Interactionist approach Flashcards
what does the interactionist explanation of sz say
Sz is caused by interaction between biological factors and psychological factors
what does a diathesis for schizophrenia mean
they carry biological risk factors that make them more likely to develop Sz
what is true according to the diathesis stress model
- people with a diathesis only develop Sz if they experience enough psychological stress in their environment
- biological factors act as a risk factor that give people a diathesis for developing Sz
- the more stress people have, the more likely they are to devlop Sz
- the more diathesis they have, the more likely they are to develop Sz
what is explained by the diathesis stress model
the interaction between biological and psychological factors
what is the study support for the diathesis stress model
- Tienaris et al adoption study
- compared adopted children whose mothers had Sz and adopted children whose mothers didn’t have Sz
- the children whose bio mothers had Sz were more likely to develop the disorder, meaning the gene alleles that they inherited from mother were a diathesis for Sz
what does Brown and Birley study support
- supports the idea that stress can act as a trigger for the development of Sz
- conducted interviews with patients whp had recently developed Sz
- 50% of the participants had a stressful life event 3 weeks prior to symptoms starting
what is the interactionist approach to treating Sz
- involves giving the patient a combination of treatments
- antipsychotic medication = positive symptoms
- CBT = reduce dysfunctional mental processes + negative symptoms
- family therapy= prevents relapse and reduce stressful family environment that triggered Sz
evaluation of the interactionist approach
- expensive, cost losts of money to the NHS
+ but its more likely to be cost effective in the long run as if combining treatments is effective and helps make people better in the long run it might still be worth it as they are less likely to return to the hospital and more likely to return to work
+ study support - Guo et al, randomised control trial which shows that combining medication and therapy is more effective at treating Sz than just medication
Lola has a family history of mental illness. Before there was a good understanding of mental health, Lola’s grandfather was treated poorly because of his delusions and disordered thinking as a boy, which today would have been diagnosed as schizophrenia. Knowing this was something Lola could develop, her immediate family were very tense around her, and her parents were very strict with what she did and who she could interact with.
This strictness came with a lot of criticism when Lola stepped out of line, leading Lola to distance herself from her family. She began to not leave her room, often having trouble getting out of bed, and she was often mute. Feeling isolated, she began to develop disordered thinking and some delusions.
Question 4. Using the example above, outline how the interactionist approach explains schizophrenia.
The interactionist approach explains schizophrenia as a product of the interaction between biological and psychological factors. Lola has likely inherited a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia. Lola is also experiencing a high degree of expressed emotion from her family, in part due to Lola’s family history of mental illness. As such, both biological and psychological influences are interacting, creating the conditions that lead Lola to develop the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Brown and Birley conducted a study in 1968 into the development of schizophrenia by interviewing people who had recently developed schizophrenia. They found that 50% of the patients had experienced a major stressful life event, like starting a new job or a death in the family.
Question 7. Explain how the main finding of this study supports the interactionist explanation for schizophrenia. Refer to the diathesis-stress model in your answer. (4 marks)
This study shows support for the interactionist approach, because it supports the idea that stressful situations can act as a trigger for the development of schizophrenia. According to the diathesis-stress model the participants are likely to have had a predisposition to schizophrenia. However, in order for them to develop schizophrenia they need to have experienced significant stress. As 50% of participants had experienced a recent stressful life event, this supports the hypothesis that stress triggers diatheses for schizophrenia.
Zainab had recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia after being hospitalised by her family. She experiences auditory hallucinations, disordered thinking, and a variety of negative symptoms.
Question 1. Explain how the interactionist approach would be applied to treat Zainab.
The interactionist approach would suggest combining different treatments in order to combat the different factors contributing to Zainab’s schizophrenia. Doctors would give Zainab antipsychotics to reduce dopamine activity, stopping her from experiencing hallucinations. However in order to tackle the other symptoms, doctors would prescribe a course of CBT as well. To reduce any chance of relapse after treatment, Zainab would also undertake family therapy with her relatives.
Question 2. Who conducted a study which found support for the interactionist approach to treatment?
Guo et al
Question 4. what were the groups used in Guo et al.’s study?
Guo et al. compared two groups, one receiving just antipsychotics, and the other receiving medication and therapy. This was in order to see whether a combination of treatments was more effective at treating schizophrenia patients than just one type of treatment.
Dr. Giani has just received a patient who she has diagnosed with schizophrenia. In order to manage the patient, Dr. Giani wishes to combine drugs and therapy to provide a thorough treatment plan. However Dr. Holden, the medical director of the hospital, argues against this as it would be expensive for the hospital to treat the patient in this way.
Question 6. What could Dr. Giani say to provide a case for an interactionist approach to treating her patient?
Dr. Giani could make the argument that while it may be expensive in the short-term, in the long-term it will save the NHS money. This is because people who receive a combination of treatments are less likely to relapse, meaning they are less likely to need even more costly treatments in the future.
Lola has a family history of mental illness. Before there was a good understanding of mental health, Lola’s grandfather was treated poorly because of his delusions and disordered thinking as a boy, which today would have been diagnosed as schizophrenia. Knowing this was something Lola could develop, her immediate family were very tense around her, and her parents were very strict with what she did and who she could interact with.
This strictness came with a lot of criticism when Lola stepped out of line, leading Lola to distance herself from her family. She began to not leave her room, often having trouble getting out of bed, and she was often mute. Feeling isolated, she began to develop disordered thinking and some delusions.
Question 5a. According to the diathesis-stress model, what is the diathesis here?
Question 5b. According to the diathesis-stress model, what is the stress here?
According to the diathesis-stress model, a diathesis is a predisposition to a disorder due to biological risk factors. Here, the diathesis is Lola’s genetic inheritance from her family, who have a history of mental illness.
The stress in the model is the factor that triggers the predisposition, creating the conditions that allow the disorder to flourish. Here, the stress is the criticism, or high degree of expressed emotion, that Lola experiences from her parents.
