Schizophrenia: The interactionist approach to explaining and treating Schizophrenia Flashcards
The interactionist approach considers how …
biological , psychological and social factors work together to influence the development of SZ
What model does the approach use to explain SZ?
the diathesis stress model
Describe what the diathesis stress model states is accountable for the development of SZ
make 1 point
-states that individuals have varying vulnerabilities for SZ (diathesis) that combine with external environmental stressors
Was internal vulnerability originally thought to be genetic or not genetic?
What is now included?
-was originally thought to be genetic
-vulnerabilities due to childhood trauma which might have affected brain development
What may a genetic vulnerability lead to ?
What could this lead to?
a biochemical abnormality eg. in the dopamine system
an inability to process information normally
Give 4 examples of external stressors that could trigger the development of SZ
a relationship breakdown
academic pressure
family dysfunction
drug abuse
Name one person who provides supporting evidence for the diathesis stress model , describe their research and what it suggests , then why the research can be used to support the model
Gottesman 1991- did twin studies and found CR of 48% for MZ and 17% for DZ , which suggests genetic factors are involved in development of SZ
suggests genes alone don’t cause SZ as rates were not 100% therefore environmental triggers must be important
Name another person who provides supporting evidence for the diathesis stress model , describe the research , then why the research can be used to support the model
Marcus 1987-did a prospective longitudinal study of high risk children who had a SZ parent and found children who developed SZ were more likely to come from high EE families and none who received good parenting got SZ
suggests the genetic vulnerability for developing SZ was only triggered when there were appropriate environmental conditions
Who suggested that traumatic childhood events cause changes in the developing brain that could make someone vulnerable to SZ ?
Why is this evidence different to the original model?
Read et al 2001
because this suggests vulnerabilities are also neurodevelopmental not just genetic-this has progressed our understanding of the disorder
What evidence did Semple et al 2005 show about the development of SZ?
Give a however point for this evidence
Why can this evidence be used to suggest the DSM is a better model for explaining SZ?
showed that those who use cannabis , particularly when young , have a higher than average risk of developing SZ
however … not all patients with SZ have been exposed to cannabis and not all cannabis users develop SZ
because it suggests that cannabis is not a causal factor for SZ but it interacts with another factor , and the model suggests that one factor is genetic vulnerability and the other is external stressors
Give a general evaluative statement about the interactionist approach for explaining SZ
the approach does not make it clear how the different risks interact and contribute to development
How is SZ treated using the interactionist approach?
Describe the process of treatment
make 4 points
through the combination of biological and psychological treatments
1)patients given anti-psychotics to reduce their symptoms
2)this allows them to engage with psychological treatments like CBT or family therapy which enable them to cope with their symptoms
3) psychological therapies can also increase compliance with drugs
4)drug treatments continue while psychological therapy is in progress
Who provides supporting evidence for the interactionist approach for treating SZ?
Describe this and state why it can be used as support
Guo et al 2010-studied patients in early stages of SZ and found those given both types of treatment had improved insight to their condition , improved quality of life and social functioning
they were also more likely to continue treatment and less likely to relapse than those given just drugs
because it shows that a combined treatment is most effective
Explain why the interactionist approach takes a holistic view to treating SZ
because by using the diathesis stress model , it suggests SZ can’t be explained by reducing it down to simple elements like genes , but that it includes a variety of psychological and social factors , so this means that treatment will also be holistic
