SZ Flashcards
What are the characteristics of a schizophrenogenic mother?
- Cold
- Rejecting
- Controlling
- Creates a family characterised by tension and secrecy.
What does the Double-Bind theory create for an individual?
-Creates confusion and makes an individual see the world as a dangerous place due to being subject to unfair situations whilst growing up.
- They fear doing wrong but are subject to mixed messages as to what is right or wrong. When they do wrong however, they are punished with a withdrawal of love.
- They are also unable to comment on the unfairness of these situations.
What are the different elements of Expressed Emotion (EE)?
- Verbal Criticism (occasionally involving violence)
- Hostility (e.g. anger or rejection)
- Emotional overinvolvement (including needless sacrifice)
What part of the brain is responsible for negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
-Reduced thought processing in the ventral striatum is associated with negative symptoms.
What part of the brain is responsible for SZ hallucinations?
-Reduced processing in the temporal and cingulate gyrus are associated with hallucinations.
What is metarepresentation?
- The cognitive ability to reflect on thoughts and behaviours.
- It gives insight into our own intentions and goals and also allows us to interpret actions of others.
What can metarepresentation dysfunction lead to?
- Dysfunction would disrupt ability to recognise our own actions and thoughts, a person with SZ might then believe these functions are being carried out by someone else.
- This can explain hallucinations of hearing voices and delusions like thought insertion.
What is the central control?
-Ability to suppress automatic responses/triggers.
What does central control dysfunction lead to?
- Means that the individual can’t suppress automatic thoughts that get triggered by other thoughts. This can explain disorganised speech and disordered thinking.
- An example is that those with SZ tend to experience derailment of thought, s each word triggers associations which can not be suppressed.
Outline Tienari research of psychological causes of schizophrenia.
- Found level of SZ in adopted individuals whose biological parents had SZ was 6% when raised in a healthy family and 37% in dysfunctional families.
- Supports family dysfunction theory and that those with a genetic vulnerability are more likely to be affected by environmental stressors.
Explain how psychological explanations of schizophrenia has a lack of perspective data.
- Most of research into family dysfunction is conducted after a child has been diagnosed with SZ.
- It can be argued that the diagnosis of SZ could be the real cause of dysfunction in the family as it may lead to fear and confusion as to how to deal with the disorder and how the disorder may affect the individual’s life and wellbeing.
- This decreases validity of the family dysfunction explanation of the psychological explanation of developing SZ.
Who conducted research into the cognitive explanation of schizophrenia?
Outline their research.
-Stirling conducted research.
- Compared SZ patients and non-patients in a variety of cognitive tasks, e.g the Stroop Test (explain what this is briefly).
- Stirling found that SZ patients took twice as long to complete test when compared to non-SZ patients.
-This suggests that those with SZ have cognitive impairment which strengthens the central control aspect of Frith’s cognitive explanation for schizophrenia.
What are Atypical antipsychotic drugs?
What is an example of an atypical drug and how does it work?
- Newer drug treatments which are thought to be more effective than typical drug treatments.
- Clozapine is an example of an atypical drug. This drug acts on serotonin and dopamine production and relieves negative symptoms of SZ
What is dopamine antagonism?
- Works by blocking dopamine receptors which reduces the action of dopamine in the brain. Antipsychotic drugs target the D2 receptor on the axon.
- Antagonists in terms of drugs are those that reduce the action of a neurotransmitter.
How do atypical drug treatments work?
- They target dopamine and serotonin binding on dopamine receptors, like typical drugs do, but also act on serotonin and glutamate receptors.
- Drugs such as clozapine have also been associated with helping with other conditions such as depression and anxiety as well as improving cognitive ability.
- It also increases mood. this is important as 50% of those with SZ attempt suicide.
How did Thornly research the effectiveness of typical antipsychotic drugs?
How many studies?
- Reviewed studies comparing effects of chlorpromazine to control conditions.
- Data from 13 trials with a total of 1121 participants showed that Chlorpromazine was associated with better overall functioning and reduced symptom severity when compared to a placebo.
Explain how side effects question the argument for the effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs?
What is the name of the condition that can be developed following long-term use?
- Typical antipsychotics are associated with many side-effects.
e. g dizziness, agitation, sleepiness, stiff jaw, weight gain and itchy skin. - Long term use of these drugs can lead to tardive dyskinesia which is caused by dopamine supersensitivity which causes involuntary facial movements.
- The most serious side effect is thought to be neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Believed to be caused when drugs block dopamine in the hypothalamus. NMS results in high temperature, delirium and comas which can prove fatal.
- This reduces the effectiveness of the drug as people may choose not to follow through with this treatment.
How can drugs be very appropriate?
- Drugs can be very useful in the real world as they can be delivered to those who live in remote locations.
- They can also be helpful for those suffering from severe symptoms of SZ as following drug treatments individual may be able to take part in other treatments such as CBT.
