THE MEDICAL MODEL: The medical model tries to counter atypical behaviour with a medical approach,i.e diagnosis. It has led to the widespread belief that psychological disorders are effectively illnesses. The medical model is based on biological knowledge, stating that behaviour stems from the processes in the brain/body. This is a proven theory,especially in the case of people with depression. Neurotransmitters are messenger chemicals that are released into they synapse between neurones to transmit a neural message- depression has been linked to low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Numerous disorders are also linked to genetics, as disorders are inherited via genes passes from parent to child. Some of these genes may be mutated and cause abnormalities in brain structure or brain chemistry- leading to various disorders.
The medical model diagnoses different disorders with different medical drugs. For example, people with depression are prescribed anti-depresseant drugs like Prozac. These work by by decreasing the re-uptake of serotonin, thus making more available in the synapse. However such drugs often have side effects, and although rare, sometimes the effects can be devastating. Some people may react very badly to the drug causing more harm than good. In extreme cases of depression electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used. In ECT, seizure is induced in an anaesthetised patient by applying an electric shock of 70-150 volts to the head.
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