that serotonin causes depression, rather that it plays a contributory role. Furthermore there is evidence to suggest that female hormones, such as oestrogen and progesterone may also be a factor in depression, females are more likely to become depressed when these rise and fall dramatically, for instance after
The etiology of the affective disorder depression will be analyzed in terms of biological factors.
There are many studies that support the idea that genetics are a possible contributor to the formation of genetics. Harrington et al conducted a study in 1999 that suggested a greater chance of depression if either your parent or sibling has had it; on average 20% of first-degree relatives of those diagnosed with depression were sufferers, in comparison to the 10% of the normal population. Though an issue with this study is that it is purely observational, and there are many variables that could have impacted the likelihood of depression rather than …show more content…
Studies have found that some depressed people have elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is one of the hormones released by the adrenal glands during stress and this could be the reason why stressful events can trigger depression, this is supported by the effectiveness of a drug called dexamethasone that temporarily slows down the secretion of cortisol. Furthermore serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is often found at a lower level in the brain of depressives. It is often the case that raised levels of cortisol lead to lowered levels of serotonin so the depression may be a cause of an interaction between the two. Evidence for a lowered level of serotonin causing depression comes from the effectiveness of anti depressant drugs such as Prozac, which increases serotonin activity whilst reducing the depressive symptoms. However the anti-depressants tend to take a few weeks before they start to take effect on the mood of the patients even though the serotonin levels immediately rise after the drug is taken, therefore low levels of neurotransmitters cannot be the simple explanation of depression, this is also supported by the fact that not everyone who is depressed is helped by drugs which raise serotonin levels, whilst other depressed people have completely normal levels of serotonin and similarly not all people with low serotonin levels suffer from depression. Further evidence comes from the use of a drug to treat high blood pressure called reserpine; this reduces serotonin levels and can lead to depression in some, but not all, patients. So it may be a mistake to say that serotonin causes depression, rather that it plays a contributory role. Furthermore there is evidence to suggest that female hormones, such as oestrogen and progesterone may also be a factor in depression, females are more likely to become depressed when these rise and fall dramatically, for instance after