Neurobiological And Biological Relationships Of Major...

Neurobiological and Biological Relationships to Major Depressive Disorder Biological and neurobiological studies have become more and more closely correlated with mental disorders throughout the past decade of scientific progress. This paper aims to expound models that have contributed to our developing understanding of the origins of Major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment guidance, from both neurobiological and biological fields. It will also explore the implications, both positive and negative, for societal and personal integration of the knowledge that these advancements provide. Introduction MDD is defined distinctly from a general sadness, because of a number of qualitative and quantitative discrepancies (Kalia, 2005).†¦show more content†¦Of those mental illnesses, depression is of the three most common (along with anxiety and substance use disorder), with one in seven Australians (14 percent) experiencing it in their lifetime (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009). Emerging Research of MDD This paper will explore the various roles of neurobiological and biological research in regards to their etiologic explanations and treatment implications concerning MDD. Many fields are inter-related, therefore propagating the recovery or destabilizing of themselves and of each other synonymously. Etiology Neurotransmitter Systems. The study of monoamines in relation to MDD has been at the forefront for the majority of the time that the subject itself has been under research. With a particular focus on serotonin (but also norepinephrine and dopamine), these studies find that the rate of serotonin synthesis is often low in depressed patients (Rosa-Neto et al., 2004). Interpretation of serotonin levels may however become problematic, because it can be concluded that: depression may cause a low synthesis of serotonin; a low synthesis of serotonin may cause depression; or that another third process may cause both a low synthesis of serotonin and depression simultaneously. There is little doubt that a decrease in serotonin plays a key role in MDD but the notion of whether the neurotransmitter’s absence is a mechanism that is uniquely responsible, or merely a