Essay Schizophrenia as a Biological Disorder - 798 Words

Schizophrenia as a Biological Disorder As well as the biological approaches there are physiological, psychological and environmental explanations. New theories of schizophrenia are constantly being developed each having their own advantages and disadvantages. How do we know however, which one is correct? The biological explanation suggests that schizophrenia is produced by an unfortunate combination of genes or is due to physical problems in the brain. Researchers favouring the biological explanation look at genetic factors, brain structure and biochemical explanations. Many researchers would suggest that the debate over whether schizophrenia is passed down through genetics is no longer a†¦show more content†¦This can also be accounted for distant relatives who are unlikely to share the same environment. We can therefore assume that to confirm a genetic base for schizophrenia, research must separate genetic influences from environmental influences. In order to do this, researchers must look at the evidence presented through twin studies. A set of MZ twins share the same genes, therefore if only one of the develops schizophrenia, it is more likely to be through environmental factors. If genetic factors are of prime importance then MZ twins should show a higher concordance rate than DZ twins. This is in fact the case, and MZ twins are two to four times more likely to develop schizophrenia than DZ twins. Again, a way of cutting out the environmental factor of upbringing can be seen in adoption studies. Children born from a mother with schizophrenia and separated 3 days after birth are still more likely to develop schizophrenia regardless to their split. Studies have also been carried out to test the importance of environment itself, however very little evidence can be found. Children (non schizophrenic) were adopted by individuals that later developed schizophrenia. As the child does not share any genes with the adopted mother/father, the environment is the only point that could determine whether or not they develop schizophrenia. There were extremely low or even noShow MoreRelatedOutline and Evaluate One or More Biological Explanations to Schizophrenia1149 Words   |  5 Pagesand evaluate one or more biological explanations of schizophrenia (8 marks AO1/16 marks AO1) Schizophrenia is classified as a mental disorder that shows profound disruption of cognition and emotion which affects a person’s language, perception, thought and sense of self. The dopamine hypothesis states that schizophrenic’s neurones transmitting dopamine release the neurotransmitter too easily, leading to the characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia. 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