Chapter 2An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology

Amber GilewskiTompkins Cortland Community College

One-Dimensional vs. Multidimensional Models

One-Dimensional Models Explain behavior in terms of a single

cause

Could mean a paradigm, school, or conceptual approach

Tendency to ignore information from other areas

One-Dimensional vs. Multidimensional Models

Multidimensional Models

Interdisciplinary, eclectic, and integrative

“System” of influences that cause and maintain suffering

Draws upon information from several sources

Genetic Contributions to Psychopathology

Nature of Genes

Genes do not dictate behavioral outcomes

Genes create a predisposition or likelihood

Development and behavior is often polygenic

Interaction between genetic factors & environment (i.e. nature and nurture)

New developments in study of genes/behavior

Less than 50% is genetic contribution

The Interaction of Genetic & Environmental Effects

The Diathesis-Stress Model

Examples: blood-injury-injection phobia, alcoholism

Reciprocal Gene-Environment Model

Examples: Depression, sensation-seeking

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

The Central Nervous System (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord

-processes information received from sense organs

Neuron

s 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 (terminal buttons)– Buds at

end of axon from which chemical messages are sent

Synapses – Small gaps that separate neurons

The Structure

of the Brain Two Main Parts

Brainstem - automatic functions

Forebrain – more advanced systems

Main Divisions

Hindbrain – medulla, pons, cerebellum

Midbrain – reticular activating system

Diencephalon – transmits info to forebrain

Teleencephalon – base of forebrain, limbic system

The Structure 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)

The Structure of the Brain

Forebrain (Cerebral Cortex)

Most sensory, emotional, and cognitive processing

2 specialized hemispheres – left & right

Major Structures of the Brain

Fig. 2.6b2, p. 47

The 4 Lobes

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

Neurotransmitters &The Brain

Brain circuits – pathways of neurotransmitters

Drug therapies – increase or decrease flow of neurotransmitters

Agonists - mimic neurotransmitters

Antagonists - act against/block neurotransmitters

Inverse agonists -like agonists, but opposite effect

Most drugs are either agonistic or antagonistic

Main Types of Neurotransmitters

Serotonin (5HT) – affects mood, behavior, thought processes

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) – inhibits behavior and emotions, esp. anxiety

Norepinephrine – endocrine system, contributes to mood and arousal

Dopamine – controls voluntary movements, related to schizophrenia & Parkinson’s

Manipulating Serotonin in the Brain

Fig. 2.11, p. 52

Mental Illness in Social Context

How does the context of the situation influence our interpretations about mental illness?

What does this story say about the stigma of mental illness?

What does it say about the potential dangers of one-dimensional models?

Can you come up with other behaviors that would have been misinterpreted in this situation?