Interactionist approach

• What is the interactionist approach to schizophrenia (diathesis-stress model)?

  Explains schizophrenia as the result of an interaction between biological (diathesis) and environmental (stress) influences.
• What does Meehl’s (1962) original diathesis-stress model state?

  That diathesis (vulnerability) is entirely genetic and the result of a single schizogene which leads to a biologically based schizotypic personality (sensitivity to stress)
• What does the modern understanding of diathesis entail?

  Many genes each can increase genetic vulnerability, not just one gene. Also diathesis can be more than just geentics - e.g. psychological trauma (child abuse)
• What does the term diathesis mean?

  Vulnerability
• What combination of treatment would an interactionist model use?

  Antipsychotics and CBTp
• What is one study which shows support for an interactionist approach for schizophrenia?

  Tienari (2004)
• What were the results of Tienari's (2004) study?

  Found that child-rearing style only affected the development of schizophrenia in children who had a high genetic risk
• What is one study which shows the effectiveness of a combination of treatment for shcizophrenia?

  Tarrier et al. (2004)
• What were the findings of Tarrier et al.'s study?


  Patients who were given a combination of either medication and CBT or medication and supportive counselling showed lower symptom levels than those who had medication only
• Why is the original diathesis-stress model oversimplified?

  Claims that schizophrenia is caused by one single 'schizogene', whereas research has shown there are multiple genes involved. Also other factors other than genes that can lead to a diathesis for schizophrenia