PSYCH 2AP3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Causal Structure, Prenatal Care, Mental Disorder
21 Sep 2020
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lOMoARcPSD| 2151316
Levels of ‘causal’ analysis
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‘Causal’ Structure of Sample patient
cause of death of children.→ Inves gate more, discover parasite that is causing
diarrhea→Why does he have parasite?→Had been drinking from contaminated water source.
→Rest of family has been drinking from water supply & they are ne→He is depressed, that has
altered neuro/gut chemistry & only in that environment does the parasite have its e
ect→ Why is he depressed?→Wife died during child birth 3 weeks ago→Why did his wife
die?→No prenatal care because poor country, poverty, etc.
How do you treat it?
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Immune system: a ects brain & other organs of the body, can lead to psychopathology
Gut/diges ve system: bacteria in gut important for cogni ve / brain func on and act as
neurotransmi ers
Every system in en re physical body that is involved in causality of mental disorder
‘Causal’ Structure of Depression:
Mental state IS a brain state, exactly the same thing
E.g., can change brain chemistry by having Dr. Day talk to us
E.g., depression→
Individual with depression→assump on that gene causes it→goes to psychiatrist and
prescribed an depressant→neurotransmi er ac vity returns to normal→Depression caused by
neurochemical imbalance proof?? → NO.
Same individual goes to psychologist→ Cogni ve therapy→Neurotransmi er ac vity returns to
normal→Disordered thinking caused by low neurotransmi er ac vity
If you had to pick one treatment to be bene cial for the longest amount of me to treat
depression→cogni ve behavioural therapy > Drugs
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Psychology affects Physiology
• Rabe et al (2008)
o Higher right-side EEG to trauma-related pictures in PTSD reduced after
