What are some key evaluation points of biological explanations of schizophrenia?

It is important to have balance in your evaluation, so don't just focus exclusively on negative evaluation points, try and include a range of points. For example, one major positive evaluation point for biological explanations is that they have led to the development of some highly effective treatments for schizophrenia, such as the use of antipsychotics to treat the imbalance of dopamine commonly found in patients with schizophrenia. This demonstrates that the link between brain and behaviour that the biological approach suggests can be used to improve the lives of schizophrenic patients.Similarly there is also a range of evidence (such as Stephens and Price, 2000) that suggests that schizophrenia may be a result of evolution, acting as a way to split groups of humans that had become too large and were running out of resources. However, key weaknesses of the biological approach is that neuro-imaging scans have failed to show any reliable evidence of altered dopamine activity in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia, suggesting that biological explanations of schizophrenia may have very limited evidence to support them. As well as this, biological explanations are very reductionist and do not consider the wide range of factors that influence human behaviour, therefore seriously weakening these. It this range and balance of evaluation that will get you higher marks for your answers.