Human Behavior in the

Social Environment I
Class 9: Biology, Health & Mental Health
 Objectives
● What biological issues are particularly relevant to social work?
● How are social conditions related to health and disease?
● How does racism impact stress, health and mental health?
 Biological Connections to Disorders
● Many psychological disorders have been found to have root causes to biological
deficits and reasons.
● As SW, we should understand the mind-body connection of diseases to provide
psychoeducation, recommend ruling out any medical rationale to clinical
presentations, and specific treatments to address any integration issues (ASD).
● Let’s look at some disorders and their biological influences.
Biological Connections to Disorders-Continued
● Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder
○ COMT gene (catechol-O-methlytransferase): Enzyme that breaks down
neurotransmitters including dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
● Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
● Chromosome abnormalities
○ Down syndrome is usually the result of failure of the 21st pair of the mother’s
chromosomes to separate during meiosis ► causes an additional chromosome
○ Fragile-X syndrome (Martin Bell Syndrome) is the most common cause of
inherited ID
○ Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes
■ Both are associated with abnormality of chromosome 15
Biological Connections to Disorders-Continued
 Biological Connections to Disorders-Continued
● Neurological understanding of Schizophrenia

Youn, 2013
 Biological Connections to Disorders-Continued

● Communication and
Language Disorders
 Biological Connections to Disorders-Continued

● Body’s response
to trauma
Biological Connections to Disorders-Continued
 What are the Social Determinants of Health?
● Social and Economic Environment
○ Income and Social Status; Social Support Networks; Health Networks/Services
● Physical Environment
● Person’s Individual Characteristics and Behaviors
● Education; Genetics; Gender
What is Race? What are some impacts on MH?
● Most cultural anthropologists see race as a socially constructed concept, not a
biological one
● Minority children in the U.S. are overrepresented in rates of some disorders
○ Substance abuse, delinquency, and teen suicide
 Effects of Race/Ethnicity
● When controlling for other effects (SES, gender, age, referral status)
○ Few differences
○ emerge in relation to race or ethnicity
● Barriers remain in access to, and quality and outcomes of, care for minority children
and adults
○ Minority children/adults face multiple disadvantages, including poverty and
marginalization