Table of Contents
What are the biological explanations of schizophrenia?
The Dopamine Hypothesis was proposed by Arvid Carlsson and suggests that schizophrenia is caused by too much dopamine – or too many dopamine receptors – in key areas of the brain. Dopamine systems in the mesolimbic pathway may contribute to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia (such as hallucinations).
What are the three explanations for schizophrenia?
Of the three theories (genetic, neurodevelopmental, and neurobiological theories), which theory is the right answer regarding the etiology of schizophrenia may be difficult, because each theory may emphasize a different aspect of the disease.
What theory makes up the foundation of the biological explanation of schizophrenia?
Mixed evidence for the dopamine hypothesis-Dopamine agonists increase the levels of dopamine and make schizophrenia worse and can produce schizophrenia-like symptoms in non-sufferers. Antipsychotic drugs reduce dopamine activity. These suggest an important role of dopamine in schizophrenia .
How do psychological and biological explanations of schizophrenia differ?
Nevertheless, the biological explanation is highly scientific whereas the psychological approach has little scientific elements. This may indicate that the biological reason for the disorder is more trustworthy as our ability to observe genes, brain structure and dopamine levels provides strong supporting evidence.
What is the biological explanation of psychosis?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is central to psychosis. Although other neurotransmitter systems do play a role in psychoses, dopamine is associated with the primary perceptual aberrations, delusions, and negative symptoms, while for instance, serotonin is associated with depression in psychosis.
What are the weaknesses of biological explanations of schizophrenia?
However, key weaknesses of the biological approach is that neuro-imaging scans have failed to show any reliable evidence of altered dopamine activity in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia, suggesting that biological explanations of schizophrenia may have very limited evidence to support them.
What are the biological therapies for schizophrenia?
The most common form of biological therapy for schizophrenia is drug therapy, which involves the use of antipsychotic medications to reduce symptoms. → How do antipsychotic medications work? Antipsychotic medications work by blocking or reducing the activity of dopamine in the brain.
Is schizophrenia biologically based?
Research suggests that both genes and environmental factors are involved in developing schizophrenia. While 1 out of every 100 people has schizophrenia, having a biological relative with schizophrenia increases a person’s risk of developing this disorder.
What is both a biological and an environmental explanation for schizophrenia spectrum disorder?
Genetic factors of schizophrenia include genetic mutations or having a relative with schizophrenia. Environmental causes of schizophrenia can include changes in neurotransmitter connections related to drug use, stress, bullying, and socioeconomic issues.
What are two biological differences observed in the brains of patients with schizophrenia?
Researchers found that people with schizophrenia have thinner cortexes and show the largest differences in the frontal and temporal lobes. The frontal lobe is the largest of the brain’s four regions in the cerebral cortex (the outer layer of the brain).
What are the criticisms of the biological theory of schizophrenia?
The biological theory of schizophrenia can be criticised for focusing too much on the role of nature; namely biological abnormalities such as high levels of dopamine and brain dysfunctions.
Which theory psychological model best explains schizophrenia?
A theoretical analysis of schizophrenia based on a cognitive model integrates the complex interaction of predisposing neurobiological, environmental, cognitive, and behavioral factors with the diverse symptomatology.
What theory works best for schizophrenia?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective for a broad range of psychological conditions, including anxiety disorders, relationship problems, drug or alcohol abuse, eating disorders, and mental health conditions like schizophrenia.