Clinical Flashcards
define abnormal behaviour
implies something undesirable which requires change/treatment
state the 4 D’s of diagnosis
deviance
dysfunction
distress
danger
define deviance
when a behaviour deviates from the norm to the extent in which a behaviour is rarer uncommon in society
define dysfunction
whether a behaviour interferes with a persons everyday life
define distress
when the behaviour is causing distress to the individual
define danger
when the individual presents a danger to the individual and/or to others
strengths of the four D’s of diagnosis
useful- effective application can determine whether a clinical diagnosis is needed
reliable- all 4 D’s must be used consistently in order to decide if a behaviour is abnormal
weaknesses of the four D’s of diagnosis
reductionist- Davis (2009) added a fifth D- duration. without considering duration, there may be a false-positive error
subjectivity- professional may have different views of mental illness and can falsely diagnose someone
define schizophrenia
a mental health disorder which affects thoughts, feelings and behaviour, leading people to lose touch with reality (psychosis)
common symptoms of schizophrenia
hallucinations
delusions
what percentage of people will be affected by schizophrenia?
1%
average onset for schizophrenia?
15-35
define symptom
experienced by the self (thoughts, feelings and behaviours that would be told to a doctor)
define features
facts (e.g. statistics and descriptions)
define positive symtom
add to or change normal behaviour
define negative symptom
remove something from normal behaviour
examples of positive symptoms
disordered thinking hallucinations abnormal motor behaviour delusions thought insertion
examples of negative symptoms
lack of energy (avolition)
lack of pleasure
flatness of emotion
social withdrawal
define disordered thinking
muddled thinking that makes speech disorganised and hard to follow
define hallucinations
experiencing something that is not really there. auditory hallucinations are often harsh and critical and may provide a commentary of what a person is doing or control the person by giving orders
define abnormal motor behaviour
unusual physical behaviour e.g foot tapping and hair twirling
define delusions
a firm belief or idea that conflicts with reality
define grandiose delusions
holding false beliefs about being in a position of power
define persecutory delusions
holding false beliefs that others are trying to harm them in some way
define referential delusions
holding false beliefs that unrelated information is directly related to them
define thought insertion
a person thinks their own thoughts have been implanted by someone else
what is avolition
no motivation for carrying out normal daily tasks
what is lack of pleasure
not experiencing pleasure from previously enjoyable hobbies
what is flatness of emotion
reduction in emotional expression
what is social withdrawal
avoidance of interaction with friends or family or not going out
what are cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia
poor working memory
poor information processing
difficulties concentrating
what are 3 features of schizophrenia
diagnosis tends to be between adolescence to 30
NHS says 1% of people will experience a schizophrenic episode
Goldstein- male sufferers experience more severe schizophrenia than females and have more visits to hospital
define neurotransmitter
chemical substance that carries messages between neurons
define dopamine
a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and emotion
define synapse
tiny space where chemical messages can be passed between two neurons
define receptor
sites on the dendrite that bond to and absorb a certain type of neurotransmitter
define antagonist drug
bind to receptor sites to prevent substance from being absorbed in large quantities, reducing effect of neurotransmitter
define up-regulation
mechanism where the brain produces more of something in response to a depletion
claim of the dopamine hypothesis
schizophrenia is caused by an excess of dopamine receptors or hypersensitive dopamine receptors, leading to high levels of dopamine in the brain
what does a high amount of dopamine mean
neurons fire more often and transmit more chemical messages in the brain, which leads to schizophrenia
what does amphetamines lead to
psychotic behaviours such as losing touch with reality
what did Munkvad and Randrup find
injected rats with amphetamines which led to stereotypical and aggressive behaviours
what did Owen et al find
post-mortems unveil a higher density of dopamine receptors in the cerebral cortex of those with schizophrenia
an increase in dopamine in the……… contributes to positive symptoms
mesolimbic system
an increase in dopamine in the……….. contributes to negative symptoms
mesocortical system
supporting evidence for the dopamine hypothesis
Owen- higher density of dopamine receptors in those with schizophrenia in a post-mortem
opposing evidence for the dopamine hypothesis
reductionist as it ignores the role of glutamate and its effect on schizophrenia
different theory for dopamine hypothesis
fails to account for the role of the environment. 50% of those with schizophrenia had a major life event in three weeks prior to relapse, suggesting role of the environment
application for dopamine hypothesis
has led to drug therapy, antipsychotic drugs such as phenothiazine reduce dopamine
what does the dopamine hypothesis explain
that schizophrenia can be treated by drugs that block dopamine receptors and reduce dopamine in the brain
claim of the genetic explanation of schizophrenia
the greater the genetic similarity to someone with schizophrenia, the higher the risk of developing the disorder yourself
general percentage of people with schizophrenia
1%
if you have a second degree relative, the percentage is…
increases 2-6%
if you have a first degree relative, the percentage is…
6-17%
if you have an identical twin, the percentage is..
48%
which gene is responsible in having a higher risk of schizophrenia?
variant of C4
supporting evidence for genetic explanation
sekar et al- analysed 100,000 DNA samples from participants across 30 countries. those with particular form of C4 gene showed higher risk of schizophrenia
opposing evidence for genetic explanation
the genetic explanation is reductionist as it does not consider the role of environment
different theory for genetic explanation
dopamine hypothesis, claims that schizophrenia is due to high levels of dopamine in the brain
application for genetic explanation
knowing there is a genetic aspect, early intervention and early diagnosis can be carried out
claim of social causation theory
schizophrenia is related to social class and environmental stressors, and that those from a lower social class are more at risk of developing the disorder
why is social class a factor of developing schizophrenia
disorder is most common amongst those from a lower class, unemployed or those living in deprived city areas
what are important environmental stressors
poor education, unemployment and low income
supporting evidence for social causation
Cooper- the rate of schizophrenia in unskilled labourers was 4.1 times higher than higher managerial workers
opposing evidence for social causation
it may be a diagnosis issue- individuals with a lower status job are more likely to seek diagnosis as they have more time. those with a higher manager role don’t have enough time to go to the doctors and seek diagnosis
different theory for social causation
doesn’t take biological factors into consideration- genetics and dopamine
application for social causation
by highlighting a social cause, this has led to social- based care in the community treatments for schizophrenia
claim and aim of drug therapy for schizophrenia
claims that an excess of dopamine causes schizophrenia and aims to alter balance of dopamine in the brain
