The general public believe that depression is caused by both nature and nurture factors. A majority of the public believed that nurture has a greater influence on whether the person gets depression or not. Uni-polar depression is when a person is always in a very low mood which would last at least 2 weeks to be fully diagnosed with depression. A person who has unipolar depression usually do not see the positive side of things. Bipolar depression is when a person has sudden mood swings from really low mood to sudden high mood, bipolar depression is harder to diagnosis than unipolar depression. Depression is thought to involve many genes. Biological psychologists believe that a person usually develop depression because of genetic factors. Family history is very important evidence for doctors to see when tying to diagnosis depression since the family history will show whether depression illness runs through the families that could have been inherited. Weissman found that around 50% children whose parents also expressed depressive symptoms develop depression too. This is a great number to inherit depression from therefore this shows that genetics plays a great role in developing depression. Many twin studies have also shown results that genetically identical twins (MZ) have a greater number of inheriting depression than non-identical twins (DZ). For instance an experiment carried out by Prince in 1968 expected that MZ twins would have a higher concordance for depression compared to DZ twins. Results found were that the MZ twins who were raised in the same environment/family showed a concordance of 68% and DZ twins had a lower concordance of 28% for bipolar disorder only. This is evidence that genes plays a greater role than ... ... middle of paper ... ...d cortisol shows great differences in people with depression. Advantages There are many medications now that has evidence that the drugs work efficiently and successfully however there is also evidence that depression cannot be fully cured because sometimes if the correct amount of medication is not taken the depression can come back since antidepressants does not work on everyone. There are many evidence (Wender, Weissman, McGuffin) supporting the fact that MZ twins who have the same genetics have a higher concordance of developing depression than DZ twins who have different genetics. Disadvantages Biologists ignore the fact that depression can be due to nurture for instance psychodynamic psychologists believe that people who develop depression could have had a bad childhood therefore the bad childhood experiences influences the adulthood of the person.
Depression does not have a lone cause. An individual gene cannot handle mood or spur up depression. However, genes can influence the way nerve pathways perform. Multiple genes cooperate to evolve a susceptibility to depression. In addition to the biological aspect of depression, neurotransmitters and hormones are chemicals that allow nerve cells to communicate. Not only do they control mood and emotions, but the way these chemicals are broken down may add to the growth of
Through my extensive research on depression I have learned a lot of new things. I have learned about the many forms of depression and treatment for depression. I have also learned a little about what is believed to go on chemically in the brain of a clinically depressed person. I was also able to partially determine what sort of role genetics, chemicals and personal influences in the brain. Though I was unable to determine exactly how environmental and personal stress can cause a chemical imbalance in a person, I was even able to speculate about this issue and determine some theories of my own on why and how this may happen.
The exact causes of depression seem to differ immensely, but there are some who believe that it maybe caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, or that it may even be hereditary. Still there are others who believe that it is a combination of social, biological, emotional, psychological, and economical influences that may cause someone who has no family history of depression to develop even a mild case of depression.
Many twin studies have also shown results that genetically identical twins (MZ) have a greater number of inheriting depression than non-identical twins (DZ). For instance an experiment carried out by Prince in 1968 expected that MZ twins would have a higher concordance for depression compared to DZ twins. Results found were that the MZ twins who were raised in the same environment/family showed a concordance of 68% and DZ twins had a lower concordance of 28% for bipolar disorder only. This is evidenc...
Self-esteem is a psychological factor of depression, having a low self-esteem can increase chances of developing depression. Having a low self-esteem means viewing yourself in a negative way, not being appreciative of your appearance. A person with a negative attributional style may blame himself when bad things happen in his life, even when those events were of his his control. Over time, this pattern may contribute to depression (Hazen 83). Some social factors can also play a critical role in the development of depression. Having good relationships with family members and friends can help shield against social
One study examined the relationship between mothers who have depression and their children who began displaying anti social behaviors at a young age. This study concluded that when mothers show signs of depression, they have poor quality interactions with their children. But what they could not determine was whether it was the quality of the environment or their genetic disposition (Kim-Cohen et al., 2005). A further study made the variability of how genetics and environment can combine when developing mental illness such as depression the focus of their article. They observed how children and young adults who had similar levels of susceptibility to mental illness varied in how they developed it. This study stated that there is to much variability to clearly determine which theory had the stronger influence. The point being that both nature and nurture are balanced different for every individual (Goodman & Gotlib,.
It is not common knowledge, but people can be genetically predisposed to develop depression during their lives. Depression runs in families. It can be passed d...
Its basis is to understanding behavior, thought, and emotion by attributing human behavior to biological events occurring in the body, such as genetic influences, hormones and activity in the nervous system. Through the biological approach depression can be developed from low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This approach could also associate depression with genetics; an individual could genetically be preordained to have depression.
Researchers believe that it is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, which may be hereditary or caused by different events in a person’s life. Most types of depression seem to run in families with any problems. Many illnesses have specific medical causes and have straightforward treatment, but depression is more complicated then with any other illness because you can not cure it with surgery. One of the causes of depression can occur with “social factors such as loneliness which can be a break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend or a death of a relative or friend” (Curtis). It can be any type of family history conflicts such as anyone within the family or any child abuses. An early child abuse can lead to it or it can be heredity if a family member has been through it. Money can be another issue towards depression people lose their jobs. Once they lose their job they get stressed out and at times feel depressed because they don’t have sufficient amount of money for themselves or their family to support them such as food, clothing, rent, and payments. “Depression can be a temporary response to many situations and stresses” ( Major). Sex hormones may
Depression is defined as "a state of despondency marked by feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness" (Coon, 2001). Some people can mix up depression with just having the blues because of a couple of bad days or even weeks. It is already said that depression affects about one sixth of the population or more (Doris, Ebmeier, Shajahan, 1999). Depression can happen in any age range from birth to death. The cause of depression is still obscure and becoming clear that a number of diverse factors are likely to be implicated, both genetic and environmental. Some causes are leading stressful lives, genetic factors, a previous depressive episode, and the personality trait neuroticism (Doris, et al., 1999).
first, the reading claims that medication will target the chemical imbalance that causes this condition. the professor contradicts this point by saying that depression is more complex than just imbalance of chemical in the body. he illustrates that depression is the result of many factors such as a death of a family member or any important person.
Reasons why some people suffer from depression are not entirely clear. Research has shown it could be the result of previous experiences and the presence and amount of chemicals present in the body. Research has shown it could be the result of previous experiences and the amount of natural chemicals in the body.
... family members and that my theory is that depression had a lot of impact on the decisions that my family members made. When I combined both my mother and father’s family together, I see patterns that exist in their behaviors that directly link to depression. For example, my 17 year old brother has been under the influence of drugs and alcohol and though he is young, if you look into my family history, many of my family members started abusing at very young ages, which may become a recurring pattern in my brother’s life if he doesn’t find professional help for his genetic depression. My hope is that with the information from this project and from this course, I will be able to share with my family and my future children how genetics and health behaviors play a huge part in what happens to your health but that there is hope and a better way to handle your depression.
Genetics are also a large factor. “A person’s genotype (genetic makeup) interacts with the environment to produce physical or behavioral characteristics (the person’s phenotype).” (Sue, Sue & Sue, 2006) It is possible for a person to inherit a psychological problem from a parent, grandparent, or even an ancestor. Due to the Human Genome Project it was also found out that “While single cells have been found to be responsible for a few diseases, most diseases are the result of many genes interacting with hormones, electrical signals, and nutrient supplies in...
In some cases the causes of mental illness primarily found inside the individual. Some of them have been associated with an abnormal balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. If they are out of balance the communication between nerve cell in the brain disrupted (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of psychiatrist, 2005). Hence, leading to symptoms of mental illness like depression, schizophrenia. On the other hand, genetics also plays a significant role to acquire mental disorder, which is passed...