EDEXCEL SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECIFICATION

PEARSON EDEXCEL LEVEL 3 ADVANCED GCE PSYCHOLOGY - CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCHIZOPHRENIA STUDY GUIDE

5.1 CONTENT OVERVIEW

DIAGNOSIS OF MENTAL DISORDERS:

• Understanding the 4 D's of diagnosis: Deviance, Dysfunction, Distress, and Danger.

• Familiarity with classification systems such as the DSM-IVR/DSM-5 and ICD in relation to reliability and validity of mental health diagnoses.

SCHIZOPHRENIA - DESCRIPTION OF SYMPTOMS & THEORIES:

• Symptoms and features: Includes thought insertion, hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking.

• Biological explanations:

  • The role of neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine) in schizophrenia.

  • Another biological theory (e.g., genetic or biochemical factors).

• Non-biological explanation:

  • Consider a psychological or social theory (e.g., the impact of family dynamics or socio-environmental factors).

TREATMENTS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA:

• Two treatments to be familiar with, one from each of the following areas:

  • Biological treatment: For example, antipsychotic medication.

  • Psychological treatment: For example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

  • These treatments must come from different topic areas.

5.2 METHODS IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

PRACTITIONER GUIDELINES:

• Understanding the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) guidelines for conduct and practice in clinical psychology.

RESEARCH METHODS IN MENTAL HEALTH:

• Familiarity with longitudinal, cross-sectional, cross-cultural methods, and meta-analysis, using both primary and secondary data.

• Understanding the use of case studies in mental health research, such as Lavarenne et al. (2013) on psychotic patients.

• Use of interviews within clinical psychology, with reference to studies like Vallentine et al. (2010) on psycho-educational groups.

• Data Analysis Techniques:

  • Quantitative analysis: Use of both descriptive and inferential statistics, including chi-squared, Spearman's rank correlation, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Mann-Whitney U test.

  • Qualitative analysis: Methods such as thematic analysis and grounded theory.

5.3 STUDIES

CLASSIC STUDY:

• Rosenhan (1973): "On being sane in insane places" - a key study highlighting the challenges of psychiatric diagnosis and the impact of labelling.

CONTEMPORARY STUDY ON SCHIZOPHRENIA:

• Carlsson et al. (2000): "Network interactions in schizophrenia – therapeutic implications", providing insight into neurotransmitter interactions and implications for treatment.

5.4 KEY QUESTIONS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

• Consider one key societal question, using concepts, theories, and research relevant to schizophrenia.

  • Examples:

    • How do different societies define and diagnose schizophrenia?

    • What is the impact of societal perceptions on individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia?

5.5 PRACTICAL INVESTIGATION

CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY:

• A practical exercise involving content analysis to explore attitudes towards schizophrenia and mental health.

• Compare at least two sources (e.g., newspapers, interviews) to examine how attitudes towards schizophrenia are portrayed and how they may differ across contexts.

This guide focuses solely on schizophrenia in line with the Pearson Edexcel specification, providing a structured summary for effective teaching and study.

EXAMPLES OF ISSUES AND DEBATES IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY:
● Ethics (e.g., issues of diagnosing mental disorders such as labelling; obtaining consent for participation in research; HCPC guidelines for practitioners).
● Practical issues in the design and implementation of research (e.g., balancing validity with reliability).
● Reductionism (e.g., isolating causes of mental disorders and non-holistic diagnoses).
● Comparisons between ways of explaining behaviour using different themes (e.g., ICD and DSM; different explanations for mental health issues).
● Psychology as a science (e.g., research using biological methods; treatments like drug therapies; laboratory experiments).
● Culture and gender (e.g., cultural differences in diagnosis practices, gender differences in disorder prevalence).
● Nature-nurture (e.g., different theories of mental disorder causation, biological vs. social explanations).
● Development of psychological understanding over time (e.g., changes in DSM; evolving therapies and explanations).
● Social control issues (e.g., mental health policies as a form of social control).
● Use of psychological knowledge in society (e.g., therapies and treatments for mental health).
● Issues related to socially-sensitive research (e.g., mental health and cultural factors).