the interactionist approach Flashcards
what is the interactionist approach
the interactionist approach s sometimes called the “biosocial approach”
it acknowledges that there are biological, psychological and societal factors in the development of schizophrenia
what are the biological factors
genetic vulnerability
neurochemical
neurological abnormality
what are the psychological factors
stress
life events
daily hassles
poor quality interactions in the family
what is the diathesis-stress model
the diathesis-stress model says that both a vulnerability to schizophrenia and a stress trigger are necessary in order to develop the condition
one or more underlying factors make a person particularly vulnerable to developing schizophrenia but the onset of the condition is triggered by stress
what is Meehl’s model
this is the original diathesis-stress model
the diathesis (vulnerability) was entirely genetic and a result of a single “schizogene” led to the development of a biological-based schizotypic personality
According to Meehl’s- if a person does not have the schizogene then no amount of stress would lead to schizophrenia - if you have the schizogene then chronic stress through childhood and adolescents, in particular, the presence of a schizogenic mother, could result in the development of the condition
what is the modern understanding of diathesis
-many genes each appear to increase genetic vulnerability slightly, and so there is no single “schizogenic” (Ripke et al 2014)
the modern views of diathesis also involve a range of factors beyond the genetic e.g. psychological trauma (Ingram and Luxton 2005) - in this case, trauma becomes the diathesis rather than the stressor (Read et al)
what did Read et al propose about trauma and the development of the brain
Read et al proposed a neurodivergent model in which early trauma alters one developing brian
Early and severe trauma, such as child abuse, can seriously affect many aspects of brain development
what did the original model of diathesis state understanding of stress
stress was seen as psychological in nature, in particular, related to parenting
what does the modern understanding of stress state
the modern definition of stress includes anything that risks triggering an episode of schizophrenia has concerned e.g. cannabis (Housten et al 2008)
what are the studies into schizophrenia
much of the recent research into factors triggering an episode of schizophrenia has concerned cannabis use
In terms of schizophrenia by up to x7 according to dose
This is probably because cannabis interferes with the dopamine system
However most do not develop schizophrenia after smoking cannabis so it seems there was also be one or more vulnerability factors
How should we treat schizophrenia according to the interactions approach
the interactionist model of schizophrenia acknowledges both biological factors in schizophrenia and is therefore compatible with both biological and psychological treatment
what are common treatments when using the interactions model
antipsychotics and psychological therapies
in Britain, it is increasingly standard to treat people with a combination of antipsychotic drugs and CBT
In the USA is more of a history of conflict between psychological and biological models of schizophrenia and this may have led to slower adoption of an interactionist approach
