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issues and debates - CLINICAL - Coggle Diagram
issues and debates - CLINICAL
psychology as a science
objective data to support biological explanations of schizophrenia (brain scans, blood tests, genetic testing, etc) - highly credible; highly controlled lab experiments; standardised, replicable procedures
Carlsson's lit review focused on scientific methodology (eg: brain scans) - produced highly objective data using very precise methods - offer strong evidence for biological explanation of schizophrenia
ethics
if a patient is sectioned under the Mental Health Act, treatment can be given without their consent if deemed necessary (eg: drug treatment) - used when patient or others are in danger, so arguably necessary
side effects of drug treatments
recently developed treatment- deep brain stimulation - uses electricity to modulate transmission of brain signals - fewer side effects, about 2/3 effectiveness - ethical
neurosurgery- destruction of small amounts of brain tissue within areas known to be implicated in OCD - estimated to be about 1/2 effective - risks include seizures, personality changes - irreversible, should only be offered as a last resort
culture
ICD and DSM are slightly different so may lead to diff diagnoses (although attempting to assimilate); improvements being made to improve cultural awareness - clinicians encouraged to take cultural background of patient into account when diagnosing
cross-cultural research helps clinicians' understanding of cultural factors that should be taken into account when diagnosing and treating patients
social control
once labelled as 'mentally ill', there can be serious implications - it is possible to treat patients against their own consent if they have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act
clinicians change behaviour they view as 'abnormal' into socially acceptable behaviour
some drug treatments aim to make patients more 'manageable' (passive, easy to control)
practical issues
diagnostic process often conducted using clinical interviews - could be unreliable or invalid due to un/semi-structured format; self report so patients can lie, withhold or embellish info, decreasing validity; clinician may focus on diff symptoms
difficult to study effectiveness of family therapy - only patients best suited for therapy are offered it, so those who would be less suitable wouldn't be involved - treatment bias
practical project - clear operationalisation of codes needed, unambiguous, allow other researchers to replicate to test for reliability
change of psychological research over time
classification systems DSM and ICD are constantly being updated to become more culturally inclusive, and to include new disorders or change classifications for existing disorders
use of psychological knowledge in society
understanding of biological cause of schizophrenia has led to new drug treatments being developed
nature/nurture
nature - biological explanation of scz - genes, neurotransmitters - 48% concordance rate of MZ twins
nurture - social explanation: higher rates of scz found in deprived areas, increased drug use potentially leading to higher scz rates
diathesis-stress model - scz develops in those who have a genetic predisposition to developing it (genetic, neurochemical, neuroanatomical factors) who also have an environmental trigger
most psychologists degree that no disorder comes from nature or nurture in isolation - it is a combination of many factors
reductionism
biological explanations can be considered reductionist - simplify complex behaviour to a mechanical or simplistic explanation (eg: activity of a few neurons, expression of a certain set of genes, lack/excess of certain neurotransmitters)
comparisons between ways of explaining behaviour
psychological explanations - the way the mind processes information leads to development of OCD symptoms
behaviourist approach - the sufferer learns to associate non-threatening items with fearful stimuli (eg: negative thoughts/experiences), then manages this fear through performing rituals to reduce anxiety (negative reinforcement)
psychodynamic explanation - OCD is the result of ego defence mechanisms operating, such as isolation- unwanted thoughts the person does not want to admit, then uncontrollable compulsions; reaction formation- the person reacts against undesirable desires by doing the opposite