Schizophrenia - Interactionist Approach Flashcards
What is the interactionist approach?
The interactionist approach – A broad approach to explaining schizophrenia, which acknowledges that a range of factors, including biological and psychological factors, are involved in the development of schizophrenia.
What is the diathesis-stress model?
The diathesis-stress model – An interactionist approach to explaining behaviour. For example, schizophrenia is explained as the result of both an underlying vulnerability (diathesis) and a trigger, both of which are necessary for the onset of schizophrenia. In early versions of the model, vulnerability was genetic and triggers were psychological. Nowadays both genes and trauma are seen as diatheses, and stress can be psychological or biological in nature.
What does Meehl’s model of the diathesis-stress approach propose?
Meehl’s model proposes that vulnerability to schizophrenia is entirely genetic, resulting from a ‘schizogene.’ According to this model, stress, especially during childhood, triggers the disorder in individuals with the schizogene.
How has the modern understanding of the diathesis-stress model evolved?
The modern understanding suggests that diathesis is not limited to a single gene but can include psychological trauma, which affects brain development. Similarly, stress can include biological triggers, such as the use of cannabis, which interferes with the dopamine system and increases the risk of schizophrenia.
How is the interactionist approach applied in treatment?
The interactionist approach involves combining biological and psychological therapies, such as antipsychotic medication with CBT or family therapy. This is common in the UK, whereas in the USA, medication alone is more widely used.
What evidence supports the role of vulnerability and triggers?
There is evidence from Tienari et al. (2004), who investigated the combination of genetic vulnerability and parenting style. Children adopted from 19,000 Finnish mothers with schizophrenia were followed, and it was found that high levels of criticism and conflict in adoptive families increased the risk of schizophrenia in children with genetic vulnerability but not in those without it.
PEEL Lead-In: This provides strong evidence for the interactionist approach, as it highlights how genetic predispositions and environmental factors interact to increase the risk of schizophrenia. This suggests that neither biological nor environmental factors alone are sufficient explanations.
What are the limitations of the original diathesis-stress model?
The original model is over-simplistic, as it suggests a single vulnerability and one trigger. Modern research shows that multiple genes and a range of stressors contribute to schizophrenia, making the original model inadequate.
PEEL Lead-In: The oversimplification highlights the need for more nuanced models, which incorporate complex interactions between multiple vulnerabilities and triggers. This evolution in understanding enhances the validity of modern approaches.
How effective are combination treatments for schizophrenia?
Studies such as Tarrier et al. (2004) show that patients randomly allocated to medication plus CBT or family therapy had better symptom reduction than those receiving medication alone. However, there was no difference in hospital readmissions.
PEEL Lead-In: This suggests that combining treatments offers some advantages for symptom management, even if it does not significantly impact long-term outcomes. It supports the idea that schizophrenia is best addressed through a holistic, interactionist approach.
What is the treatment-causation fallacy in this context?
Turkington et al. (2006) argue that the success of combined treatments does not necessarily mean the interactionist approach is correct.
PEEL Lead-In: While treatment success provides practical justification for the interactionist approach, it does not prove that this model is the most accurate explanation of schizophrenia’s causes. This highlights a limitation in using treatment outcomes to infer theoretical validity.
