Coventry University 7111PY Biological Psychology Case Study Assessment

This case study assessment analyzes the case of Mr. B, who is experiencing mood swings, aggression, and other behavioral changes. The analysis delves into the potential causes of these symptoms, including the use of amphetamines and anabolic steroids, stress, and potential underlying mental health conditions such as PTSD and borderline personality disorder. The assignment explores how these substances impact brain function and structure, affecting neurotransmitter systems and potentially leading to structural abnormalities. The assessment also considers other contributing factors like work and personal stress, sleep deprivation, and the possibility of underlying mental health disorders. Finally, the analysis provides recommendations for Mr. B, emphasizing the need for psychological intervention, including therapy and potential substance abuse treatment, to address his complex situation. The case study highlights the interplay of biological, psychological, and environmental factors in understanding and treating mental health issues.

CASE STUDY ASSESSMENT 7111PY - BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY 1
Case Study Assessment 7111PY - Biological Psychology
Student ID 10794519
Coventry University - 22.07.2021

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ABSTRACT
The following work provides an analysis of the supplied case study and contains answers to the
questions listed below:
● What possible causes can be suggested for the mood swings?
● How do the chemicals Mr B is currently imbibing impact on his brain function and structure?
● Are Mr B’s symptoms entirely chemically induced, or are there other possible factors at play
here?
● What course of action would you advise Mr B?

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INTRODUCTION
In the case study presented for analysis, Mr. B is taking several substances, is going through stress at
work and overall his condition can be described as unstable. The facts also show that Mr. B has
abused different kinds of drugs and alcohol in his past. Recently, Mr. B began to give warning signs
and behave aggressively; this behaviour prompted a temporary separation from his civil partner. She
noted his frequent mood changes and indicated that living with mr. B became extremely difficult. In
this paper, the case study analysis is going to begin by trying to identify and understand the reasons
of mr.B’s mood swings.
DISCUSSION
Anabolic steroids represent steroidal androgens that include natural androgens such as testosterone,
as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related and have similar effects to testosterone.
In the randomized controlled trial designed to study the effect of supraphysiological doses of
testosterone on mood and aggression in normal men, it was found that the use of such substances
leads to an increase in manic syndromes and aggression. It was also found that some individuals
behave less significantly aggressive than others (Pope et al., 2000), however, based on the data that
is available from the case study, it can be assumed that the use of anabolic steroids is one of the
causes of mood changes, namely, it leads to aggression. Another study by dr. Corrigan (Corrigan,
1996) also mentions aggression as one of the side effects of steroid use. This work also mentions
depression as one of the psychiatric changes resulting from the use of these substances, which is also
inherent in the behavior of Mr B.
In addition to anabolic steroids, Mr. B is using amphetamines on a daily basis. In research from
VINCENT et al. (1998) it is stated that “...two-thirds of the sample reported symptoms of anxiety and
depression since starting to use amphetamines, almost half reported mood swings and aggressive
outbursts, and over a third reported panic attacks and paranoia”. Accordingly, these drugs can also
cause mood swings in Mr. B’s behaviour.
According to the research conducted by J.M. Soares and his colleagues stress is very much related to
the mood levels. It was found that high stress levels influence a more depressed mood state (Soares
et al., 2016). Aside from the mentioned stress at work related to the new manager, Mr. B also goes
through problems in his personal and sexual life, which undoubtedly add even more stressors to his

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life. It is also undeniable that being a firefighter in general is very stressful and working these shifts
lead to sleep deprivation, which is also known to cause mood swings (Short & Louca, 2015).
Previously, the drugs that the main character of the case study is using at the moment were
mentioned. In this part of the work, their influence on the functions and structure of the brain will be
analyzed.
The effects of amphetamine will be discussed first. The mechanism of action of amphetamine is
based on the release of neurotransmitters, it increases the levels of norepinephrine, dopamine and
serotonin and therefore improves mood, attention and concentration. Amphetamines cause large
amounts of dopamine to flow into the brain. With the help of transporter proteins, amphetamine
enters dopamine or adrenaline neurons. The presence of amphetamine at the end of the axon
causes the neurotransmitter vesicles to release all of their norepinephrine or dopamine. Then these
neurotransmitters move along the synapse to the receptors of the next neuron, transmitting the
signal further. Normally, dopamine or norepinephrine is recycled back to the original axon by
reuptake proteins. Amphetamine, however, blocks this process and due to these effects of
amphetamine, large amounts of dopamine and norepinephrine remain in the synaptic cleft. One of
the reported specific structural abnormalities in amphetamine users is a decrease in cortical gray
matter density or volume. Reduced gray matter has been reported within all of the cortical lobes:
temporal, frontal, occipital, and parietal (Thompson, 2004). This may lead to a dysfunction of
sensorial organs and is partially related to the brain functions responsible for memory and the
emotion controls.
Structural abnormalities in the corpus callosum were also observed in amphetamine abusers
(Berman et al., 2008), which can cause disturbances in the coordination of the brain and the transfer
of information from one hemisphere to another. Increased aggression in Mr. B’s behaviour may be
related to reduced SERT density coming from amphetamine use (Sekine et al., 2006). The use of
amphetamines can also lead to various kinds of depressive episodes with risks of prolonged
depression (Glasner-Edwards et al., 2009), which is also noted in Mr. B's symptoms and can be
explained by the use of these drugs.
Anabolic steroids affect the brain serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter systems. Dopamine as
mentioned earlier is participating in the regulation of learning, mobility, appetite, emotion and
positive reinforcing effects. Serotonin helps to regulate sleep patterns, and sexuality. Long-term use
of anabolic steroids can negatively affect one or more of these brain functions. Steroids are in
addition often associated with changes in the anterior hypothalamus, a region of the brain

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responsible for regulating social behavior and aggressiveness (van Breda et al., 2003). In 2002,
Brower (2002) proposed a 2-stage model of steroid dependence, where the second stage is
characterised with psychoactive effects, such as mood changes and increases in aggressive behavior,
characterize this stage of dependence. These symptoms are very similar to Mr. B's current state.
Are all of Mr. B's symptoms related to the chemicals he has been taking or is taking now, or are there
other possible explanations? In addition to the stress at work and at home, as well as lack of sleep,
which have already been described earlier in this work, it can be assumed that Mr. B is going through
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms that are described by the NHS UK can be also
observed in Mr. B’ behaviour as follows: aggression, hyperarousal, sleep problems, self-harm through
drugs misuse, and depressive episodes (The NHS Website, 2021). There is not enough data in the
case study to establish with certainty the presence of PTSD, since the most obvious syndromes are
flashbacks and nightmares about the trauma, however, given the specifics of the firefighter's work,
there is a possibility of PTSD causing the symptoms presented to readers. Some studies show that
the percentage of firefighters having PTSD is not very high, from 3-9% depending on the research
(Gulliver et al., 2021; Kim et al., 2018), however the fact that this data exists proves that Mr. B may
well be one of the few firemen suffering from PTSD.
The evidence in the case study also does not mention anything about Mr. B's childhood, so it is
difficult to make an accurate analysis of his mental state as it is often related to traumas or other
experiences happening during this period of life. It can be suggested though that frequent mood
swings from depression to aggression, uncontrollable episodes of anger, impulsive behavior, and a
fixation on relationships may indicate the presence of a mental disorder such as borderline
personality disorder (The NHS Website, 2021). The main distinctive feature of this disorder is that
mood changes occur frequently, sometimes even several times a day, which is what Mr. B is going
through. There is not enough data to accurately determine the presence of a mental disorder, much
less to establish what disorder Mr. B may have, therefore during treatment it is worthwhile to
establish more facts in order to either adopt or exclude these assumptions. Some of the mental
disorders may also lead to sexual dysfunction, from which Mr.B also suffers, which also indicates the
need to understand this potential correlation more thoroughly (Basson & Weijmar Schultz, 2007).
The author of this work is convinced that Mr. B needs psychological intervention in the form of
therapy. First, as it was found out earlier, some of the symptoms can be caused by experiences not
specified in the case study, which means that a therapist can find them out and relate properly to the
symptoms. Second, cognitive behavior therapy and contingency management has been shown to be
successful in the treatment of amphetamine addiction (LEE & RAWSON, 2008) as well as anabolic

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steroid use disorder (McKay, 1999). The reasons for substance abuse and dependence may vary,
therefore more information is needed to make assumptions regarding the drug treatment (Kanayama
et al., 2010).

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