Definitions Flashcards
Schizophrenia
A mental disorder characterised by a withdrawal from reality.
Positive Symptoms
TYPE 1 schizophrenia
Behaviours concerning loss of touch in reality
(Added behaviour)
HALLUCINATIONS
DELUSIONS
Responsive to medication
Negative symptoms
TYPE 2 schizophrenia
Behaviours that disrupt emotions and actions
(Loss of behaviour e.g. avolition)
Unresponsive to medication
Hallucinations
The perception of something being real that is not
Hearing,seeing things
DELUSIONS
A fixed false belief
cannot be confronted with truth
Speech poverty
E.g > Word salad
Negative symptom
Brief replies to questions. No elaboration.
Due to distorted thought processes
Avolition
Negative symptom
A lack of energy in any activity.
Loss in goal directed behaviour
Reliability
Consistency of diagnosis
1 test-retest > when the same diagnosis is made in separate occasions from the same information
2 inter-rater > different clinicians make separate diagnosis on the same patient.
DSM 5
Diagnostic classification system
(Paranoid, disorganised, catatonic,undifferentiated, residual)
Must be shown 1 month or more
2 CLEAR symptoms.
ICD 10
Produced by WHO
- Uses 7 classifications
- 9 subtypes
- Post schizophrenic depression
- Simple schizophrenia - negative symptoms
MORE SUBTYPES THAN DSM5
1-6 months
1 CLEAR symptom
Validity
The accuracy of the diagnosis
Reliability - consistent diagnosis
Predictive validity - successful treatment
Descriptive - symp different to other disorders
Aetiological - same cause for sz
Co- Morbidity
1 or more additional disorders occur along with sz
- causes issues in validity
- symptoms may be of the same disorder
Culture Bias
Over - diagnosing other cultures as schizophrenic
Afro-Caribbean more diagnosed than white people in Britain than in their natural homeland.
Symptom overlap
Symptoms of the disorder are often the same as other disorders.
E.g. Depression in bipolar
Biological explanation - Genetic
Schizophrenia is caused by heredity
Genes are passed on to individuals from their relatives/parents
No specific gene
Gene mapping > several genes that make an individual susceptible to sz.
Dopamine hypothesis
Sz is caused by abnormal levels of the hormone/ neurotransmitter: dopamine.
Higher levels of dopamine > firing neurons
Can be caused by LSD
Neural correlates
Sz is caused by brain abnormalities
Enlarged ventricles
Cause schizophrenia
The fluid filled in gaps between the brain
In the central brain
pre-frontal cortex brain >
Werernickes area is damaged which relates to speech»_space;> speech poverty.
Original dopamine Hypothesis
Excess levels of dopamine lead to symptoms of sz
Neuroleptic drug > reduces amount of dopamine
Revised dopamine Hypothesis
Issues with
D2 receptors > too many > more dopamine
D4 receptors > too dense > more dopamine
Glutamate
Found in the brain
Helps activate neurones/ neurotransmitter
Excess glutamate > excess dopamine
Psychological explanations of Sz
Family dysfunction
The idea that Dysfunctional family relationships and communication > development of sz.
Refrigerator mother
Provides physical needs for children but not emotional.
Double Bind theory
Children who receive contradicting messages from their parents > sz.
E.g. If mothers say ‘I love u’ and reject a hug.
This leads to impaired coherence
Impaired coherence
A construction of reality.
Leads to symptoms such as the flattened affect and with drawl
Flattened effect
Lack of emotional expression
Expressed emotion
Maintains schizophrenia
Where families constinuously demonstrate hostility and criticism towards recovering sz’s
Leads to severe relapse > delusions of persecution.
Cognitive explanations
Maladaptive thought processes
The development of sz is related to thinking abnormally.
Or vice Versa .
Cognitive deficits
Schemas are not activated in schizophrenics
> difficult to process incoming info.
Cannot recognise info so interpret it in own way.
This leads to sensory overload
Sensory overload
Information cannot be processed so is overloaded
Impaired insight
An inability to recognise cognitive distortions or reality
Delusions - cognitive
Caused by the patient being egocentric.
Relate irrelevant events to themselves causing false conclusions.
Hallucinations - cognitive
Hallucinating patients focus excessively on auditory stimuli
Have higher expectancy to hear things.
Do not recognise internal and external information. Relate themselves always.
TREATMENTS - DRUG THERAPY
Typical drugs > treat positive symptoms
Eg: chlorprozamine
Blocks dopamine receptors in the synapse
Atypical drugs > 2nd resort > treated pos and neg symptoms
Eg: clozapine
Acts on serotonin and dopamine production systems.
CBT
Helps to change maladaptive thinking that causes delusions / hallucinations
Every 10 days
12 sessions > to alter irrational thoughts
Personals therapy > talks on problems, experience and how to deal with these.
Relaxation skills also taught
Family therapy
Counselling involving family members, patient, therapist
Improves communication.
Decreases guilt
Teaches family how to deal with sz patient
9-12 months
Token economies
Helps MANAGE sz not treat it.
Operant conditioning > positive reinforcement
Sz patients are rewarded for carrying out good behaviour
Rewarded token can be exchanged for material goods.
Relieves negative symptoms such as lack of motivation.
Interactionalist
Sz is caused by social, biological and psychological factors
Diathesis model
Diathesis stress model
Biological susceptibility + environmental factors (stress /trauma) = SZ
Genetic faults in doperminergic systems TRIGGER psychological > abuse/ family dysfunctions SET THE TRIGGER Maladaptive thinking/ neural correlates EFFECTS OF SZ
Interactionalist treatments
Patients take drug therapy FIRST to reduce lack of insight…
This allows psychological treatments to have greater effects, such as CBT
