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Biological explanation of depression (16 marks)
Genetic factors A02

- The importance of genetic factors in depression is supported by Oruc et al (1998) who
found that depression occurs across generations in families, and that first degree
relatives of people with depression are three times more likely to develop the disorder
than those without first degree relatives with the disorder, suggesting that depression
is hereditary
...
This
suggests that the variation of the transporter gene creates venerability to developing
depression in the presence of negative life events
...


- However, Sullivan et al (2000) reported that the few adoption studies of depression
that have been carried out are negatively affected by methodological flaws, like the
small sample sizes and the indirect methods of clinical diagnosis, making it difficult to
draw clear conclusions
...
Sevey et
al (2000) reviewed twin studies and found a concordance rate of 69% in MZ twins, but
only 20% in DZ twins
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- However a limitation of twin studies is the possibility of diagnostic unreliability that is if
researchers are aware that one twin suffers from depression, then this clouds their
judgement in assessing whether the other twin also has the disorder
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Although such studies support the genetic viewpoint
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- The advantage of focusing on genetic factors is that gene mapping offers the
possibility of developing tests to identify individuals with a high risk of developing
depression, though this raises many socially sensitive and ethical concerns

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