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What is the biological cause of depression?
The biological factors that might have some effect on depression include: genes, hormones, and brain chemicals. Depression often runs in families, which suggests that individuals may inherit genes that make them vulnerable to developing depression. Research suggests that depression doesn’t spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events. The main subcortical limbic brain regions implicated in depression are the amygdala, hippocampus, and the dorsomedial thalamus. Both structural and functional abnormalities in these areas have been found in depression. Depression is characterized by a loss of plasticity—negative neuroplasticity; patients feel imprisoned in their own repetitive negative thoughts. It’s long been known that prolonged or excessive outpouring of stress hormones curbs the growth of nerve cells, particularly in the hippocampus, seat of memory and learning. Instead, they reciprocally influence one another. Thus, not only do cognitive and biological responses to stressful life events independently increase risk for depression, but also the bidirectional associations between them compound the consequences of either alone (Fig. 1). Biological factors include genetic influences, brain chemistry, hormone levels, nutrition, and gender.
What is the biological explanation of depression simply psychology?
Alternative explanation- biological explanation suggests depression is caused by a chemical imbalances-too much dopamine/ too little serotonin is thought to lead to depression. This theory is supported by the effective use of drug therapy (antidepressants) to treat depression. People with clinical depression often have increased levels of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), an enzyme that breaks down key neurotransmitters, resulting in very low levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. People with mood disorders often have imbalances in certain neurotransmitters, particularly norepinephrine and serotonin (Thase, 2009). These neurotransmitters are important regulators of the bodily functions that are disrupted in mood disorders, including appetite, sex drive, sleep, arousal, and mood. Biological factors include genetics, prenatal damage, infections, exposure to toxins, brain defects or injuries, and substance abuse. Many professionals believe that the cause of mental disorders is the biology of the brain and the nervous system.
How much of depression is biological?
Heritability is probably 40-50%, and might be higher for severe depression. This could mean that in most cases of depression, around 50% of the cause is genetic, and around 50% is unrelated to genes (psychological or physical factors). Genetics and family history Scientists believe that many mental disorders result from the complex interplay of multiple genes with diverse environmental factors. However, there is also a lot of research that shows that depression actively leads to a detrimental development of the frontal lobe, ultimately affecting your intelligence and lowering your IQ because you’re simply too depressed to think straight, or can’t complete certain cognitive tasks anymore. Depression creates a sensation of isolation as if you are lost in the wilderness with no direction. The final stage is acceptance, which means you have finally made peace with the reality of your mental illness. Depression may result from injury to the areas of the brain that control emotions. Changes in the levels of certain natural chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, can cause depression.
Does depression serve a biological purpose?
It has been hypothesized that depression is an evolutionary adaptation because it helps prevent infection in both the affected individual and his/her kin. First, the associated symptoms of depression, such as inactivity and lethargy, encourage the affected individual to rest. The predisposition to developing depression can be inherited. Other biological causes for depression can include physical illness, the process of ageing and gender. Stress can trigger depression but understanding its particular meaning to the person is important. Research suggests that some of the physical brain changes caused by depression can be reversed. A 2016 study showed that interventions, such as antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy, may help reduce inflammation caused by depression. Depression and mood disorders are characterized by structural as well as neurochemical alterations in the brain. However, these changes are not permanent, and can be blocked or reversed with behavioral and pharmacological treatments. The impact of biological factors seems to be more prominent in major depressive syndrome, where typical symptoms and signs such as decrease in weight, changes in libido, dysmenorrhea, and sleeping disorders cannot be explained on psychodynamic grounds alone. Biological factors: The brain has special chemicals, called neurotransmitters, that send messages back and forth to control the way a person feels. Serotonin and dopamine are two important neurotransmitters that, when disrupted, can cause feelings of anxiety and depression.
What are the biological explanations for depression ib psychology?
According to this hypothesis, the cause of depression is low levels of serotonin in the brain. Low levels of serotonin make it more difficult for signals to be passed from one neuron to the next, slowing down the flow of brain activity. A dopamine imbalance can cause depression symptoms, such as apathy and feelings of hopelessness, while a serotonin imbalance can affect the processing of emotions. Research by the National Institutes of Health shows that you lose gray matter volume (GMV) when you suffer from depression. This loss is caused by parts of your brain shrinking due to the hormone cortisol impeding the growth of your brain cells. The more serious depression a person suffers, the more GMV they lose. The amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are areas in the brain that are implicated in the stress response. Phan says high activity in the amygdala shows increased activity in brain scans. Increased and sustained reactivity in the amygdala is characteristic of depression and other mental health diagnosis. (1) Biologically based mental illness means schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoia and other psychotic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder, as these terms are defined in the most recent edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of …
Is depression a biologically based mental illness?
(1) Biologically based mental illness means schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoia and other psychotic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder, as these terms are defined in the most recent edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of … All mental processes are brain processes, and therefore all disorders of mental functioning are biological diseases, he says. The brain is the organ of the mind. Most mental disorders are thought to arise from a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors. Past studies have found evidence of shared genetic risk factors among different mental disorders. An example of the biological approach to psychology would be the fear response. The fear response gives way to fight, flight, or freeze behaviors. Which course of action an individual takes in the presence of a stressor relies on their biological make-up.
What is the biological explanation of mental illness?
The biological approach to psychopathology believes that disorders have an organic or physical cause. The focus of this approach is on genetics, neurotransmitters, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy etc. The approach argues that mental disorders are related to the physical structure and functioning of the brain. The biological approach believes behavior to be as a consequence of our genetics and physiology. It is the only approach in psychology that examines thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from a biological and thus physical point of view. Therefore, all that is psychological is first physiological. n. Anything which affects the function and behavior of a living organism. Internally, this factor can be a physical, physiological, chemical, neurological, or genetic condition which causes a psychological effect. Scientists have discovered the biological link between stress, anxiety and depression. By identifying the connecting mechanism in the brain, the researchers show exactly how stress and anxiety could lead to depression.