MDD is a serious medical illness that negatively affects one feels, thinks and acts. ETIOLOGY – the cause of something
Biological The BLOA looks into biological etiologies for depression. Low levels of serotonin can lead to depression; however, cortisol is also responsible. The shrinking of the hippocampus can lead to a depressive state too.
Strengths of biological etiologies:
Can be tested scientifically, research is generally reliable
Weaknesses of biological etiologies:
Scientific research has failed to show a clear link between serotonin levels and depression. The fact that anti-depressant drugs like the SSRIs can regulate serotonin levels and produce an effect does not mean that low serotonin levels cause depression.
Reductionist
Deterministic
By suggesting that people may have a genetic predisposition, it can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy
The Black Dog Institute (2012) Genetics:
No single gene likely to be responsible but rather a combination of genes
The predisposition to develop depression can be inherited
The genetic risk of developing clinical depression is about 40% if a biological parent has been diagnosed with the illness, with the remaining 60% being due to factors within the individuals own environment
Neurotransmission:
Low levels of serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine mean that positive messages are disrupted in the brain
The ageing brain:
As we age our brain’s general functioning can become compromised and this can affect the neurotransmitter pathways which influence mood state
May be due to ‘wear and tear,’ dementia and high blood pressures or mini-strokes
Adrien (2003) Bodily Rhythms
Depression may be related to abnormalities in the circadian rhythm, or biological clock. For example, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep—the stage in which dreaming occurs—may be quick to arrive and intense in depressed people. REM sleep depends on decreased serotonin levels in the brain stem.
Cognitive People can become depressed because their thought processes can become too much of a negative bias. Cognitive biases include: over generalisation – “I always lose”, selective abstraction – Focus on the negative and polar reasoning – See things in a very black or white way.
Strengths of cognitive etiologies:
Can be used to create talking therapies which can change the way someone thinks – cognitive behavioural therapy
Weaknesses of cognitive etiologies:
Self-report – introspection (tell us what you’re thinking) highly unreliable
They may have an external locus of control – believing life is shaped by external factors out of ones control.
Beck (1976) Depressed people have a cognitive triad so they process information to create negative feelings about:
Themselves
The world
The future
Evaluations:
The theory is effective in describing many characteristics of depression. For example, depressed individuals are considerably more negative in their thinking than non-depressed individuals. People who suffer from depression generally think more negatively about themselves and the world, even when they are not depressed.
The limitation of Beck’s theory is perhaps that it is difficult to confirm that it is the negative thinking patterns that cause depression but there has been some empirical support of the causal aspects of the theory.
Hankin & Abramson (2001) Faulty thought processes come from upbringing, peers, negative experiences
Ellis (1962) Irrational, self-defeating beliefs morph interpretations of activating events. (a life event)
Sociocultural SLOA focuses on situational factors. They can explain depression as it may be due to lacking social support and Western consumerism (western culture, we buy our identity). It can be due to people growing up in environments with risk factors such as abuse.
Strengths of sociocultural etiologies:
Holistic – looks at more than one factor
Can be used to change social policy with the hope of decreasing rates of depression
Weaknesses of sociocultural etiologies:
Focused on situational factors, ignores dispositional
Deterministic – doesn’t explain why people brought up in the sae situations don’t experience the same levels of depression
Other etiologies: Poverty and unemployment (Nicholson et al, 2008) Unstable family structure and secularisation (detachment from religious) (Gabilondo et al, 2010) Social inequality (Cohen, 2002)
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions:
Increased prevalence with increased masculinity (achievement centred)
Bulimia nervosa is a serious psychological disorder characterised by binge eating episodes followed by compensatory behaviours such as dieting, vomiting, excessive exercise and misuse of laxatives.
Biological
Strengths of biological etiologies:
Can be tested scientifically, research is generally reliable
Weaknesses of biological etiologies:
Scientific research has failed to show a clear link between serotonin levels and depression. The fact that anti-depressant drugs like the SSRIs can regulate serotonin levels and produce an effect does not mean that low serotonin levels cause depression.
Reductionist
Deterministic
By suggesting that people may have a genetic predisposition, it can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy
Can be used to create talking therapies which can change the way someone thinks – cognitive behavioural therapy
Weaknesses of cognitive etiologies:
Self-report – introspection (tell us what you’re thinking) highly unreliable
Body-image distortion hypothesis Bruch (1962) claimed that many patients with eating disorders suffer from the cognitive delusion that they are fat. It may be that when patients evaluate their own body size, they are influenced by emotional appraisal rather than their perceptual experience.
Weight-related schemata model Fairburn (1997) suggested that people with eating disorders had distorted weight-related schema and low self-esteem. The distorted beliefs and attitudes towards body shape and weight develop partly because of the high status given to looking thin and attractive. Individuals strive to control body weight to stay thin and they base their self-worth on being thin, i.e. they have a weight-related self-schema that distorts the way they perceive and interpret their experiences. For some people, their concerns and prioritization of weight control may reflect a wider lack of self-esteem and a vulnerability to cultural messages about body weight. They think they will feel better if they lose weight but this obsession with weight control may lead to depression and intensified feelings of low self-esteem because weight control is the major way of maintaining self-worth.
Can be used to change social policy with the hope of decreasing rates of depression
Weaknesses of sociocultural etiologies:
Focused on situational factors, ignores dispositional
Deterministic – doesn’t explain why people brought up in the sae situations don’t experience the same levels of depression
Perceptions of the perfect body are influenced by cultural ideals. In the West, images of the ideal body shape for women have changed over the years from an hourglass shape to a slimmer shape.