Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

Question 1

Schizophrenia Overview

Answer 1

• Characterized by an array of diverse symptoms
  
  • Extreme oddities in perception, thinking, action, sense
    of self, and manner of relating to others
• Risk of developing schizophrenia over a lifetime is < 1%
• Majority of cases begin around age 18-30 (rare in children)
• More common and more severe in males.
• Positive vs. Negative Symptoms

Question 2

Psychosis

Answer 2

Significant loss of contact with reality

Question 3

Schizophrenia Criteria: Positive Symptoms Delusions

Answer 3

• Delusion: erroneous belief that
  is fixed and firmly held despite
  clear contradictory evidence
• Delusions of control
• Ideas of reference
• Delusions of grandeur
• Somatic delusions

Question 4

Schizophrenia Criteria:
Positive Symptoms: Hallucinations

Answer 4

• Hallucinations: sensory
  experience that seems
  real to the person having
  it, but occurs in the
  absence of any external
  perceptual stimulus
• Auditory, visual, olfactory,
  tactile

Question 5

Schizophrenia Criteria:
Positive Symptoms: Disorganized Speech

Answer 5

• Disorganized Speech: external manifestation of disorder in thought form
  - Person’s speech fails to make sense despite seeming to use language in a conventional
  way
• Words or word combinations sound communicative but leave the listener with little to no understanding of the point
• Neologisms: new, made-up words; sometimes appear in speech

Question 6

Schizophrenia Criteria:
Positive Symptoms: Disorganized Behavior

Answer 6

• Disorganized Behavior: difficulty in goal-directed behavior such as completing a task
  - Impairment in many domains of functioning: work, social relations, self-care
  - May not maintain personal hygiene, exhibit disregard for personal safety
  - Can appear as silliness or unusual dress (e.g., wearing an overcoat, scarf, and gloves on a hot summer day)

Question 7

Catatonia

Answer 7

patient shows an absence of all
movement or holds an unusual posture for
an extended period of time

Question 8

Schizophrenia Criteria-
Negative Symptoms: Reduced expressive behavior (voice,
facial expression, gestures or speech

Answer 8

• Blunted/Flat Affect: stoic, showing little to no emotion
• Alogia: very little speech

Question 9

Schizophrenia Criteria-
Negative Symptoms: Reduced motivation or experience of
pleasure

Answer 9

• Avolition: inability to initiate or persist in goal-directed activity
• Anhedonia: diminished ability to experience pleasure