What does the Edexcel clinical psychology content cover?

Clinical psychology covers definitions of abnormality and the diagnosis of mental disorders using the DSM and ICD, the reliability and validity of diagnosis (Rosenhan), schizophrenia (symptoms, the dopamine hypothesis and treatments), a second disorder such as depression or an anxiety disorder, and the medical model with drug and psychological treatments.

How is schizophrenia explained and treated in Edexcel Psychology?

Schizophrenia is explained biologically by the dopamine hypothesis and genetics, and psychologically by cognitive deficits and family dysfunction such as expressed emotion. It is treated with antipsychotic drugs (typical and atypical) and CBT for psychosis, best combined, and is understood through the diathesis-stress model.

What is the second clinical disorder for Edexcel?

Besides schizophrenia, you study a second disorder, usually depression (or an anxiety disorder such as OCD or a phobia). You need its symptoms, biological explanations (low serotonin), cognitive explanations (Beck's negative triad, Ellis's ABC model) and treatments (SSRIs and CBT).

What is the medical model in clinical psychology?

The medical model treats mental disorders like physical illnesses with biological causes such as chemical imbalances, diagnosed from symptoms and treated medically, mainly with drugs. It is effective and non-blaming but criticised as reductionist and for treating symptoms rather than causes, so it is often combined with psychological therapy.

How is clinical psychology assessed?

Clinical psychology is assessed on Paper 2 (Applications of Psychology). Expect application and extended questions on diagnosis, the two disorders and treatments, requiring you to describe, apply and evaluate explanations and the effectiveness and ethics of treatments.

EnglandPsychology

Edexcel A-Level Psychology: Clinical psychology (diagnosis, schizophrenia, depression and the medical model)

A complete Edexcel A-Level Psychology guide to clinical psychology: definitions of abnormality and diagnosis using the DSM and ICD, schizophrenia, a second disorder such as depression, the medical model and treatments, with the named clinical studies.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.814 min read9PS0Updated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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What clinical psychology demands
Diagnosis and disorders
The medical model and treatments
Check your knowledge

What clinical psychology demands

Clinical psychology applies the foundations to mental disorder: how disorders are defined and diagnosed, what causes schizophrenia and a second disorder, and how the medical model and psychological therapies treat them. It is assessed on Paper 2 and rewards balanced evaluation of explanations and treatments for both effectiveness and ethics.

This guide covers each dot point in order, then the exam patterns, with matching dot-point pages for practice.

Diagnosis and disorders

Diagnosis uses definitions of abnormality and the DSM-5 and ICD-11 classification systems, judged on reliability and validity (Rosenhan's pseudopatients) and for cultural and ethical issues. Schizophrenia has positive and negative symptoms, explained by the dopamine hypothesis and genetics and treated with antipsychotics and CBT. The second disorder, usually depression, is explained biologically (low serotonin) and cognitively (Beck, Ellis) and treated with SSRIs and CBT.

The medical model and treatments

The medical model treats disorders as illnesses with biological causes, using drug therapies that act on biochemistry. Compared with psychological treatments such as CBT, drugs are fast and convenient but reductionist and symptom-focused, so combined treatment is often best, with effectiveness judged by controlled trials and relapse rates.

Check your knowledge

Outline the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia. (3 marks)
Describe Beck's cognitive explanation of depression. (4 marks)
Explain what Rosenhan's study suggests about the validity of diagnosis. (3 marks)
Compare one advantage of drug therapy with one advantage of CBT. (4 marks)

Sources & how we know this

Pearson Edexcel A-Level Psychology (9PS0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2015)