Treatment & Management of Schizophrenia (AQA A Level Psychology)

Researchers studied therapies for schizophrenia. They assessed the mood of two groups of participants before the participants received therapy. The same participants were assessed again after four weeks of receiving therapy.

Group 1 (Drug therapy group) received drug therapy alone.

Group 2 (Combined therapy group) received a combination of drug therapy and cognitive therapy.

The researchers assessed mood using a standardised test of mood. A low score indicated negative mood and a high score indicated positive mood. Scores ranged from 0 to 100. The lowest score was 24 and the highest score was 83.

Table 1 shows the results of the study after four weeks of therapy.

Table 1 Mean mood scores for Group 1 (Drug therapy group) and Group 2 (Combined therapy group) after four weeks of therapy

Explain why the data in Table 1 does not enable the researchers to draw proper conclusions about the effectiveness of therapy for the two groups. What should the researchers do about this?

In this study, the mood scores were assumed to be an interval level of measurement because the test of mood was standardised.

Explain how you could convert the mood scores from this study into:

i) ordinal data

and

ii) nominal data.

In a study of communication, researchers used a language rating scale to compare two groups of participants. Participants in Group A were a volunteer sample of people from a self-help group for people with schizophrenia. Participants in Group B, the control group, were a volunteer sample of people who attended a community centre.

The researchers used an inferential statistical test to see if there was a significant difference in language rating between the two groups.

Explain one reason why there might be a problem of bias and generalisation in this study. How could the researchers modify their study to deal with this problem?

Martine has schizophrenia. She is afraid because she believes that her care workers are trying to hurt her. She hears voices telling her to lock the doors and windows so the care workers cannot get into her house. She thinks about nothing else.

Explain how a cognitive behaviour therapist might treat Martine’s symptoms.

In a study into the effectiveness of a new drug therapy for schizophrenia, researchers gave one group of patients the new drug and another group of patients a placebo (a pretend drug).

The researchers were concerned that the outcome of the study might be influenced by the problems of demand characteristics and investigator effects.

Explain what the researchers could do to eliminate or reduce demand characteristics and investigator effects in this study.

Evaluate antipsychotics as a therapy for schizophrenia.

Jack has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He describes his family background to his therapist:

‘I could never talk to mum. She fussed over me all the time. I tried to do what she said, but could never please her. One minute she seemed all affectionate and the next minute she would make nasty comments. My dad hated all the arguments and stayed out of it.’

Describe the family dysfunction explanation for schizophrenia and explain how Jack’s experiences can be linked to the family dysfunction explanation.

Outline and evaluate the use of antipsychotic drugs to treat schizophrenia.

Jay and Mary are clinical psychologists. They each work with patients who have schizophrenia. Both Jay and Mary treat their patients without the use of drugs. Jay explains how he involves close relatives in treatment so there is less tension. Mary describes how she helps patients to gain understanding of their own thoughts and develop effective strategies to help themselves.

Describe and evaluate family therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy as treatments for schizophrenia. Refer to Jay and Mary in your answer.