The Interactionist Appraoch To Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is the interactionist approach?
The approach that acknowledges that there are both biological, psychological and societal factors in the development of SZ
What model does the interactionist approach encompass?
The diathesis stress model
What is the diathesis stress model?
A model that suggests that schizophrenia is caused by a combination of genetic vulnerability and environmental stressors
What does a combination of environmental stressors and a biological diathesis cause?
It triggers or worsens a SZ episode
What biological factors do this?
Genetic vulnerability, neurochemical abnormality and neurological abnormality
What are the psychological factors?
Stress, life events and daily hassles
What does diathesis mean?
Vulnerability
What does the theory suggest you need to develop the condition?
A vulnerability and a stress trigger
What is the supporting evidence for the diathesis stress model
Meehl 1962
What did Meehl suggest?
The diathesis vulnerability was completely genetic, which is the result of a single ‘schizogene’
What has the development of the schizogene led to?
The development of the biologically based schizotypic personality, characteristic of which is stress
What did Meehls say about a person that didn’t have the schizogene?
That is a person does have the gene no amount of stress would lead to SZ
What traits and experiences did Meehl say could lead to SZ
Chronic stress through childhood and adolescence, and the presence of a schizophrenogenic mother
What is the modern diathesis understanding according to Ripke et al 2014?
There is no one single schizogene
What is the modern diathesis understanding according to Ingram and Luxton 2005?
The involvement of psychological trauma, where the trauma becomes the diathesis rather then the stressor
What is the modern diathesis understanding according to Read et al 2001
Proposed a neurodevelopment model, where early trauma alters the brain.
What did Read et al 2001 say about trauma on brain development?
Early and severe trauma (child abuse) can seriously affect many aspects of brain development - the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system can become over-active
What is the modern understanding of stress?
Anything that triggers SZ
What is the modern stress understanding according to Houston et al 2008?
Found that cannabis is a trigger because it is a stressor which increases the the risk of SZ by up to 7 times
Why is cannabis considered as a risk factor of SZ?
Because it interferes with the dopamine system
What is the contradictory point of smoking cannabis as a risk factor?
Most who smoke cannabis don’t develop SZ, so there must be another factor
What is the treatment for SZ according to the interactions approach?
It takes a biological and psychological approach by combining antipsychotics drugs and CBT
Why can’t you adopt a full biological approach?
Because it doesn’t play a part in psychological symptoms
Why is it unusual to treat SZ with just psychological treatments?
Because before CBT is even considered most patients are already taking drugs
