diagnosis and classification schizophrenia Flashcards
What is the classification of a mental disorder?
The process of organizing symptoms into categories based on which symptoms frequently cluster together.
What is schizophrenia?
A severe mental disorder where contact with reality and insight are impaired, an example of psychosis.
What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
Atypical symptoms experienced in addition to normal experiences, including hallucinations and delusions.
What are hallucinations in schizophrenia?
A positive symptom involving sensory experiences that either have no basis in reality or are distorted perceptions of real stimuli.
What are delusions in schizophrenia?
A positive symptom involving irrational beliefs that may involve paranoia or inflated beliefs about one’s importance.
What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
Atypical symptoms that involve the loss of usual abilities and experiences, such as speech poverty and avolition.
What is speech poverty?
A negative symptom of schizophrenia characterized by reduced frequency and quality of speech.
What is avolition?
A negative symptom characterized by a lack of motivation to carry out tasks, leading to lowered activity levels.
What is co-morbidity?
The occurrence of two disorders or conditions together, questioning the validity of diagnosing them separately.
What is symptom overlap?
When two conditions share symptoms, making classification and diagnosis more difficult.
What are the two major classification systems for diagnosing schizophrenia?
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5).
How does the DSM-5 classify schizophrenia?
Requires one positive symptom to be present (hallucinations, delusions, or speech disorganization).
What happened to subtypes of schizophrenia in DSM-5?
They were dropped because they were found to be inconsistent and unreliable.
What is reliability in schizophrenia diagnosis?
The consistency of a diagnosis across different clinicians (inter-rater reliability) and on separate occasions (test-retest reliability).
What does research suggest about the reliability of schizophrenia diagnosis?
Studies show high inter-rater reliability (e.g., Osorio et al. found a kappa score of 0.97 for DSM-5 diagnosis).
What is validity in schizophrenia diagnosis?
Whether schizophrenia is being accurately diagnosed as a distinct condition.
What research highlights the issue of low validity in schizophrenia diagnosis?
Cheniaux et al. (2009) found that schizophrenia is diagnosed more frequently using ICD-10 than DSM-5, suggesting poor validity.
What is co-morbidity and why is it a problem in schizophrenia diagnosis?
High rates of co-occurring disorders (e.g., Buckley et al. found 50% of schizophrenia patients also had depression) make it unclear whether schizophrenia is a distinct condition.
How does gender bias affect schizophrenia diagnosis?
Since the 1980s, men have been more frequently diagnosed, possibly because female patients present symptoms differently and function better.
How does culture bias affect schizophrenia diagnosis?
Studies show that people from African-Caribbean backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed, suggesting cultural misinterpretation of symptoms.
What is symptom overlap and why does it challenge schizophrenia diagnosis?
Schizophrenia shares symptoms with other disorders (e.g., hallucinations occur in bipolar disorder), making it difficult to diagnose accurately.
How can symptom overlap affect treatment?
Patients may be diagnosed with schizophrenia when they have another condition, leading to inappropriate treatments.
What cultural differences exist in hallucinations?
In some cultures, hearing voices is seen as a spiritual experience rather than a symptom of schizophrenia.
Explain what is meant by positive symptoms of schizophrenia (4 marks)
Positive symptoms are atypical experiences beyond normal function, including hallucinations (sensory distortions) and delusions (irrational beliefs).
Define avolition and explain how it relates to schizophrenia. (2 marks)
Avolition is a negative symptom involving a lack of motivation to complete tasks, leading to social withdrawal and reduced activity levels in schizophrenia.
Discuss the issue of culture bias in schizophrenia diagnosis.
Cultural bias leads to overdiagnosis in certain ethnic groups. For example, African-Caribbean individuals are more likely to be diagnosed due to cultural differences in symptom interpretation. This questions the validity of schizophrenia as a universal disorder.
