Gottesman Flashcards
(10 cards)
Validity
This study relies heavily on the use of the ICD which may make the study invalid. The diagnosis made within the study may have been invalid int he first place as there is a cross over of symptoms between schizophrenia (Psychotic disorder) and Bipolar disored (Affective disorder) such as a lack of motivation which is also known as Avolition within schizophrenia. This is considered invalid as there could be a high likelihood of misdiagnosis between individuals. For exmplae a stuyd conducted by Myer has found that 45% if patients who were desirbed as having symptoms of Bipolar disorder were misdiagnosed as having a psychotic disored like schizophrenia
Secondly, the minimum age of participants were 10 years of age. This means that other factors such as their enviornment could have been a cuase for their symptoms. This can be illustrated using the Social Learning Theoy which expalins that we leanr our behaviour through watching and mimicking our role models or significant others, meaning that since either both or one of their parent had either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder this could lead to teh child copying the obvious symptoms such as low mood and delusions (could believe that the delusions are true), from their parents. This is invalid as the experiment main aim is to see whether there is a genetic component within gaining a mental illness, however enviornmental factors could ruin the results thus reducing the validity
Sine thsi experiemtn links to the genetci explanation fo schizophrenia, there may be another factor as to why it is invalid. Although, MZ twins are gentically identical to each other, they still share the same enviornment, threfore the validity of this experimetn is low as we do not know wether the concordance rates for mental illness are due to genes or due to life events that they have experineced.
Validity of background areas
Seeman has noted that there are many different research method used to find evidence in relation to the dopamnine hypotheiss of schizophreania. The fact that all these researh methods point in the same directiomn suggests that schizophrenia is caused by high levels of dopamine and dopamine receptors means that is concurrently valid.
One issue of brain abnormality, relating to abnormality, is whether brain abnormality is a cuase or a consequence of schizophrenia. However, reserach has been conduceted comparing schizophrenic patients with people who are a high riskl of developing this disorder or people who are at the early stages of onset of this disroder. He found simmilairites between the braikn structure of thses people suggesting that brain abnormaloity is casue of this diosrder thus supporting the brain abnormality explantion of schizophrenia.
Sampling bias
It is highly generalisable to the target population fo Danish people. However, it is not representative to people outside of that country as different countries may have different diagnostic systems and different criteria for admissions ot hospitals. Therfore it is biased.
Another reason why it may be biased is that it dosent icnlude paietns who were treated with teh disoreder, or pateitns who have symptoms but are nto being treated for it, or those who have different disorder. It onyl includes the most sever cases of mental illness. Therfore it is only applicable to severe disorder. Therfore according to this study only severe disorder have a convincing genetic component.
Ethnocentrism
Gottesman mainyl focuses ont he medical model and are both very indivdualist meaning that it only focuses ont he western culture which onyl finds a defintive cuase for behaviour exhibited by a person. In other cultures, explanations of mental illnesses which be attributed towards social, cultrual or spiritual factor. For example, many cultures hol the idea that mental illnesses are caused by withccraft and spirits. This means that Gottesmans focus on Mental illnesses being heritable is ethnocentric, as it cannot be applied to the rest of teh world
Reliability and brain abnoramlity
Much of the brain abnormality explanaiton fo metnal illness has been supported with MRI scans, however the reliability of brain scans have been questioned. For exmaple in a study ocnuced by Morey et al where brian scans or MRI scans were given to participants found twice in one day and 2 a week later. The findings foudn that there was a lower reliability when scanning smaller regions of teh brain sucha s the amygdala and that there is a higher reliability when scannign areas of teh brain sucha s teh thalamus. Teh scans made an hour apart were more reliable than the scans amde a week apart. Thus suggesting that there should be some caution when using MRI scans.
Psychology as a science
The genetic explanation fo mental illness may be scientific as it empirically tested and it includes quantiative data within its research. For example, within the twins studies it was said that the concordance rates of MZ twins getting schizophrenia is 30-50% and if one twin got schizophrenia the concordance rate of the otehr twin getting it is 30-50%, whereas the concordacne rate of DZ twins getting schizophrenia is 12-40%, suggesting that the more simmiliraties between the genetic make up of the twins, the more likekely you are going to get schizophrenia. This can also be demonstrated in Gottesmans study which is a study consistign of schizophrenic people and people suffering from bipolar disorder whom are Danish citizens and is tryign to see whether schizophrenia or bipoalr disorder is heritable. This study is also very sceintific as it includes an experiement and it contains quantitiave data. For example, If both parent have schizophrenia the chance that teh child would get schizophrenia is 27% and the chance that teh child would develop any other disorder is 67.5%. This shows that the genetic explanation is scientific as it is empirically tested as it is not based off of own opinioon it is objective and it includes quantitive data tthus allowing direct comparissons between other experiemtns that do something simialr to this.
The biocheimical explanation of mental illness, whcih sugegsts that mental illnesses is caused by abnoraml levels of neurotransmitters is scientific as it establishes a casue and effect. For example the biochemical explanation of depression s6tates that depression is caused by low levels of monoamine suhc as serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline. At teh surface this may seem unscientific as it is hard to estabvlish whetehr or not the abnormal levels of neurotransmitters is a cause of depression or a consequence of depression, howveer further research conducted by Meyer studied particiapnts suffering from depression whom hasnt taken theri antidepressants for more than 5 months and he has found that ussing PET scans and comparing their brain activty to the control group within depression he found that the people sufferign form depression ahs a higher amount fo monoamine oxidase (which breaks down monoamine too quickly), which therefore supports that the reason for depression si due to a low concetration fo monoamine.
Ethnocentrism and the medical model
Medical model is very rooted in the individualist western culture where they tyr to find out definitive and biological causes of mental illness. However thsi is not appliccable to other cultures as their explanationf o mental illness mainly foucuses on the social, cultural and spiritual reasons of mental illness. For exmpale, in some cultures they believe that mental illnesses is caused by spritis. Therfore, the medical model is very ethnocentric as it only focueses on the biological, genetic and brain strcutrue being the explanations of mental illnesses adn tries to apply itself to the rest of the world. This can also show that the medical model is highkly determinsitic and it dosent take into accoun external factors that other cultures suggest.
Gottesman is an exmaple of this as he focuses on hyow mental illnesses is heritable. This study wanted to see if the child had parents that had eitehr schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
Ethnocentrism and the medical model
Medical model is very rooted in the individualist western culture where they tyr to find out definitive and biological causes of mental illness. However thsi is not appliccable to other cultures as their explanationf o mental illness mainly foucuses on the social, cultural and spiritual reasons of mental illness. For exmpale, in some cultures they believe that mental illnesses is caused by spritis. Therfore, the medical model is very ethnocentric as it only focueses on the biological, genetic and brain strcutrue being the explanations of mental illnesses adn tries to apply itself to the rest of the world. This can also show that the medical model is highkly determinsitic and it dosent take into accoun external factors that other cultures suggest.
Gottesman is an exmaple of this as he focuses on hyow mental illnesses is heritable. This study wanted to see if the child had parents that had eitehr schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, how vulnerable are they to getting this disoder, thus focusing on the genetic reasoning of mental illnesses. In his study he found that if the child had both aprent who were suffering from schizophrenia ther is a 27% cahnce of the child getting the same disroder and 67.5% of the child developing another disorder. However, this study is highly reductionist as it dosent also focus on how environemntal factors cause mental illnesses.
However. one way in which the medical model is less ethnocentric is becuase it also focuses on biological factors such as the biochemical explatnaiton of mental illness. This is universal and can be applied to the whole world not just the west
Validity of the medical model
Some parts of the medical model such as teh biochmiecla and brain abnormality explanations attempt to rasie questions about teh validity. Questioning whether brain abnormality (brain strcutrue is teh cause of mental illnesses) or abnormal levels of neurotransmitters is the casue or conserquence of mental disorders. For exmaple, the biochemical explanation fo depression states that depression is caused by an abnoraml level of monoamine (Serotonin, Dopamine and noradrenaline) while at the surafce it may seem difficult ot detremine whether low levels of monoamine is the cause or consequence research from Myer has been conducted with depressed people who had not taken their antidepressants in more than 5 months. He compared the brain activity of depressed people with non depressed people and found that depressed people had a high amount of monamine oxidase( breaks down monoamine too quickly), thus showing that low level of the cause of depression, thus increasing the validity of the biochemical model
A reason why the medical model may seem invalid can be illustrated by the genetic explanation fo metnal illnesses suggesting that genes inherited is the cause of mental illnesses. For example, the twins studies have found that the concordance rates of MZ twins getting schizophrenia is 30-50% however the concordane rate of DZ twins getting schizophrenia is 12-40% suggetsing that the cause of metnal illnesses is due to the gentic inherited and the more genetic makeup that is shared between two poeple the higher the likelihood of thise tow people catching the same disored. However, since the twins live in the same enviornment it is difficult to determine whether the cause of mental disorder is due to genetic or the life events that they have both experienced, therfore dereasing the validity due tothe cahnce that it could be due to the envioprnemtn that gthey were brought up in
Usefullness
The biochemical explanation of metnall illnesses, beign tan abnormal levels of neurotransmitters is useful as it has helped in the development of modern day tretments suhc as drugs for the healing of poeple suffereign from mental illnesses. Drug treatments for schizophrenia or depression are based on the knowledge that the cause of mental illness is due to an abnormal level of neurotransmitters for exmaple depression being a low level of monoamine (serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine), therefore stabilising these levels through the use of drugs. For example, Antipsychotics has helped to reduce the levels of dopamine by blockign dopamine via occupying postsynaptic receptors therfore reducing atcity in the postsynaptic neuron and mesolimbic pathway tehrfore decreasign positive symptoms such as auditory hallucinations, symptoms fo schizophrenia
Gottesman et al, which aims to find out the vulnerability of children of getting diagnosed with a disorder if both or one of their parents have schizophrenia
