Table of Contents
What are biological explanations 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. The monoamine-deficiency theory posits that the underlying pathophysiological basis of depression is a depletion of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine in the central nervous system. Serotonin is the most extensively studied neurotransmitter in depression. 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. 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.
What are the causes biological and psychological root of 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. 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. 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). Elevated or depleted levels of certain hormones may be responsible for some of the symptoms seen in psychological disorders. For example, elevated levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, interfere with learning and memory as well as increase the risk of depression. The etiology of Major depressive disorder is believed to be multifactorial, including biological, genetic, environmental, and psychosocial factors. MDD was earlier considered to be mainly due to abnormalities in neurotransmitters, especially serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
What are the biological features of depression?
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. The genes thought to be associated with depression have diverse functions in the brain. Some of these genes may control the production (synthesis), transport, and activity of chemicals called neurotransmitters , which relay chemical signals that allow nerve cells (neurons) to communicate with one another. Biological factors include genetic influences, brain chemistry, hormone levels, nutrition, and gender. 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. Serotonin. Serotonin is another hormone that affects mood, appetite and sleep. It is also a neurotransmitter, which means that it transmits messages between nerve cells. Fewer hours of sunlight means that less serotonin is produced. If you have SAD, your serotonin levels may be lower than average during the winter. A drop in hormones can lead to a reduced level of serotonin, which can result in increased levels of sadness, anxiety, and irritability. A drop in testosterone levels may also affect mood and may cause: depression.
What is the biological approach to depression psychology?
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. 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. Persistent depressive disorder is a continuous, long-term form of depression. You may feel sad and empty, lose interest in daily activities and have trouble getting things done. You may also have low self-esteem, feel like a failure and feel hopeless. 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.
How much of depression is biological?
The depression gene Scientists believe that as many as 40 percent of those with depression can trace it to a genetic link. Environmental and other factors may make up the other 60 percent. 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. 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. The neurobiology of depression features dichotomous alterations in corticolimbic brain regions. For example, the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus exhibit neuronal atrophy and synaptic dysfunction, whereas the nucleus accumbens and amygdala exhibit neuronal hypertrophy and increased synaptic activity. What Biological Factors Are Involved in Mental Illness? Some mental illnesses have been linked to abnormal functioning of nerve cell circuits or pathways that connect particular brain regions. Nerve cells within these brain circuits communicate through chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Is depression biological or cognitive?
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). Major depressive disorder is caused by the cumulative impact of genetics, adverse events in childhood and ongoing or recent stress. Gene–environment interactions seem to predict a person’s risk for major depressive disorder better than genes or environment alone. 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 researchers said depression can shorten both men and women’s lifespan by 10 years or more. When it comes to happiness, in particular, the primary signaling chemicals include: Serotonin. Dopamine. Endorphins. (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 … 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. 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. The fields of behavioural neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, and neuropsychology are all subfields of biological psychology. The biomedical model assumes that depression originates from a physiological abnormality within the brain and there is no significant dissimilarity between mental and physical diseases (Andreasen, 1985).