Topic 2- medical model

• biochemical explanations in relation to nature/nurture

  • suggests explanations in terms of nature. chemical imbalance
  • however, this has been shown to be affected by drug use so nurture may play a role
• biochemical explanations in relation to individual/situational

  • individual difference in brain chemical activity leads to behavioural differences
• biochemical explanations in relation to usefulness

  • beneficial in suggesting ways of treating mental disorders by restoring the normal levels of the neurotransmitters
  • e.g. SSRIs used effectively to treat depression
• biochemical explanations in relation to validity

  • issues with use of correlational evidence to support the theory
  • cannot directly measure/observe the actions of these neurotransmitters
• genetic explanations in relation to nature/nature

  • genes may predispose individuals to mental illnesses such as phobias or depression
  • but there is never a 100% concordance, environmental factors may act as a trigger
• genetic explanation of individual/situational

  • some individuals are more susceptible to mental illnesses if parents suffered from the same condition
• genetic explanation in relation to usefulness

  • currently, it is difficult to changes someone's genetics so limited practical applications
  • genetic screening could be used to inform people of the risks before they decide to have children
• genetic explanations in relation to validity

  • difficult to impose controls when carrying out family studies
  • other extraneous variables such as environmental factors when growing up are difficult to control for
• brain abnormality in relation to nature/nurture

  • the symptoms of mental illness are explained in terms of natural differences in either the structure or function of certain brain regions
  • but damage could be caused by lifetime experiences
• brain abnormality in relation to individual/situational 


  • some individuals may suffer from mental illness due to damage or malfunction to certain regions of the brain
• brain abnormality in relation to usefulness

  • it would be difficult and impractical to change someone's brain structure
  • but it could lead to drug treatments to increase or decrease activity in certain regions or possible surgery to restore normal function
• brain abnormality in relation to validity

  • difficult to identify the cause of the brain abnormality and whether this or some other factor is the reason for the mental illness
• Gottesman in relation to nature/nurture


  • the findings support the view that genetics does play a major role in you likelihood to develop a mental disorder at some point in your life
  • but the findings do not take account of the possibility that living with a parent with mental disorders may cause you to learn certain behaviours or may be fairly stressful which could pre-dispose people to develop mental health issues
• Gottesman in relation to freewill/determinism


  • deterministic in that it suggests that if your parents suffer from depression or schizophrenia you are much more likely to later in life as well
  • very little room for free will in this explanation and does not take account of lifestyle choices
• Gottesman in relation to sampling bias


  • very large sample of people used in the study which means that the study should be fairly representative
  • the range of ages studied could be considered a strength but as some were only 10 at the time of the study, we do not know how likely they would be to develop mental illness later in life
  • people with bipolar and depression are more likely to be treated as outpatients rather than be admitted to hospital so this may skew the data
• Gottesman in relation to ethnocentrism

  • Denmark may not be representative of the likelihood of developing depression or schizophrenia in other countries or cultures
  • use of ICD to diagnose the mental illness which might lead to different rates of diagnosis than if other systems were used
  • in Denmark, healthcare is provided freely to serve users and funded by the public which could result in differences in rates of diagnosis or how often they are admitted to hospital compared to other countries where they have to pay directly for healthcare
• applications in relation to ethical considerations

  • SSRIs- well tolerated medications that are safe for medically ill or frail patients and safe in overdose. there are no withdrawal effects unless the patient stops them abruptly, and no dependency develops. however it can take 12 weeks to become fully effective, can be expensive
  • ECT- involves several sessions per week over 3-4 weeks. can have benefits, but it has potential risks, too, such as physical trauma and heart problems as well as short-term confusion and longer-term memory loss
• applications in relation to reductionism/holism

  it is reductionist to claim that mental disorders necessarily require biological treatment. for example, the NHS website suggests the following treatments for depression:

  • mild depression- wait and see, exercise, self-help groups
  • mild to moderate depression- talking therapy
  • moderate to severe depression- antidepressants, combination therapy, mental health teams