The biological approach believes behavior to be as a consequence of our genetics and physiology. It is the only approach in psychology that examines thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from a biological and thus physical point of view. Therefore, all that is psychological is first physiological.
What are some biological causes of anorexia?
- History of depression or anxiety.
- Poor handling of stress.
- Excessive fear or doubt about the future.
- Restraint of emotions.
- Tendency towards perfectionism.
- Feeling obsessive and/or compulsive.
- Phobia of being fat.
What are the biological effects of anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia affects all parts of the body. It changes the density and strength of bones, it weakens the immune system and causes malnourishment. Bone loss can begin within six months of anorexia developing [1]. Another health consequence of anorexia is damage that is done to the heart.
What are biological influences?
Biological factors include genetic influences, brain chemistry, hormone levels, nutrition, and gender.
What are 3 environmental causes of anorexia?
Environmental factors include events and influences in an individual’s life, such as diet culture, the media, trauma, and weight teasing.
What are some of the biological processes that are disrupted in the brain of an anorexic?
New research suggests that women who develop anorexia nervosa may have altered levels of dopamine in their brains. Dopamine disturbances can cause hyperactivity, repetition of behavior (such as food restriction), and anhedonia (a decreased sense of pleasure).
Is there a genetic component to anorexia?
Although thought of as a psychological problem, the eating disorder anorexia nervosa often runs in families, suggesting that it has a genetic component. Now researchers have found two genes that help determine the risk of acquiring the disease.
What does anorexia do to your cells?
About half of all anorexics have low white-blood-cell counts, and about a third are anemic. Both conditions can lower the immune system’s resistance to disease, leaving a person vulnerable to infections.
What biological factors affect mental health?
Biological factors consist of anything physical that can cause adverse effects on a person’s mental health. Biological factors include genetics, prenatal damage, infections, exposure to toxins, brain defects or injuries, and substance abuse.
What biological factors affect behavior?
Abstract. A growing body of evidence suggests that biological factors such as genes, hormone levels, brain structure, and brain functioning influence the development and trajectory of conduct problems in youth.
Which is most responsible for causing eating disorders?
What causes eating disorders? The exact cause of eating disorders is unknown. However, many doctors believe that a combination of genetic, physical, social, and psychological factors may contribute to the development of an eating disorder. For instance, research suggests that serotonin may influence eating behaviors.
What are some triggers that might affect the development of anorexia?
- body dissatisfaction and frequent thoughts about an “ideal” appearance.
- perfectionism.
- anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- history of dieting or other weight-control methods.
- autistic features.
What are the psychological factors of eating?
Many people use food as a coping mechanism to deal with such feelings as stress, boredom or anxiety, or even to prolong feelings of joy. While this may help in the short term, eating to soothe and ease your feelings often leads to regret and guilt, and can even increase the negative feelings.
What part of the brain is responsible for anorexia?
The brain region known as the right insula also seems to be altered in people with anorexia. That bit of brain helps to process taste sensations, but it’s also involved in interoception, the ability to sense one’s own bodily signals. Those skewed body signals are the subjects of Zucker’s research at Duke.
What neurotransmitters cause anorexia?
In anorexia, the leading hypothesis is that the disorder is associated with an over-production of dopamine, leading to anxiety (Bailer et al., 2012a), harm avoidance (Bailer et al., 2012b), hyperactivity and the ability to go without pleasurable things like food (Kontis & Theochari, 2012).
What are 5 physical effects of anorexia?
Medical complications resulting from semistarvation and overexercising affect virtually every organ system. Common signs and symptoms include loss of subcutaneous fat tissue, orthostatic hypotension, bradycardia, impaired menstrual function, hair loss, and hypothermia.
Is anorexia a mental or physical?
Like other eating disorders, anorexia is both a mental and a physical illness. It is a complex medical and psychiatric illnesses that can have serious health, personal and relational consequences.
What percentage of anorexia is genetic?
Although environment definitely plays a role, recent research has shown that between 40 and 60 percent of the vulnerability to develop an eating disorder is due to genetic factors.
How is anorexia a disease?
Anorexia is an eating disorder and serious mental health condition. People who have anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible by not eating enough food or exercising too much, or both. This can make them very ill because they start to starve.
What are three long term effects of anorexia?
- Bone weakening (osteoporosis).
- Anemia.
- Seizures.
- Thyroid problems.
- Lack of vitamins and minerals.
- Low potassium levels in the blood.
- Decrease in white blood cells.
- Amenorrhea (absence of menstruation in females).
How does anorexia affect the skeletal system?
Studies suggest that low bone mass is common in people with anorexia and that it occurs early in the course of the disease. Girls with anorexia may be less likely to reach their peak bone density and therefore may be at increased risk for osteoporosis and fracture throughout life.
Is anorexia and anorexia nervosa the same thing?
Anorexia nervosa, also known as just anorexia, is an eating disorder. This disorder makes you obsess about your weight and food. If you have this problem, you may have a warped body image.
What is a biological explanation?
Most basically, whereas traditional philosophy of science based explanation on derivation from scientific laws, there are many biological explanations in which laws play little or no role. Instead, the field of biology is a natural place to turn for support for the idea that causal information is explanatory.
What are the examples of biological theory?
Some theories that fall under biological theories include homeostasis, evolution and natural selection, cell theory, and gene theory. Other theories that also fall under this umbrella include the germ theory of disease and the endosymbiotic theory.
What is the biological perspective in abnormal psychology?
The biological perspective views psychological disorders as linked to biological phenomena, such as genetic factors, chemical imbalances, and brain abnormalities; it has gained considerable attention and acceptance in recent decades (Wyatt & Midkiff, 2006).