Main Physical Causes in the Biological Approach

The biological approach identifies four main physical causes that influence human behavior and mental health:

1. Genetics
2. Biochemicals (hormones and neurotransmitters)
3. Neuroanatomy (brain damage and structure of the brain)
4. Infections

Highlight: These factors are central to understanding the biological basis of human behaviour and are often explored in biological approach A level Psychology courses.

Example: The biological approach would explain depression as potentially resulting from a genetic predisposition, an imbalance in neurotransmitters like serotonin, or changes in brain structure.

Biochemicals: Neurotransmitters and Hormones

Biochemicals play a crucial role in the biological approach to understanding behavior and mental health. This category includes neurotransmitters and hormones.

Neurotransmitters:

• Carry signals to the brain through the nervous system
• Work faster than hormones
• Imbalances can impact behavior, emotions, and cause mental illnesses

Example: Serotonin carries relaxed messages to the brain and has a calming effect. Too little serotonin can contribute to depression.

Example: Dopamine carries fast messages to the brain. Too much dopamine has been linked to schizophrenia, while too little can cause concentration issues, poor memory, and slow movements or speech.

Hormones:

• Carry messages through the bloodstream
• Work slower than neurotransmitters

Highlight: Understanding the role of biochemicals is crucial in biological approach psychology evaluation and informs many treatments for mental health disorders.

Genetics in the Biological Approach

The biological approach emphasizes the role of genetics in shaping behavior and predisposing individuals to certain mental health conditions. Researchers in this field aim to identify specific genes associated with particular mental illnesses.

Example: Children of individuals who struggle with addiction are more likely to develop addiction themselves, suggesting a genetic component to addictive behaviors.

Twin studies are a key research method in genetic studies:

• Monozygotic twins: Identical twins from a single egg
• Dizygotic twins: Non-identical twins from two separate eggs

These studies aim to find the concordance rate, which indicates whether both twins have the same mental illnesses.

Highlight: Genetic research is fundamental to understanding biological factors affecting human behavior and forms a significant part of biological approach psychology studies.

Neuroanatomy and Its Role in Behavior

Neuroanatomy focuses on the structure of the brain and how it relates to our behavior. This aspect of the biological approach examines how brain damage or structural differences can lead to mental illnesses or abnormal behaviors.

Example: Overactivity in certain parts of the brain has been linked to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Research methods in neuroanatomy include:

• Post-mortem studies: Examining the brains of deceased individuals with mental health conditions
• Brain scans: Imaging techniques to observe brain structure and activity in living individuals

Highlight: A brain scan of someone with schizophrenia might show areas of damage, highlighted in red, providing insight into the biological causes of abnormal behaviour.

Infections and Mental Health

The biological approach also considers the role of infections in mental health outcomes. Certain infections have been linked to the development of mental illnesses.

Example: Before the advent of antibiotics, syphilis was known to cause psychosis in some individuals.

Example: Pregnant women who contract the flu have a higher likelihood of their children developing schizophrenia later in life.

This aspect of the biological approach highlights the complex interplay between environmental factors (infections) and biological outcomes (mental health conditions).

Highlight: Understanding the link between infections and mental health is crucial for comprehending the full spectrum of biological factors that influence human behaviour.

Biological Treatments: Drugs

The biological approach informs various treatments for mental health disorders, including pharmacological interventions. Common types of drugs used in treating mental health conditions include:

1. Antidepressants: Increase serotonin supply to the brain
2. Antipsychotics: Reduce the amount of dopamine in the brain
3. Anti-anxiety medications: Increase GABA, which has a calming effect

Evaluation of drug treatments: Advantages:

• Quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive
• Often effective in managing symptoms

Disadvantages:

• Can have side effects
• Patients may develop tolerance, reducing effectiveness over time
• While they help manage symptoms, they don't permanently resolve underlying issues

Highlight: Drug treatments are a key example of biological approach applications in mental health care.

Biological Treatments: ECT and Surgery

In addition to drug treatments, the biological approach also informs other interventions for severe mental health conditions.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT):

• Involves placing electrodes on either side of the patient's forehead
• An electrical current is passed through the brain, altering neurotransmitter levels
• Evaluation: While effective for some conditions, it can be unpleasant for the patient and time-consuming

Surgery:

• Involves procedures on the frontal lobe of the brain to address abnormalities
• Used in severe cases where other treatments have been ineffective

Highlight: These more invasive treatments demonstrate the range of interventions informed by the biological approach to mental health.

Evaluation of the Biological Approach

The biological approach to understanding human behavior and mental health has several strengths and limitations.

Strengths:

1. Removes blame from individuals suffering from mental illness
2. Highly scientific and repeatable, lending reliability to findings
3. Decreases stigma around abnormal behaviors
4. Explains individual differences in behavior and mental health

Limitations:

1. Can be deterministic, potentially ignoring the role of free will
2. May overlook external factors contributing to mental illness or abnormal behavior, such as environment, trauma, or media influences

Highlight: This evaluation is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the biological approach psychology evaluation and its place within the broader field of psychology.

Evaluation of the Biological Approach

This section provides a comprehensive evaluation of the biological approach psychology evaluation.

Highlight: Strengths include:

• Removes blame from mental illness sufferers
• Provides scientific reliability
• Reduces stigma around abnormal behaviors

Example: The approach's deterministic nature may overlook environmental factors and free will.

The Biological Approach: Introduction

The biological approach to mental health is a fundamental perspective in psychology that attributes all human behavior, including abnormal behavior and mental illnesses, to physical and biological causes. This approach is primarily used by psychiatrists to explain mental health conditions and focuses on how biological factors can impact our behavior.

Definition: The biological approach in psychology posits that all human behavior has a physical biological cause, including abnormal behavior and mental illnesses.

Highlight: This approach is crucial for understanding how the biological approach explains human behaviour and forms the basis for many biological approach psychology studies.