Biological Basis for Psychological Disorders

For this discussion, refer to the information in the “Introduction to the Miller Family document.”  Lucy Miller is a 20-year-old college student who has recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  Sarah Miller, her mother, recalls that as a teen, Lucy would get very talkative at night and couldn’t go to sleep.  Sarah also recalled that Lucy was kicked off the cheerleading squad when her GPA fell below 3.0, and that during this time, Lucy’s friends were being mean to her. When this occurred, Lucy was “really down” for a couple of months.  She didn’t want to talk to a counselor and she told her mother Sarah that she would be fine. Lucy blamed the entire situation on the issues with the girls in her class. However, coping with the mood swings became increasingly difficult for her. Lucy began experimenting casually with illegal drugs and found that they helped. Unfortunately, she kept getting them from friends at school and has now become addicted to them.

Examine the potential biological basis for Lucy’s psychological disorder. What, if anything, in her family history might point to this issue being hereditary?  Be sure to apply basic medical terminology where appropriate. Consider the biases that are often held regarding mental illness.  How much volition is involved in mental illness?  How much is related to environment and genetics?  Do we think about mental illness differently when we know the person well versus if the person is a stranger (e.g., a homeless individual or a panhandler on the street)?  Analyze the impact that our stage of lifespan development has on how we think of our own mental health and the mental health of others. What impact does it have on our associated behaviors and the long-term outcomes associated with the disorder?

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