Classification of Schizophrenia

Question 1

What is schizophrenia?

Answer 1

A severe mental disorder where contact with reality and insight are impaired, an example of psychosis.

Question 2

What are positive symptoms?

Answer 2

Experiences in a addition to normal functioning - examples being hallucinations and delusions.

Question 3

What are negative symptoms?

Answer 3

Atypical experiences that represent the loss of a usual experience.

Question 4

What are hallucinations?

Answer 4

Unusual sensory experiences that have no basis in reality. They are distorted perceptions of things.

Question 5

What are delusions?

Answer 5

Beliefs that have no basis in reality.

Question 6

What is speech poverty (alogia)

Answer 6

Reduced frequency and quality of speech. People tend to have a delay in responses.

Question 7

What is avolition?

Answer 7

A lack of goal-driven behaviour. Reduced motivation to carry out activities.

Question 8

What are the 5 key symptoms of psychotic disorders?

Answer 8

Delusions, Hallucinations, Disorganised Speech, Disorganised or catatonic behaviour, Negative Symptoms.

Question 9

What is the difference in diagnosis between the ICD-10 and the DSM-5

Answer 9

In the DSM, two of the 5 symptoms are required and at least one symptom must be positive. For a diagnosis, symptoms must have been present for 6 months and include at least one month of active symptoms. In the ICD, two of the 5 are required but they can both be negative.

Question 10

Does schizophrenia have high test-retest reliability?

Answer 10

Yes, symptoms often persist over a course of 6 months to a lifetime.

Question 11

Does schizophrenia have high inter-rater reliability?

Answer 11

Not necessarily - depending on which diagnostic manual they are using.

Question 12

What was Osorio’s study?

Answer 12

He reported excellent reliability for the diagnosis of schizophrenia in 180 individuals using the DSM-5. They achieved inter-rater reliability of +0.97 and test-retest reliability of +0.92

Question 13

What is criterion validity?

Answer 13

How accurately the test itself measures schizophrenia.

Question 14

What were Cheniaux’s findings?

Answer 14

Had 2 psychologists independently assess the same 100 patients using the ICD and DSM criteria. The ICD returned a positive diagnosis in 68 patients, but the DSM only 39.

Question 15

What did Rosenhan show?

Answer 15

That the diagnosis were consistent and therefore reliable but have no validity as they were incorrectly diagnosed.

Question 16

What is co-morbidity?

Answer 16

Buckley found that 50% of Sz sufferers have depression, 47% have substance abuse issues and 23% have OCD. This is an issue because there is a symptom overlap between these so Sz can be confused with different disorders.

Question 17

What is symptom overlap?

Answer 17

There is some overlap with symptoms of other disorders, e.g. Bipolar disorder and manic depression.

Question 18

What is the issue with gender bias in the diagnosis of Schizophrenia?

Answer 18

Men are 50% more frequently diagnosed. This is likely due to women being better at managing their schizophrenia - having closer friends and better support. This is an issue because women are not receiving the treatment that they need.

Question 19

What is the issue with cultural bias in the diagnosis of Schizophrenia?

Answer 19

Pinto and Jones found that British people with Afro-Caribbean heritage are up to 9 times more likely to be diagnosed with Sz than white people/ This is due to culture bias in diagnosis - UK doctors are likely to over-interpret symptoms in Caribbean people.

Question 20

What did Escobar find?

Answer 20

Psychiatrists do not trust black people to be honest about their symptoms. Clinicians said these individuals suffered from “symptom denial, poor insight, uncooperativeness”.