Interactionist approach to schizophrenia

What is the interactionist approach to schizophrenia

Explains schizophrenia as the result of an interaction between biological and environmental influences

What is the diathesis-stress model for schizophrenia?

States that people can have a predisposition to develop schizophrenia (diathesis), but this disorder will only develop if it is triggered by a stressful environment (stress)

What does Meehl’s (1962) original diathesis-stress model state?

The diathesis (vulnerability) is entirely genetic and the result of a single schizogene which leads to a biologically based schizotypic personality (sensitivity to stress)

Extend on Meehl’s diathesis stress model:

No amount of stress will lead to schizophrenia if the gene is not present

Stress is seen as as psychologically is nature normally related to dysfunctional parenting

What does the modern understanding of stress entail?

Anything that risks triggering schizophrenia (e.g. cannabis) - is not just parenting

What study supports the modern understanding of the diathesis-stress model?

Houston et al (2008) which establishes that cannabis had triggered a lot of schizophrenic episodes in patients

Cannabis is a stressor as it increases risks of schizophrenia by up to 7 times

How is cannabis a stressor?

It interferes with the dopamine system

Individuals will only be at risk of developing schizophrenia after after smoking cannabis of they have the diathesis (vulnerability)

What is a more complex modern understanding of the diathesis-stress model?

Many genes (polygenic) can increase genetic vulnerability slightly and there is no single ‘schizogene’

Diathesis is more than just genes

Outline a study that supports the idea that diathesis is more than genes:

Read (2001) who proposed neurodevelopmental model where psychological trauma is seen as the diatheses

What theory supports Read?

That early trauma alters the developing brain

For example, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system can become overactive making a person more vulnerable to later stress

What is an interactionist approach to treating schizophrenia?

Treating a patient with both antipsychotics and CBTp

Is schizophrenia monogenic or polygenic?

Polygenic