2. The Biological Model
• Typically focus on the brain.
• Psychological abnormality is an illness brought
about by malfunctioning parts of the
organism.
3. Brain anatomy
• The brain is composed of 100 billion nerve
cells (called neurons) and thousands of
billions of support cells (called glia)
• Clinical researchers have discovered
connections between certain psychological
disorders and problems in specific brain
areas
7. – Mental disorders are
sometimes related to
abnormal chemical
activity in the endocrine
system.
– Abnormal secretions
have been linked to
psychological disorders
• Example: cortisol
release is related to
anxiety and mood
disorders
9. EVOLUTION
• Evolutionary theorists argue that we can best
understand abnormality by examining the
millions of years of human evolution
• This model has been criticized and remains
controversial, yet it receives considerable
attention.
10. Viral infections
•Another possible source
of abnormal brain
structure or biochemical
dysfunction is viral
infection
•Example: schizophrenia
and prenatal viral
exposure, anxiety and
mood disorders
11. Biological Treatments
• Three types of biological treatment:
– Drug therapy
– Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
– Psychosurgery
12. Drug therapy
– 1950s = advent of psychotropic
medications
• Greatly changed the outlook for a
number of mental disorders
– Four major drug groups:
• Antianxiety drugs (anxiolytics;
tranquilizers)
• Antidepressant drugs
• Antibipolar drugs (mood
stabilizers)
• Antipsychotic drugs
13. Electroconvulsive therapy
(ECT)
– Used for depression
when drugs and other
therapies have failed
• In 60% of cases,
ECT can lift
symptoms within a
few weeks
14. Psychosurgery (or neurosurgery)
• Considered experimental and used only in
extreme cases
• Biological practitioners attempt to pinpoint the
physical source of dysfunction to determine the
course of treatment
15. Assessing the Biological Model
Strengths:
– Enjoys considerable
respect in the field
– Constantly produces
valuable new information
– Brings great relief
– Fruitful
• Creates new therapies
• Suggests new avenues
of research
Weaknesses:
– Can limit, rather than
enhance, our
understanding
• Too simplistic
– Evidence is incomplete or
inconclusive
– Treatments produce
significant undesirable
(negative) effects
16. References
• Bennett, Paul (2003). Abnormal and Clinical Psychology.
Open University Press. ISBN 978-0-335-21236-1.
• Hansell, James; Lisa Damour (2005). Abnormal Psychology.
Von Hoffman Press. ISBN 0-471-38982-X.
• Barlow, David H.; Vincent Mark Durand (2004). Abnormal
Psychology: An Integrative Approach. Thomson
Wadsworth. ISBN 0-534-63362-5.
• Zvolensky, M. J.; Kotov, R.; Antipova, A. V.; Schmidt, N. B.
(2005). "Diathesis stress model for panic-related distress:
A test in a Russian epidemiological sample". Behaviour
Research and Therapy 43 (4): 521–
532. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2004.09.001. PMID 15701361
