6.1: Classification of schizophrenia

Question 1

A researcher investigated the effectiveness of typical and atypical psychotics in schizophrenia patients with either negative or positive symptoms.

Percentages of patients with either negative or positive
symptoms, responding well to typical or atypical antipsychotics:
30 patients with negative symptoms responded well to atypical antipsychotics and 16 patients with negative symptoms responded well to typical antipsychotics.
60 patients with positive symptoms responded well to atypical antipsychotics and 60 patients with positive symptoms responded well to typical antipsychotics.

What does the data seem to show about the effectiveness of typical and atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia? (4 marks)

Answer 1

 Atypical and typical antipsychotics are equally effective against positive symptoms
with more than half of patients responding well
 The main difference is that negative symptoms respond better to atypical
antipsychotics, 30% improve compared with typical antipsychotics 16%
 Atypical antipsychotics are more effective against negative symptoms
 These findings support the view that they act on different neurotransmitters’

Question 2

Janelle has been diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. It began when she started hearing voices in her head criticising her behaviour and she became convinced that she been chosen by alien beings for a special purpose. Friends noticed that it became increasingly difficult to make sense of Janelle’s speech and she would give only brief answers to their questions. She also became untidy and unenthusiastic about life in general, spending hours pacing up and down her room.
Make reference to the scenario above concerning Janelle to identify negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia (4 marks)

Answer 2

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia concern the displaying of behaviours involving disruption of normal emotions and actions.
Janelle displays such negative symptoms when she exhibits speech poverty by giving only brief answers to her friends’ questions

Question 3

Janelle has been diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. It began when she started hearing voices in her head criticising her behaviour and she became convinced that she been chosen by alien beings for a special purpose. Friends noticed that it became increasingly difficult to make sense of Janelle’s speech and she would give only brief answers to their questions. She also became untidy and unenthusiastic about life in general, spending hours pacing up and down her room.
Make reference to the scenario above concerning Janelle to identify negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia (4 marks).
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia concern the displaying of behaviours involving disruption of normal emotions and actions.
Janelle displays such negative symptoms when she exhibits speech poverty by giving only brief answers to her friends’ questions.

Answer 3

Positive symptoms concern the displaying of behaviours that involve a loss of touch with reality.
Janelle displays such positive symptoms when she experiences hallucinations by hearing voices that criticise her behaviour and when she develops a delusion of grandeur that she has been chosen by aliens for a special purpose