The interactionist approach to schizohrenia

Question 1

What is the interactionist approach

Answer 1

Acknowledges there are biological/social/psychological factors involved in schizophrenia and these factors interact

Question 2

Example of biological factors in developing
schizophrenia

Answer 2

-Genetic vulnerability
-Neurochemical/Neurological abnormality

Question 3

Example of psychological factors in developing schizophrenia

Answer 3

Stress (e.g caused by childhood trauma)

Question 4

Example of social factors in developing schizophrenia

Answer 4

Poor quality interactions in family

Question 5

What does diathesis mean (diathesis stress model)

Answer 5

Vulnerability

Question 6

Diathesis stress model explaining schizophrenia

Answer 6

Vulnerability + stress-trigger= schizophrenia

Question 7

Who created the original diathesis stress model

Answer 7

Meehl (1962)

Question 8

Meehl’s diathesis stress model

Answer 8

Diathesis= genetic (schizogene) causes schizotopic personality
-Schizotopic personality more sensitive to stress

So chronic stress in early life= schizophrenia for carriers of the gene

Question 9

How is the modern understanding of diathesis different from Meehl’s model?

Answer 9

Schizophrenia is polygenic so not caused by single “schizogene)

Diathesis can be childhood trauma (e.g Read et al’s neurodevelopmental model)

Question 10

Read et al’s neurodevelopmental model

Answer 10

Severe early trauma affects brain development
Can= overactive HPA system which makes a person much more vulnerable to later stress

Question 11

What is the HPA system

Answer 11

Hypothalamic-Pituatary-Adrenal system

Question 12

Modern definition of stress

Answer 12

Stressor can be anything that + risk of developing schizophrenia e.g smoking cannabis

Question 13

How does smoking cannabis cause schizophrenia

Answer 13

x 7 increased risk, probably because interferes with dopamine system

But must have genetic vulnerability

Question 14

How is schizophrenia treated according to interactionist approach

Answer 14

Antipsychotic drugs for biological factors

Psychological therapies to relieve psychological symptoms (e.g CBT)

Question 15

What is the standard practise to treating schizophrenia in the UK

Answer 15

Antipsychotic drugs + CBD

Question 16

How is schizophrenia treated in US

Answer 16

Slower adoption of interactionist approach= more common to give drugs without psychological treatment

Question 17

Strength of interactionist approach

Answer 17

Evidence supporting role of vulnerability/trigger
e.g Tienari et al’s adoption study: adoptees with fam history of S compared to those without
-Adoptive parents assessed for child-rearing style= bad parenting strongly associated with S but only in high genetic vulnerability group

So combination of genetic vulnerability/family stress can = S

Question 18

Weakness of original diathesis-stress model

Answer 18

Oversimplicity
-e.g schizophrenia polygenic so not caused by 1 “schizogene”/stressor can be more than just schizophrenogenic parenting (e.g weed)

So multiple factors affecting diathesis/stress, hence supporting modern understanding

Question 19

Houston et al’s study

Answer 19

Found childhood sexual abuse= diathesis and smoking cannabis= trigger

So diathesis and triggers can come in many shapes and sizes

Question 20

2 Strength of interactionist approach

Answer 20

Real-world application treatments as led to combination of drugs/psychological therapies used
-Research support e.g Tarrier et al found 2 groups given combination showed less symptoms than drug only group

So clear practical advantage in adopting interactionist approach

Question 21

Counterpoint to application of interactionist approach in developing treatments

Answer 21

Treatment-causation fallacy
-Cannot assume success of combined therapies means the interactionist approach is correct