Download An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

Chapter 2
An Integrative Approach to
Psychopathology
One-Dimensional vs.
Multidimensional Models
• One-dimensional models
– Explain behavior in terms of a single cause
– Tendency to ignore information from other
areas
One-Dimensional vs.
Multidimensional Models
(continued)
• Multidimensional models
– Interdisciplinary, eclectic, and integrative
– “System” of influences that cause and maintain
suffering
– Draws upon information from several sources
– Abnormal behavior results from multiple
influences
Multidimensional Models of
Abnormal Behavior
• Major influences
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–
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–
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Biological
Behavioral
Emotional
Social & cultural
Developmental
Genetic Contributions to
Psychopathology
• Phenotype vs. genotype
• Nature of genes
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–
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Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) – the double helix
23 pairs of chromosomes
Dominant vs. recessive genes
Development and behavior is often polygenetic
• Genetic contribution to psychopathology
– Less than 50%
The Interaction of Genetic and
Environmental Effects
• Eric Kandel and gene-environment
interactions
• The diathesis-stress model
– Examples: Blood-injury-injection phobia,
alcoholism
The Interaction of Genetic and
Environmental Effects (continued)
• Reciprocal gene-environment model
– Examples: depression, impulsivity
• Non-genomic inheritance of behavior
– Genes are not the whole story
– Environmental influences may override
genetics
Neuroscience Contributions to
Psychopathology
• The field of neuroscience
– The role of the nervous system in disease and
behavior
• Branches of human nervous system
– The central nervous system (CNS)
• Brain and spinal cord
– The peripheral nervous system (PNS)
• Somatic and autonomic branches
Neuroscience and the Central
Nervous System
• The neuron
– Soma – cell body
– Dendrites – branches that receive messages
from other neurons
– Axon – trunk of neuron that sends messages
to other neurons
– Axon terminals – buds at end of axon from
which chemical messages are sent
– Synapses – small gaps that separate neurons
Neuroscience and the Central
Nervous System (continued)
• Neurons operate electrically, but
communicate chemically
– Neurotransmitters are the chemical
messengers
Neuroscience and Brain
Structure (continued)
• Limbic system
– Thalamus – receives and integrates sensory
information
– Hypothalamus – eating, drinking, aggression,
sexual activity
Limbic System
Neuroscience and Brain
Structure
• Lobes of cerebral cortex
– Frontal – thinking and reasoning abilities,
memory
– Parietal – touch recognition
– Occipital – integrates visual input
– Temporal – recognition of sights and sounds,
long-term memory storage
Neuroscience: Peripheral Nervous
and Endocrine Systems
• Somatic branch of PNS
– Controls voluntary muscles and movement
• Autonomic branch of the PNS
– Sympathetic and parasympathetic branches
– Regulates cardiovascular system & body
temperature
– Also regulates the endocrine system and aids
in digestion
Neuroscience: Peripheral Nervous
and Endocrine Systems (continued)
• The endocrine system
– Hormones
• The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenalcortical
axis (HPA axis)
– Integration of endocrine and nervous system
function
Location of
some major
endocrine
glands
Neuroscience: Functions of Main
Types of Neurotransmitters
• Functions of neurotransmitters
– Agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists
– Most drugs are either agonistic or antagonistic
Neuroscience: Functions of Main
Types of Neurotransmitters
(continued)
• Main types of neurotransmitters
–
–
–
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Serotonin (5-HT)
Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Norepinephrine
Dopamine
Major serotonin pathways in the brain.
Major norepinephrine pathways in the human brain
Implications of Neuroscience
for Psychopathology
• Relations between brain and abnormal
behavior
– Example: obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Psychosocial influences
– Can change brain structure and function
Implications of Neuroscience
for Psychopathology (continued)
• Therapy
– Also can change brain structure and function
– Medications and psychotherapy
• Psychosocial factors
– Interact with brain structure and function
The Contributions of Behavioral
and Cognitive Science
• Conditioning and cognitive processes
– Respondent and operant learning
– Learned helplessness
– Social learning
• Modeling and observational learning
– Prepared learning
The Role of Emotion in
Psychopathology (continued)
• Components of emotion
– Behavior, physiology, and cognition
– Example of fear
• Harmful side of emotional dysregulation
– Anger, hostility, emotional suppression, illness,
and psychopathology
Cultural, Social, and Interpersonal
Factors in Psychopathology
• Cultural factors
– Influence the form and expression of behavior
• Gender effects
– Exert a strong and puzzling effect on
psychopathology
• Social effects on health and behavior
– Frequency and quality important
– Related to mortality, disease, and
psychopathology
Summary of the Multidimensional
Perspective of Psychopathology
• Multiple causation
– Is the rule, not the exception
• Take a broad, comprehensive, systemic
perspective
– Biological
– Psychological
– Social, cultural, and developmental factors
Summary of the Multidimensional
Perspective of Psychopathology
(continued)
• Comprehensive approach
– Understanding the causes of psychopathology
– To best alleviate and prevent psychopathology