The interactionist approach to Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is the interactionist approach?
Acknowledges that there are biological psychological and social factors in the development of SZ.
What do the biological factors of SZ include?
-Genetic vulnerability
-Neurochemical and neurological abnormality.
What do the psychological factors of SZ include?
Stress from life events and daily hassles.
What do the social factors of SZ include?
Poor quality interactions in the family.
What does diathesis mean?
Vulnerability.
What is the stress? (in the context of SZ)
A negative experience.
What does the diathesis-stress model say about SZ?
That both a vulnerability to SZ and a stress-trigger are necessary in order to develop the disorder.
What does Meehl’s model state about SZ?
Diathesis was the result of a single ‘schizogene’ which led to the idea of a biologically based schizotypic personality.
What is a characteristic of the schizotypic personality?
Sensitivity to stress.
What does Meehl state about the schizogene?
If a person does not have the schizogene then no amount of stress would lead to SZ.
What could result in the onset of SZ according to Meehl?
In carriers of he gene, chronic stress through childhood and adolescence (schizophrenogenic mother) could result in the development of the disorder.
How has the understanding of the diathesis changed? (modern)
It is now clear that many genes each appear to increase genetic vulnerability only slightly, there is no single ‘schizogene’.
What becomes the diathesis rather than the stressor in the new modern understanding?
Trauma becomes the diathesis rather than the stressor.
What are the factors of the modern diathesis?
goes beyond just genetic and includes psychological trauma.
What did Read et al (2001) state about the trauma?
He proposed a neurodevelopmental model in which early trauma alters the developing brain.
What did Read say early and severe trauma (e.g. child abuse) can lead to?
The hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) system can become overactive, making a person much more vulnerable to later stress.
What is the modern understanding of stress?
Includes anything that risks triggering SZ.
What has been found via research that factors triggering a SZ episode?
Cannabis use acts as a trigger.
In terms of the diathesis-stress model what is cannabis and why?
The stressor because it increases the risk of SZ by up to 7 times according to the dose.
Why may people not develop SZ after smoking cannabis?
They presumably lack the requisite vulnerability factors.
In regards to treatment what is the diathesis-model most associated with?
Combining antipsychotic medication and psychological therapies (e.g. CBT).
What did Turkington et al (2006) state about treatment?
It is perfectly possible to believe in biological causes of SZ and still practice CBT to relieve psychological symptoms.
-> This requires adopting an interactionist model.
What is Britain’s standard procedure with treatment?
To treat people diagnosed with SZ with a combination of antipsychotic drugs and CBT.
What are the issues with the US and the interactionist approach?
There is more of a history of conflict between psychological and biological models of SZ and this may have led to slower adoption of the interactionist approach.
What is more common in the US than the UK in regards to SZ treatment?
Medication without an accompanying psychological treatment is more common in the US than the UK.
What is the research to support the combination of biological and psychological treatments?
Tarrier et al (2004)
- Randomly allocated 315 participants into 3 groups.
- (1) medication + CBT
- (2) medication + counselling
- (3) control group (medication only)
-> Participants in the 2 combination groups showers lower symptoms following the trial than the control group.
-> BUT there was no difference in hospital readmission.
