Case Study: Integrating Into Biopsychosocial Approach

Integrating into Biopsychosocial Approach

By understanding how the brain functions, social workers can better understand how certain elements affect the body and mind. Neural plasticity, usually attributed to the ability to change and respond throughout life, also implies psychosocial aspects including “life-long learning, the influence of environmental conditions on the way people process emotions, and the influence of stress or trauma on the brain” (Egan, Neely-Barnes, Combs-Orme, 2011, p. 272).

Set in the cerebral cortex sits cognition which is the ability to learn and develop solutions to problems. “Ongoing cognitive development rests on brain plasticity and its role in continuously facilitating accommodation to changing environmental

stimuli” (Egan, Neely-Barnes, & Combs-Orme, 2011, p. 273). Remembering what has been learned takes place in multiple parts of the brain and by learning about these parts of the brain, we can assess an older client who is concerned about memory loss, by asking ourselves what a “normal” amount of memory loss may be for people of the same age. We can then start treatment with a better understanding of if the memory loss is proceeding at a “normal” rate or if there may be another problem not addressed.
Stress and trauma have a larger impact on the brain than previously thought. By studying neuroscience, we are able to have a better understanding of the long-term effect of stress and trauma. By experiencing a traumatic incident, the amygdala which regulates emotions can be turned off by the increase of specific neurotransmitters (Egan, Neely-Barnes, & Combs-Orme, 2011). Rutledge (2014) believes by understanding neuroscience principles, we can understand how trauma could lead to “a host of other physiological symptoms, such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, and problems with attention and focus, some of the primary symptoms necessary for an ADHD diagnosis” (p. 22). If we can address how mental disorders such as ADHD may be created in the brain, we can do more to prevent more diagnoses of these disorders.