The biological approach assumes that all behaviour, including mental illnesses, has physiological causes in the same way that physical illnesses have physical causes. Abnormal behaviour may be caused because the brain is damaged or because the brain is not functioning properly. The biological approach assumes that mental illnesses can be caused by chemical imbalance in the brain or by genetic disorders. The biological approach assumes that psychological illnesses, just like physical illnesses, have recognisable symptoms that can be categorised. Finally, the biological approach assumes that mental illness can be treated medically. One type of therapy is Psychosurgery. This is an invasive medical treatment that involves the deliberate destruction of tiny amounts of brain tissue in order to treat mental illnesses such as clinical depression. The aim of psychosurgery is to interrupt the brain …show more content…
This is done by making tiny lesions in the brain tissue to destroy some of the nerve cells. It is thought that other areas of the brain take over the function of the destroyed tissue. There are issues involving undesirable side-effects such as damage to the short-term memory and to the patient’s personality. However, modern techniques ensure such damage is very limited and usually short-term. However, since psychosurgery involves the destruction of brain tissue, the results of surgery cannot be reversed as the brain cannot repair or heal itself. One strength of the biological approach is that it is deterministic. This is a strength because it increases the likelihood of being able to treat people with abnormal behavior and provides explanations about the causes of behavior. This understanding can then be used to improve people's lives. However one limitation of the biological approach is most of the therapy only treat the symptoms of mental illness but not resolve the underlying cause. Symptoms may recur when treatment stops, and many patient have to be re-admitted to
The early history of mental illness is bleak. The belief that anyone with a mental illness was possessed by a demon or the family was being given a spiritual was the reason behind the horrific treatment of those with mental illness. These individuals were placed into institutions that were unhygienic and typically were kept in dark, cave like rooms away from people in the outside world. The institutions were not only dark and gross; they also used inhumane forms of treatment on their patients. Kimberly Leupo, discusses some of the practices that were used, these included may types of electro shocks, submitting patients to ice bath, as well as many other horrific events (Leupo). Lobotomies, which are surgical procedures that cut and scrape different connections in the brain, were very common practice. They were thought to help cure mental illness, but often ended up with more damage than good.
Scientists are on the brink of doing the unthinkable-replenishing the brains of people who have suffered strokes or head injuries to make them whole again. If that is not astonishing enough, they think they may be able to reverse paralysis. The door is at last open to lifting the terrifying sentence these disorders still decree-loss of physical function, cognitive skills, memory, and personality.
As science has evolved, so have treatments for mental illnesses have over time. The medical model is described as the view that psychological disorders are medical diseases with a biological origin (King, 2010, pg. 413). Abnormal behavior that categorizes some disorders can be impacted by biological factors such as genes, psychological factors such as childhood experiences, and even sociocultural factors such as gender and race (King, 2010). Treatments such as psychosurgery (lobotomy) , drug therapy (pharmaceuticals), electroconclusive therapy, and psychoanalysis are used to treat a wide range of psychological disorders. Back then, the public’s negative views on mental illnesses also went as far to associate with the people who treated it; psychiatrists. “Nunnally (1961) found that the public evaluated professionals who treated mental disorders significantly more negatively than those who treat physical disorders,” (Phelan, Link, Stueve, & Pescosolido, 2000, pg. 189). People back then didn’t see the point in “paying to be told that they were crazy”. However, in today’s society, it is now acceptable to seek help from psychiatric professionals; we are seeing more and more people seek mental health treatment. “In terms of facility-based records of utilization (Manderscheid and Henderson 1998), the data suggest that the rate of utilization of professional mental health services has at least doubled and maybe tripled, between the 1950’s and today,” (Phelan, Link, Stueve, & Pescosolido, 2000, pg. 189). In the 1950’s, neuroleptic drugs like Thorazine were introduced to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia. These drugs block a neurotransmitter called dopamine from getting to the brain, which in turn reduce schizophrenic symptoms, however there are some side effects such as substantial twitching of the neck, arms, and legs, and even dysphoria or lack of pleasure. (King, 2010, pg.
Sabbatini, Renato M.E. “The History of Psychosurgery” June/August 1997. Brain & Mind Magazine. 14 Jun.1997. State University of Campinus, Brazil. 6 Oct. 2002
In the movie, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest," Mcmurphy, the main character, undergoes a frontal lobotomy ("cutting of the lobes") to treat his ‘mental illness,’ after several rounds of ECT were unsuccessful in crushing his spirit. In the final scenes of the movie we see from his disposition that he has been reduced from an animated, hyperactive state to a vegetative state. McMurphy’s friend, Chief, tries to talk him, but he stares straight ahead and does not respond. The movie takes place in an insane asylum in the 1950’s, the height of the lobotomy craze in the United States. Between 1939 and 1950, nearly 20,000 documented lobotomies were performed, and thousands more in other countries (1). At first the procedure was used in lieu of Electronic Shock Therapy, for rowdy patients who did not respond well to ECT. The lobotomy was applied as a ‘"fix-all" solution for people with all kinds of major or minor mental disorders. Of course, such an invasive procedure is meant to be used only as a last resort in severe cases of debilitating illness. Many doctors, looking for a quick fix for their patients, used the procedure in cases of "undesirable behavior." Unfortunately, such a broad criterion meant that anything from Schizophrenia to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), to unruly behavior in general could be treated by lobotomy. In Japan many of the people lobotomized were just children who did not behave well or who performed poorly in school.
The National Institute of Mental Health defines mental illness as a disruption in neural circuits. Mental illness is a social phenomenon which has been around since the prehistoric times. It is unequally distributed across social, ethnic and gender groups in the UK. The explanations for these differences rest upon biological, economic, cultural and institutional factors. Despite these, many medical advancements have made to treat mental illnesses. Looking at the history of mental illness, it was a widespread belief that mental illness is caused by spiritual or religious reasons, and rituals were used as the means to treat the individuals similar to today. So what is mental illness? The term itself covers broad of emotional and psychological
The treatment involved passing electrical currents through the brain which would trigger a small seizure and ease the symptoms of certain mental illnesses, however the procedure was used without anesthesia and caused the patient to jerk uncontrollably, this treatment would sometimes result in fractures, memory loss, and other side effects. The treatment is still used today, although with much weaker currents and anesthesia. Another popular treatment used in the asylums was the injection of insulin into a patient to induce a coma. This treatment was thought to reset an individual’s brain and bring them back to “normal”, however, insulin coma therapy proved to be not very effective and was phased out in the 1960s. One of the most inhumane treatments for the mentally ill was the lobotomy, or the prefrontal leucotomy. This surgical procedure involved opening a hole in the head to sever nerve pathways in the prefrontal cortex. The lobotomy was performed at least 15,000 times in Britain before being phased out in the late 1950s. Another type of brain surgery discussed in the film, was one done on patient, Maggi Chapman, who underwent a surgery in which an electrode was attached to a part of her brain and then turned on to fry that part of the brain. Maggi goes on to describe how the next few years she felt like a zombie and had a difficult time going through life (BBC,
The Strengths and Limitations of the Biological Model of Abnormality This model uses physical illness as a model for psychological disorder, suggesting that like physical illness, mental illness has an underlying bodily cause. It proposes that genetic, organic or chemical disorders cause metal illnesses which give rise to behavioural and psychological problems. Thus, abnormality has physical causes such as brain dysfunction (neurological), biochemical imbalances, infections or genetics and so can only be cured through medical treatments. Therefore it implies that abnormality results from properly functioning physiology, a properly functioning nervous system and no genetic predispositions to inherit mental disorders.
One of the most controversial forms of treatment is electroconvulsive therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy, or ETC, is a procedure that consists of strong electric shocks that pass through the brain to induce convulsions (Vocabulary). This was a common method solve mental illnesses in the 1940’s and 1950’s. ECT was often criticized for not working and causing permanent memory loss (Mental Health America). Another dangerous and controversial diagnosis is Lobotomy. Lobotomy is a surgical procedure that interrupts the nerves in the brain (Vocabulary). It was very popular before prescription drugs and was also a common diagnosis of mental illnesses (Vocabulary.) The side effects include, but are not limited Mto; personality changes, empathy, inhibitions, inative, and the ability to function by themselves (Live Science.com). There was over 50,000 known lobotomies performed in the U.S., most were in mental hospitals (Live Science.com). Dr. Barron Lerner, a medical historian and professor at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, told Live Science the science or thought process of lobotomy (Live Science.com). "The behaviors [doctors] were trying to fix, they thought, were set down in neurological connections. The idea was, if you could damage those connections, you could stop the bad behaviors (Live Science.com)." That’s why lobotomy
The bio-psycho-social-spiritual model is very important in the world of Psychopathology. Psychopathology refers to a dysfunction in the mind of an individual (Abercrombie, 2013). The bio-psycho-social-spiritual model covers all the different areas that could factor into a mental disorder. The causes can be any combination of biological, psychological, social, or spiritual factors. The mind is a very complex thing that we, as humans, cannot even begin to comprehend. Often in class, we find ourselves talking about the “fine line”. This line is referring to the very small difference between what society considers “normal” and “not normal”. One quote I like that shows why it is hard to figure out the difference says, “The concept of physical illness
As the human body goes through different experiences, the brain grows, develops, and changes according to the environmental situations it has been exposed to. Some of these factors include drugs, stress, hormones, diets, and sensory stimuli. [1] Neuroplasticity can be defined as the ability of the nervous system to respond to natural and abnormal stimuli experienced by the human body. The nervous system then reorganizes the brain’s structure and changes some of its function to theoretically repair itself by forming new neurons. [2] Neuroplasticity can occur during and in response to many different situations that occur throughout life. Some examples of these situations are learning, diseases, and going through therapy after an injury.
mental problems. Psychodynamic is a form of therapy. This type of treatment is used to
To conclude, throughout history many models have been developed in order to explain and treat mental illness. The behavioral, psychoanalytic and humanistic model regard mental illness differently; however, they all have a common goal and that is to help the patient and attempt to understand the nature of mental illness.
Neuropsychology is a branch of general psychology that is concerned with how the brain and the rest of the nervous system influence cognition and behavior. Professionals in this branch make it a goal to understand of how the brain influences cognitive functions and behavior. In fact, modern neuropsychology has roots that began in the 19th century. During this time, some of the first neuropsychologists studied animals and humans with brain and nervous system injuries. The significance of neuropsychology is subject to urgent brain trauma, which could cause complete loss of functionality of the body. The study of neuropsychology helps doctors understand how brain malfunctions occur.
Mental disorders which falls under the umbrella of Abnormal psychology can be attributed to the ability to treat and diagnose mental disorders. Based on advances such as the development of the scientific method psychologists are now able to fully and efficiently attribute the causes of mental disorders to physical and unphysical traits. The process i...