Critical considerations in psychopathology (Florence Sheen)

Why are critical considerations important

• puts things into context

• helps evaluate research and develop critical arguments

What is a risk factor

variable/condition associated with an increased risk/chance of disorder/disease

What is a protective factor

variable/condition associated with a lower risk/chance of disorder, or that reduces the negative impact of a risk factor

To explore the heritability of mental disorders, we use …

quantitative genetics

What are quantitative genetic based on

comparing the similarity of family members who share different levels of genes and environment

What are the different designs for quantitative genetics studies

• family studies

• adoption studies

• twin studies

What does quantitative genetics try to explain

why there are individual differences in a population

How are twin studies done

• largely based on comparisons between monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins

  • monozygotic twins:

    • identical

    • share 100% of their DNA and all of their shared environment

  • dizygotic twins:

    • non-identical

    • shared (on average) 50% of their DNA and all of their shared environment

suggests genetic effect

What are sources of variation in twin studies

• A - additive genetic influence

• C - common (shared) environment

• E - specific (non-shared) environment

What is the goal in Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs)

to determine if a specific therapy/treatment actually makes a positive difference to the people receiving it

• random allocation to various conditions (condition A vs. condition B (placebo))

• reduces the risk of there being systematic differences between treatment groups

• against potential confounding variables

• provides a true, reliable assessment of effectiveness

  • gold standard, when conducted robustly, they provide a true, reliable assessment of effectiveness