Interactionist Approach

Question 1

What does the Diathesis-Stress Model suggest?

Answer 1

The model suggests that a disorder, such as schizophrenia, is due to a predisposed vulnerability (diathesis) and an environmental trigger later in life (stress).

Question 2

Who originally understood the concept of Diathesis?

Answer 2

The original understanding of Diathesis was proposed by Meehl.

Question 3

What does Meehl argue about the schizogene?

Answer 3

Meehl argues that someone without the schizogene should never develop schizophrenia, regardless of stress exposure.

Question 4

What is the vulnerability of individuals with the schizogene?

Answer 4

Individuals with the schizogene are vulnerable to the effects of chronic stress, such as from a ‘schizophrenogenic mother.’

Question 5

What did Gottesman find regarding schizophrenia prevalence?

Answer 5

Gottesman found that 1% of the general population develops schizophrenia.

Question 6

What are the concordance rates for MZ and DZ twins?

Answer 6

Monozygotic (MZ) twins have a 48% concordance rate, while dizygotic (DZ) twins have a 17% concordance rate.

Question 7

What does the difference in concordance rates suggest?

Answer 7

The difference suggests a genetic element, as MZ twins have a higher concordance rate than DZ twins.

Question 8

What does the 48% concordance rate indicate?

Answer 8

The 48% concordance rate indicates that schizophrenia is not purely genetic and that environmental factors also play a role.

Question 9

What is the modern belief about the genetic aspect of schizophrenia?

Answer 9

It is believed that many genes increase vulnerability, making schizophrenia polygenic.

Question 10

Can diathesis be non-genetic?

Answer 10

Yes, diathesis can also be due to early psychological trauma, which affects brain development.

Question 11

What is an example of early psychological trauma?

Answer 11

An example is child abuse, which affects the HPA system, making the child vulnerable to stress.

Question 12

How is stress defined in the context of schizophrenia?

Answer 12

Stress is anything that risks triggering schizophrenia, including psychological stress.

Question 13

What role does cannabis play in the context of stress and schizophrenia?

Answer 13

Cannabis is considered a stressor because it increases the risk of schizophrenia by up to 7 times.

Question 14

Why does cannabis increase the risk of schizophrenia?

Answer 14

Cannabis interferes with the dopamine system.

Question 15

Do all cannabis users develop schizophrenia?

Answer 15

No, not everyone who uses cannabis develops schizophrenia, indicating the presence of additional vulnerability factors.

Question 16

What increases the risk of developing schizophrenia?

Answer 16

Living in densely populated areas increases the risk of developing schizophrenia.

Vassos identified the risk of schizophrenia in densely populated urban areas was 2.37 times higher than rural areas.

Question 17

Can a purely biological approach be adopted for treating schizophrenia?

Answer 17

No, it is not possible to adopt an entirely biological approach for treating schizophrenia.

Turkington suggests that the biological cause and treatment must interact.

Question 18

What is the benefit of combining treatments for schizophrenia?

Answer 18

Combining treatments can highly improve the effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Question 19

What combinations of treatments are used for schizophrenia?

Answer 19

1. Antipsychotics + Antidepressants = to treat negative symptoms
2. Antipsychotics + CBT = to treat positive and negative symptoms
3. Antipsychotics + Family therapy = cures dysfunctional family problems.

Question 20

What is the standard practice for treating schizophrenia in the UK?

Answer 20

In the UK, it is standard practice to treat patients with a combination of drugs and CBT.

Question 21

What is the situation regarding treatment approaches in the US?

Answer 21

In the US, there is more conflict between biological and psychological approaches, leading to slower adoption of the interactionist approach.

Question 22

What did Tienari et al study?

Answer 22

They studied children adopted away from mothers diagnosed with schizophrenia (Sz) and assessed the rearing style of the adoptive family.

Question 23

What was the significant finding after 21 years in high genetic risk adoptees?

Answer 23

A high level of criticism and conflict in the adoptive family was a significant predictor of schizophrenia.

Question 24

What do diathesis-stress models assume about genetic influences?

Answer 24

They assume that genetic influences cause neurochemical abnormalities, increasing the risk of schizophrenia.

Question 25

How does brain damage from oxygen deprivation during birth affect schizophrenia risk?

Answer 25

It increases the chance of having schizophrenia by 4 times.

Question 26

What is the nature of genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia?

Answer 26

Multiple genes increase vulnerability, each with a small effect; there is no single ‘schizogene.’

Question 27

What did Houston (2008) find regarding stress factors?

Answer 27

Childhood sexual trauma was identified as a diathesis, and cannabis use as a trigger.

Question 28

What does the evidence suggest about vulnerability and stress in relation to schizophrenia?

Answer 28

There is strong evidence that underlying vulnerability coupled with stress can lead to schizophrenia.

Question 29

What is the current understanding of the mechanisms behind schizophrenia symptoms?

Answer 29

We do not understand the mechanisms by which symptoms appear or how vulnerability and stress produce them.

Question 30

What did Tarrier (2004) find in his treatment study?

Answer 30

Patients in the medication + CBT and medication + supportive counselling groups showed lower symptom levels than the control group.

Question 31

What was the outcome regarding hospital readmission in Tarrier’s study?

Answer 31

There was no difference in hospital readmission among the groups.

Question 32

What does Tarrier’s study suggest about the interactionist approach?

Answer 32

It shows a clear practical advantage in terms of superior treatment outcomes.

Question 33

What does Turkington (06) argue about combined therapies?

Answer 33

Turkington argues that combined biological and psychological therapies are more effective than either on their own.

Question 34

What is the implication of Turkington’s argument regarding the interactionist approach?

Answer 34

The implication is that the superior outcomes of combined therapies should not be over-interpreted as evidence supporting the interactionist approach to schizophrenia.