6 Flashcards
Schizophrenia
Distortions of thinking and perception Disorganisation of thought and behaviour Cognitive impairment Disturbances of interpersonal communication Social and functional impairment
Psychosis
A mental health problem in which a person has lost some contact with reality. There may be severe disturbances in thinking, emotions and behaviour.
How common is schizophrenia
0.3-0.7% of population
Age of onset is late teens/early twenties; males earlier
Clinical indicators of schizophrenia
Delusions
Hallucinations
Disorganised speech
Grossly disorganised or catatonic behaviour
Negative symptoms (blunted emotions, cognitive deficits, apathy)
Causes of schizophrenia
Genetic vulnerability
Biochemical imbalance
Environmental (drug use)
Treatment
Antipsychotics
- atypical (new drugs) e.g. clopine, zyprexa, risperdal
- typical (older drugs) e.g. largactil, haldol, melleril
- oral tablets and slow release injections
Side effects
Tardive dyskinesia - involuntary muscle movements such as grimacing and chewing movements, marching in place, tongue thrusting and rocking.
Other treatments
Rehab services
CBT
Psychoeducation
Bipolar disorder
A set of mood swing conditions…from one extreme to the other…people with this illness suffer recurrent episodes of high, or elevated, mood (mania or hypomania) and of depression’.
Bipolar I
Episodes of mania
Depression
May need hospital care during acute episodes but is often well between episodes.
More likely to have psychotic experiences.
Clinical indicators
Manic episode - a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased goal-directed activity or energy, lasting at least 1 week and present most of the day, nearly every day.
During the period of mood disturbance and increased energy or activity, three (or more) of the following symptoms are present.
Symptoms of manic episode
Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
Decreased need for sleep
More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
Distractibility
Increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation
Excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences
Mood disturbance of manic episode
Caused marked impairment in social or occupational functioning or to necessitate hospitalisation to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features.
Not attributable to physiological effects of a substance
Major depressive episode
Five or more of the symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure.
Symptoms of depressive episode
Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g. sad, empty) or observation made by others.
Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.
Significant weight loss or weight gain (a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.
Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day.
Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.
Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day. Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
Bipolar II
Episodes of mild mania (hypomania) - generally does not disrupt normal activities and may appear as increased creativity and energy but has episodes of severe depression. People often only seek help for the episodes of severe depression in this type of disorder.
