The fact that the concordance rates are not 100% means that schizophrenia cannot wholly be explained by genes and it could be that the individual has a pre-disposition to schizophrenia and simply makes the individual more at risk of developing the disorder. Some sufferers only take a course of antipsychotics once, while others have to take a regular dose in order to prevent symptoms from reappearing. Turkington et al. This suggests that there are problems with the chicken and egg problem. A strength of the cognitive explanation is that it has practical applications. Social dysfunction and skills in preview & related info | Mendeley Melzer (2012) concluded that Clozapine is effective in 30-50% of cases where other drugs have failed, supporting its use in schizophrenia treatment. The dopamine hypothesis is another biological explanation for schizophrenia. First, the adoptees study method, the index offspring of adopting-away schizo b) Explain one reason why there might be a problem of bias and generalisation in this study. Here are a series of suggested answers for the Schizophrenia topic questions in AQA A Level Psychology Paper 3 (Section B) in June 2018. One weakness of the genetic explanation of schizophrenia is that there are methodological problems. For example parents who say they care whilst appearing critical or who express love whilst appearing angry. Where two conditions are frequently diagnosed together it calls into question the . However, Thornley et al carried out a meta-analysis comparing the effects of Chlorpromazine to placebo conditions and found Chlorpromazine to be associated with better overall functioning Drug therapy is an effective treatment for SZ. Schizophrenia and Dopamine: Links and Connections - Healthline Found that changes in behavior achieved through token economies do not remain when tokens are withdrawn, suggesting that such treatments address effects of schizophrenia rather than causes. tutor2u's AQA Knowledge Books are designed to help students recap and revise the essential specification knowledge by providing retrieval activities and exam skills development - View resources New for 2023 | Online CPD Courses for AQA A-Level Psychology Teachers CPD (Online) Cognitive approaches examine how people think, how they process information. It is also used as a basis for the ICD (International Classification of Diseases) used by the World Health Organisation in classifying all disorders (mental and physical). These might include things as simple as turning up the TV to drown out the voices they were hearing! They may or may not treat the illness as well as clozapine, however. When desired behavior is displayed eg. Metaanalysis by Crossley Et Al (2010) suggested that Atypical antipsychotics are no more effective, but do have less side effects. While schizophrenia has a strong genetic component, some individuals with genetic susceptibilities to the disorder nonetheless remain healthy. The family dysfunction explanation is an explanation that sees maladaptive relationships and patterns of communication as a source of stress which influences the development of schizophrenia Although this study showed that children with a biological parent were still at greater risk even if they had been adopted into families with no history of schizophrenia, all reported cases of schizophrenia occurred in families rated as disturbed. Kahn et al. People with schizophrenia have abnormally large ventricles in the brain . Christopher Frith (1979) argues schizophrenia is the result of a faulty attention system. Substance abuse: Amphetamine and Cannabis and other drugs have also been identified as triggers as they affect serotonin and glutamate levels. 2. Clozapine targets multiple neurotransmitters, not just dopamine, and has been shown to be more effective than other antipsychotics, although the possibility of severe side effects in particular, loss of the white blood cells that fight infection. Schizophrenics returning to such a family were more likely to relapse into the disorder than those returning to a family low in EE. Catatonia- staying in position for hours/days on end, cut off from the world. Effectively means that it needs to be clearly linked and explained in the context of the answer. Inherited factors that make some individuals more likely to develop a certain behaviour or mental disorder. Cognitive biases refer to selective attention. McMonagle and Sultana (2009) found in a meta-analysis of 110 studies, that only 3 had used random allocation (where a true comparison was available with an experimental and control group). Side effects are less severe where patients are taking a reduced dose, as many do today, but this can reduce the effectiveness of the drug as well. The severity of the side-effects is a weakness as patients will be reluctant to take them, or may even die as a result of the effect. The technique alleviates negative symptoms such as poor motivation, and nurses subsequently view patients more positively, which raises staff morale and has beneficial outcomes for patients. Very important to note genetics are only partly responsible, otherwise identical twins would have 100% concordance rates. Last chance to attend a Grade Booster cinema workshop before the exams. Schizophrenogenic mother: Proposed by Fromm-Reichmann (1948), who noted that many of her patients with schizophrenia described a particular type of parent, which she termed 'schizophrenogenic'. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Explain how family dysfunction might be involved in schizophrenia. Therapists may use logical (does it make sense? Pharaoh et al. Given that a much lower number of genes exist than anticipated, it is now recognised that genes have multiple functions and that many genes behavior. delusions. Ventricles are fluid filled cavities (i.e. This raises practical and ethical issues when selecting different types of tretment. 3. As the drugs block dopamine activity, they tend to have (sometime severe) side-effects. Evaluation of family therapy as a treatment for schizophrenia - Stuvia For example, it suggests that schizophrenic behavior is the cause of environmental factors such as cognitive factors. Usually the person has convinced him/herself that he/she is someone powerful or important, such as Jesus Christ, the Queen (e.g. Problems of validity: Are we really testing what we think we are testing? These include reduced levels of emotional expression, disorganised speech and delusions. Paul and Lentz (1977) Token economy led to better overall patient functioning and less behavioral disturbance, More cost-effective (lower hospital costs). Diagnosis refers to the assigning of a label of a disorder to a patient. LS23 6AD For example Hogarty (1991) produced a type of therapy session, which reduced social conflicts between parents and their children which reduced EE and thus relapse rates. The reason for this is because if the individual does have excessive amounts of dopamine then does it really mean that thy ey will develop schizophrenia? That said, please be assured that question paper development involves a rigorous and robust process during which experienced colleagues determine whether or not, for any specific content, within a . During CBT, the therapist lets the patient develop their own alternatives to previous maladaptive beliefs, ideally by looking for alternative explanations and coping strategies that are already present in the patients mind. Explanations of Attachment: Learning Theory, Research Methods: Scientific Method & Techniques, The Ethological Explanation of Aggression, Psychological Explanations of Offending Behaviour, Dealing with Offending Behaviour: Custodial Sentencing. Explain how family dysfunction might be involved in schizophrenia. Therefore, the evidence supporting token economies is very weak. People with schizophrenia often suffer terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal voices not heard by others, or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. Culture One of the biggest controversies in relation to classification and diagnosis is to do with cultural relativism and variations in diagnosis. Pederson and Mortensen (Denmark 2001) found Scandanavian villages have very LOW levels of psychosis, but 15 years of living in a city increased risk. Tarrier (1987) used detailed interview techniques, and found that people with schizophrenia can often identify triggers to the onset of their psychotic symptoms, and then develop their own methods of coping with the distress caused. It also seems to be aetiologically heterogeneous as different studies have identified different candidate genes. 214 High Street, Voices are usually heard coming from outside the persons head giving instructions on how to behave. tutor2u is the leading support service for A-Level, GCSE, BTEC and IB students and teachers preparing for assessments, mocks and final exams. They found that schizophrenics reported a higher recall of double bind statements by their mothers than non-schizophrenics. Neuropsychologist Michael Foster Green suggests that neurocognitive deficits in basic functions such as memory, attention, central executive and problem solving skills may combine to have an outcome which we are labelling Schizophrenia as if it was the cause when in fact it is simply an umbrella term for a set of effects. In other words, it doesnt cure schizophrenia, it just helps people get over it. Visual - Evaluation of neural correlates for schizophrenia 4. The NICE review of family therapy studies demonstrated that it was associated with significant cost savings when offered to patients alongside the standard care Relapse rates are also lower which suggests the savings could be even higher. Individual differences EE is associated with relapse but not all patients who live in high EE families relapse and not all patients in low EE families avoid relapse Family dysfunction is an incomplete explanation for schizophrenia. There are two components: 1. It can also reduce positive symptoms by not rewarding them, but rewarding desirable behavior instead. A second strength of the research into expressed emotion (EE) is that it has practical applications. MZ twins share 100% of their genes, compared to DZ twins who only share 50% of their genes, so this suggests that genes must have some influence on the development of schizophrenia. Drug therapy is a biological treatment for schizophrenia. This suggests that one needs to be careful when establishing cause and effect relationships in schizophrenic patients. They are then given homework tasks to practice, and keep a record of how it worked. The original version suggested it was due to high levels or activity of dopamine in the subcortex (hyperdopaminergia). They believed that schizophrenia was a result of social pressures from life. Another family variable associated with schizophrenia is a negative emotional climate, or more generally a high degree of expressed emotion (EE). West Yorkshire, Book now . Non-biological Explanation AO1 AO2 - PSYCHOLOGY WIZARD Holistic Identifies that patients have different triggers, genes etc. The researchers found that the males had a genetic condition which became later known as "Brunner syndrome" (it is important to note that females only carry this condition, as it only affects the MAOA production gene on the single X chromosome in males). culture and gender bias and symptom overlap. Last chance to attend a Grade Booster cinema workshop before the exams. Weak evidence for family based explanations, there is no evidence that supports the importance of double bind theory. Note: you may come across the terms DSM-IV and ICD-10. Evidence for this comes from that fact that amphetamines increase the amounts of dopamine . Research evidence from autopsies has shown that schizophrenia sufferers have more dopamine receptors, which may lead to more neural firing and therefore an over production of messages. Gottesman reports that while the rate of schizophrenia in the general population is 1%, if one parent has schizophrenia there is a 12% likelihood their child will develop it and if both parents have schizophrenia, it increases to 40%. Reliability is the level of agreement on the diagnosis by different psychiatrists across time and cultures; stability of diagnosis over time given no change in symptoms. Ethics do the benefits of classification (care, treatment, safety) outweigh the costs (possible misdiagnosis, mistreatment, loss of rights and responsibility, prejudice due to labelling). The understanding and treatment of schizophrenia have been greatly hampered by uncertainty about etiological factors and controversy about diagnostic boundaries. Refer to one or more types of family dysfunction in your answer. Schizophrenia Interactionist Approach Interactionist Approach Interactionist Approach Addiction Addiction Treatment Theories Aversion Therapy Behavioural Interventions Drug Therapy Gambling Addiction Nicotine Addiction Physical and Psychological Dependence Reducing Addiction Risk Factors for Addiction Six Stage Model of Behaviour Change Schizophrenia 16-marker Plans (AQA A Level Psychology) Description AQA A Level Schizophrenia: 16-marker plans for the explanations and treatments of schizophrenia aqa a level psychology schizophrenia a2 psychology aqa a level psychology- 16-mark question plans as level Note by Grace Fawcitt, updated more than 1 year ago 2915 8 0 Resource summary They generally have fewer side effects eg. desire): in which a person becomes totally apathetic and sits around waiting for things to happen. Family dysfunction | definition of Family dysfunction by Medical dictionary CBT aims to identify and alter irrational thinking including regarding: In theory, when the misunderstandings have been swept away, emotional attitudes will also improve. Schizophrenia: Comorbidity | Psychology | tutor2u Bruce Johnson is an A-level psychology teacher, and head of the sixth form at Caterham High School. The descriptions follow the same criteria; however you have to use the issues and debates effectively in your answers. In a token economy, tokens are given to reward people in psychiatric institutions for performing socially desirable behaviours, the aim being to encourage self-care. Family therapy is a form of therapy carried out with members of the family with the aim of improving their communication and reducing the stress of living as a family. So the stressors of modern living could cause increased schizophrenia in future generations. Therefore there is no need to feel stressed or ashamed about them. ', In a study of communication, researchers used a language rating scale to compare two groups of participants. Second, cognitive biases are present when people notice, pay attention to, or remember certain types of information better than other. Read et al (2005) reviewed 46 studies of child abuse and schizophrenia and found concluded that 69% of adult women in-patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia had a physical abuse, sexual abuse or . Copyright Get Revising 2023 all rights reserved. This demonstrates the high reliability of the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia using up-to-date classification. One of the biggest criticisms of the dopamine hypothesis came when Farde et al found no difference between schizophrenics levels of dopamine compared with healthy individuals in 1990. Education and rapport training: therapist and client work together to improve the effectiveness of the clients own coping strategies and develop new ones. First generation Antipsychotics are called Typical Antipsychotics Bentalls meta-analysis (2012) shows that stress arising from abuse in childhood increases the risk of developing schizophrenia. B: behavior how do you react in these situations ? A second explanation developed, which suggests that it is not excessive dopamine but that fact that there are more dopamine receptors. The schizophrenic twin generally had more enlarged ventricles and a reduced anterior hypothalamus. Twenty-six of forty patients (65.0%) were taking haloperidol and 14 (35.0%) chlorpromazine. Neural correlates are patterns of structure or activity in the brain that occur in conjunction with schizophrenia. Combining treatments is most common in the UK, although it is also sometimes used in the USA. CBT does seem to reduce relapses and readmissions to hospital (NICE 2014). Cognitive deficits have been suggested as possible explanations for a range of behaviors associated with schizophrenia. Medications reduce positive symptoms particularly hallucinations and delusions; and usually allow the patient to function more effectively and appropriately. The aim in modern forms of this therapy is to reduce the stress in the family environment so preventing relapse. Refer to one or more types of family dysfunction in your answer. [4 marks], Briefly outline family dysfunction as an explanation for schizophrenia. The stress-trigger could be environmental __or biological (for example, smoking cannabis is linked with schizophrenia). Hallucinations are usually auditory or visual perceptions of things that are not present. Therefore, CBT has potential ethical issues. Delusions of Grandeur). Example Answers for Schizophrenia: A Level Psychology, Paper 3, June 2019 (AQA) Exam Support. 214 High Street, Psychomotor Disturbances: Stereotypyical Rocking backwards and forwards, twitches, & repetitive behaviors. The idea of pleasing her, shows that he does want to make . One biological explanation for schizophrenia is that it is passed on through the genes. A. Upper and Newton (1971) found that the weight gain associated with taking antipsychotics was addressed with token economy regimes. Recovery may be due to psychological factors The placebo effect is when patients symptoms are reduced because they believe that it should. Research in Hampshire, by Kingdon and Kirschen (2006) found that CBT is not suitable for all patients, especially those who are too thought disorientated or agitated, who refuse medication, or who are too paranoid to form trusting alliances with practitioners. You MUST revise everything because the exam board could choose any question, however, it does make sense to spend more time on those topics which have not appeared for a while. Get Revising is one of the trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. amphetamines) can produce-schizophrenia like symptoms in non-sufferers. For example, trying to persuade an individual that the government is not watching or monitoring them in any way may interfere with their (possibly justifiable) fear of an over-controlling government. The Family of Schizophrenia | Psychology Today Avolition: Lack of volition (i.e. basis. Keywords: psychosocial dysfunction, family burden, schizophrenia, OCD. BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester. Further support comes from the fact that dopamine agonists (e.g. For example, schizophrenia and depression are often found together. Other side effects are potentially fatal, for example agranulocytosis and neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Cause and effect It remains unclear whether cognitive factors cause schizophrenia or if schizophrenia causes these cognitions Family dysfunction may not be a valid explanation for schizophrenia. If family dynamics were the sole cause of schizophrenia, then all children raised in similar environments should be schizophrenic. There are also delusions of being paranoid, worrying that people are out to get them. Lobban (2013) reports that other family members felt they were able to cope better thanks to family therapy. They arrest dopamine production by blocking the D2 receptors in synapses that absorb dopamine, in the mesolimbic pathway thus reducing positive symptoms, such as auditory hallucinations. Atypical antipsychotics: Developed in the 1970s, as an attempt to find drugs with fewer severe side-effects than typical antipsychotics. Schizophrenia 16-marker Plans (AQA A Level Psychology) | Note - GoConqr This suggests that biological factors predispose someone to schizophrenia, but this has to be triggered by some sort of experience or stressor.