Introduction to Schizophrenia

Question 1

Introduction to Schizophrenia

Diagnosis and Classification

Answer 1

• The ICD and DSM are two major diagnostic systems for the classification of mental disorders used in different countries, with DSM being used in the UK.
• However, these two systems have different criteria for diagnosing schizophrenia.
• The DSM requires at least one positive symptom to be present while two or more negative symptom is sufficient under the ICD.

Question 2

Introduction to Schizophrenia

Positive Symptoms

Hallucinations

Answer 2

• Hallucinations are unusual sensory experiences that may or may not be related to the environment.
• For example, a person with schizophrenia may hear voices talking or commenting on the person - often critically.
• Hallucinations can be related to any sense such as seeing distorted faces or seeing things that are not there.

Question 3

Introduction to Schizophrenia

Positive Symptoms

Delusions

Answer 3

• Delusions are irrational beliefs that can take many forms.
• Most common delusions involve being part of historical events or being a religious or politcal figure.
• Delusions often include believing they are being persecuted by the goverment or aliens.
• A person may also believe they are under external control, usually stemming from command hallucinations.

Question 4

Introduction to Schizophrenia

Negative Symptoms

Speech Poverty

Answer 4

• Speech therapy is where the quality or amount of speech is reduced in a person with schizophrenia.
• This can be accompanied by a delay in verbal responses during conversation.
• Nowadays more emphasis is placed on disorganised speech where speech may be incoherent or the topic changing mid sentence - this is a positive symptom under DSM-5.

Question 5

Introduction to Schizophrenia

Negative Symptoms

Avolition

Answer 5

• Avolition is a huge reduction in motivation.
• People with schizophrenia may struggle to complete seemingly simple tasks such as brushing their teeth or cooking.
• Avolition has three main signs: poor hygiene, lack of persistence in work or education, lack of energy.

Question 6

Introduction to Schizophrenia: Evaluation

Co-morbidity

Limitation

Answer 6

• Comorbidity is when two disorder occur together.
• 50% of people with schizophrenia also have a diagnosis of another condition such as depression.
• This calls into question the validity of classifying the two disorders separately.

This may call into question whether the disorders are separate or if there is just significant symptom overlap.

Question 7

Introduction to Schizophrenia: Evaluation

Low Diagnostic Validity

Limitation

Answer 7

• Diagnostic criterion for schizophrenia is flawed due to its inconsistency across diagnostic systems.
• Cheniaux had two psychiatrists independently assess the same 100 clients using ICD-10 and DSM-4 criteria.
• They found 68 were diagnosed with schizophrenia under the ICD system and only 39 under DSM.

This suggests that schizophrenia may be over or underdiagnosed depending on the diagnostic system, suggesting criterion validity is low.

Question 8

Introduction to Schizophrenia: Evaluation

Gender Bias

Limitation

Answer 8

• There is gender bias in diagnosing schizophrenia.
• Research shows that men are 40% more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.
• This may be because women are less vulnerable than men because of genetic factors
• But it seems more likely it’s due to better social relationships and therefore the support they recieve, meaning women with schizophrenia function better than men.

This underdiagnosis is a gender bias that could mean women are not getting the support they need.