Online ordering is currently unavailable due to technical issues. We apologise for any delays responding to customers while we resolve this. For further updates please visit our website https://www.cambridge.org/news-and-insights/technical-incident
The biological understanding of mental illness views it as a disease of the brain. The biological revolution in psychiatry was sparked by evidence for a genetic component to psychiatric disorders and pharmaceutical advances in drug therapies, which added to understanding of the chemistry of the brain and neuronal communication (neurochemistry). Furthermore, advances in neuroscience or neuroanatomy (which combines the findings from several scientific disciplines) have furthered our understanding of the relationship between the structure of the brain and human behavior. Schwartz and Corcoran provide an overview of what biological psychiatrists know about the brain and its function and dysfunction (neuroanatomy), neurochemistry, and genetics. Psychiatric medications affect the level of neurotransmitters, and hence correct dysfunctions in the neuronal communications systems. Schizophrenia has been hypothesized to result from an excess of dopamine, and the symptoms of schizophrenia are often reduced with the administration of medications which block specific dopamine receptors. Yet this evidence does not demonstrate that the cause of schizophrenia is a chemical imbalance as not all people respond to medications. The medications only affect some of the symptoms of schizophrenia, and studies report inconsistent responses. Contradictory findings and gaps also exist in knowledge of the role played by neurotransmitter dysfunctions in depression. While the evidence for a genetic link to schizophrenia and depression is compelling, Schwartz and Corcoran describe a variety of methodological problems which make heritability estimates questionable.
Furthermore, the specific mode of transmission and interactions among genetic and environmental factors need further examination. The biological revolution has pointed to the complexity of understanding mental illness. Schwartz and Corcoran conclude by outlining what role sociologists can play in researching the factors which affect the etiology and course of mental disorder, and in using the information gained by biological psychiatrists to further understanding of the relationship between social and biological factors. The student will want to read this chapter carefully and identify what information they thought was incontrovertible (i.e., schizophrenia is caused by a particular gene) has in fact not been verified.
Introduction
That recent decades have witnessed a biological revolution in psychiatry is undeniable. A presidential proclamation branded the 1990s “The Decade of the Brain.” President Obama announced the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) initiative in 2013 to promote an understanding of the brain functions underlying health and disease (http://braininitiative.nih.gov/about.htm).
Review the options below to login to check your access.
Log in with your Cambridge Higher Education account to check access.
If you believe you should have access to this content, please contact your institutional librarian or consult our FAQ page for further information about accessing our content.