Chapter 2 An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

1. Chapter 2An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

2. One-Dimensional vs. Multidimensional Models • One-Dimensional Models • Explaining behavior in terms of a single cause • Could mean a paradigm, school, or conceptual approach • Problem – Other information is often ignored • Multidimensional Models • Interdisciplinary, eclectic, and integrative • “System” of influences that cause and maintain suffering • Uses information from several sources • Abnormal behavior as multiply determined

3. Multidimensional Models of Abnormal Behavior • Biological Factors (genetics, physiology, neurobiology) • Behavioral Factors • Emotional Influences • Social Factors • Developmental Factors

4. Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology • Gregor Mendel's Work in the 19th Century • Phenotype vs. genotype • Nature of Genes • 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%

5. The Interaction of Genetic and Environmental Effects • Eric Kandel and Gene-Environment Interactions • The Diathesis-Stress Model • Examples include blood-injury-injection phobia and alcoholism • Reciprocal Gene-Environment Model • Examples include depression, divorce, and impulsivity • Non-Genomic Inheritance of Behavior • Environmental influences may override genetic influences • Genes are not the whole story

6. Neuroscience Contributions to Psychopathology • The Field of Neuroscience • The role of the nervous system in disease and behavior • Branches of the Human Nervous System • The central nervous system (CNS) • Brain and spinal cord • The peripheral nervous system (PNS) • Somatic and autonomic branches

7. 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 • Neurons Function Electrically, but Communicate Chemically • Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers

8. Overview: Neuroscience and Brain Structure • Two Main Parts • Brainstem and forebrain • Three Main Divisions • Hindbrain • Midbrain • Forebrain

9. Neuroscience and the Divisions of the Brain • Hindbrain • Medulla – Heart rate, blood pressure, respiration • Pons – Regulates sleep stages • Cerebellum – Involved in physical coordination • Midbrain • Coordinates movement with sensory input • Contains parts of the reticular activating system (RAS) • Forebrain (Cerebral Cortex) • Most sensory, emotional, and cognitive processing • Two specialized hemispheres

10. Major Structures of the Brain Figure 2.7b Major Structures of the Brain.

11. Neuroscience and the 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 and long-term memory storage • Limbic System • Thalamus – Receives and integrates sensory information • Hypothalamus – Eating, drinking, aggression, sexual activity

12. Neuroscience: Peripheral Nervous and Endocrine Systems • Somatic Branch of PNS • Controls voluntary muscles and movement • Autonomic Branch of the PNS • Sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the ANS • Regulates cardiovascular system & body temperature • Regulates the endocrine system and aids in digestion • The Endocrine System • Hormones • The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenalcortical Axis (HYPAC axis) • Integration of endocrine and nervous system function

13. Neuroscience: Functions of MainTypes of Neurotransmitters • Functions of Neurotransmitters • Agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists • Most drugs are either agnostic or antagonistic • Main Types and Functions of Neurotransmitters • Serotonin (5HT) • Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and benzodiazepines • Norepinephrine and beta blockers • Dopamine and L-Dopa

14. Neuroscience: Functions of MainTypes of Neurotransmitters (cont.) Figure 2.11 Major serotonin pathways in brain.

15. Neuroscience: Functions of MainTypes of Neurotransmitters (cont.) Figure 2.12 Manipulating serotonin in the brain.

16. Implications of Neuroscience for Psychopathology • Relations Between Brain and Abnormal Behavior • Example: obsessive compulsive disorder • Example: schizophrenia • Psychosocial Influences • Can change brain structure and function • Therapy • Also changes brain structure and function • Medications and psychotherapy • Example: Depression • Psychosocial Factors • Interact with brain structures and function

17. The Contributions of Behavioral and Cognitive Science • Conditioning and Cognitive Processes • Respondent and operant learning • Learned helplessness • Modeling and observational learning • Social learning • Prepared learning • Cognitive Science and the Unconscious • Implicit learning • Blind sight • Stroop paradigm

18. The Role of Emotion in Psychopathology • The Nature of Emotion • To elicit or evoke action • Action tendency different from affect and mood • Intimately tied with several forms of psychopathology • Components of Emotion • Behavior, physiology, and cognition • Example of fear • Harmful Side of Emotional Dysregulation • Anger, hostility, emotional suppression, illness, and psychopathology

19. Emotions influence on body

20. Emotion Figure 2.16 Emotion has three important and overlapping components: behavior, cognition,and physiology.

21. Cultural, Social, and InterpersonalFactors in Psychopathology • Cultural Factors • Influence form and expression of behavior • Gender Effects • Exerts a strong and puzzling effect on psychopathology • Social Effects on Health and Behavior • Frequency and quality are important • Related to mortality, disease, and psychopathology • Stigma of Psychopathology • Culturally, socially, and interpersonally situated

22. Life-Span and DevelopmentalInfluences Over Psychopathology • Life-Span Developmental Perspective • Addresses developmental changes • Such changes influence and constrain • What is normal and abnormal • The Principle of Equifinality • Concept in developmental psychopathology • Several paths to a given outcome • Paths can vary by developmental stage • Example: Autism

23. Summary of the MultidimensionalPerspective of Psychopathology • Multiple Causation • Is the rule, not the exception • Helpful in explaining normal and abnormal behavior • Take a Broad, Comprehensive, Systemic Perspective • Biological • Psychological • Social, cultural, and developmental factors • Useful • To understand causes of psychopathology • How best to prevent and alleviate psychopathology