Biopsychosocial Perspectives Flashcards
What does the ‘psycho’ stand for?
= Psycho-analysis
What is diathesis?
= predisposition towards a disorder
What is a phenotype?
= symptom of a disorder
What did Franz Alexander suggest?
= illness can have psychological CAUSES, not just consequences
Who formulated the bio psychosocial model?
George Engel
Why is the Biopsychosocial model used?
= Bcs it suggests disorders are caused by a combination of explanations, not just one. Mean in it is more holistic approach
According to the biomedical model, are individuals responsible for their disorders?
= NO, this model suggests it is not the fault of the individual
according to the biopsychosocial model, are individuals responsible for their disorders?
= PARTLY- this model suggests that individuals have some responsibility for their disorder, and that they are active agents
According to to the biomedical model, who is responsible for treatment?
= ONLY the medical professionals
According to to the biopsychosocial model, who is responsible for treatment?
= BOTH the patient & the medical professionals
- belief that for the treatment to be effective, individual HAS to engage with their treatment
According to to the biomedical model, how should illness be treated?
= change ONLY physical state of body
According to to the biopsychosocial model, how should illness be treated?
= The WHOLE person should be treated- not just the physical components
According to to the biomedical model, what is the relationship between health & illness?
There isn’t one- they are distinct from one another
According to to the biopsychosocial model, what is the relationship between health & illness?
= health&illness exist on a continuum
- some have minor symptoms, others have full blown diagnosis
What is eclecticism ??
= ability to individualise treatment to the patient
Advantage of eclecticism?
= tailor treatment to the exact patient, target personal issues
Disadvantage of eclecticism?
= freedom of the professional doing whatever they wish to, can be too vague/ineffective
What is the “More is better” fallacy??
= this is the idea that truth ONLY comes about with more & more perspectives being added to the picture
- But sometimes, reductionism isn’t all bad
Why is reductionism sometimes not all bad??
= It allows. us to eliminate factors & focus on one main subject
2 problems with the biopsychosocial model are??
That it is partially historical & partially practical
Historical limitation=
= psycho stands for psychoanalysis, and so the psychoanalytic theory has been over represented
Practical limitation=
= therapists can pick/choose whichever therapy they want to based on personal opinion, rather than empirical evidence
What are the 3 practical difficulties??
- sample size
- cost
- difficulty in recruiting
Outline diathesis-stress model:
= the idea that those who have a predisposition to a mental illness, only need the occurrence of an environmental stressor to cause a disorder to manifest
Someone with a strong predisposition will only require a ____ stressor to cause the disorder to manifest??
Small stressor
Biopsychosocial example- Explain childhood trauma:
= trauma may be a result of motor vehicle accidents, bullying, exposure to domestic/community violence
- therefore it has mainly social and environmental causes
Trauma can be defined as??
= exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury and/or sexual violence.
Example outcomes of childhood trauma=
PTSD
Depression
Anxiety disorders
Increased risk of alcoholism/substance abuse
Development of psychosis in later life
Evidence for childhood trauma link to later life psychosis =
= Arsenault (2011)
- children who experience physical mistreatment by a parent have higher risk of developing psychotic symptoms by age 12
Psychological explanation for the link to psychosis=
= exposure to threatening environment leads to hostile attributions towards others, becoming more suspicious of others behaviours, which leads to paranoia
Social explanation for the link to psychosis=
= as a way to deal/suppress childhood trauma, many resort to alcoholism/substance abuse which are both known risk factors of psychosis
Biological explanation for the link to psychosis=
=
1. direct consequence of childhood maltreatment e.g. severe head injuries
2. childhood trauma associated with reduced grey matter in limbic system, which is linked to psychosis
3. increased stress response following trauma, if trauma is repeated, will eventually lead to psychotic symptoms
