introduction to schizophrenia Flashcards
what does classification of mental disorder mean?
the process of organising 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. They include hallucinations and delusions
what are hallucinations
a positive symptom of scz. They are sensory experiences that have either no basis in reality and are distorted perceptions of things that are there.
what are delusions
a positive symptom of scz. Involve beliefs that have no basis in reality
what are negative symptoms of schizophrenia
atypical experiences that represent the loss of usual experiences such as loss of clear thinking or a loss of ‘normal’ levels of motivation.
what is speech poverty
a negative symptom of schizophrenia. It involves reduced frequency and quality of speech
what does avolition mean
a negative symptom of schizophrenia. It involves a loss of motivation to carry out tasks and results in lowered activity levels.
what does co-morbidity mean
the occurance of two disorders or conditions together, for example, a person has both schizophrenia and a personality disorder
what is the problem with co-morbidity
when two conditions are frequently diagnosed together it calls into question the validity of classifying the two disorders seperatley.
what does symptom overlap mean
occurs when two or more conditions share symptoms. Where conditions share many symptoms, this calls into question the validity of classifying the two disorders separatley.
what percentage of the population experience schizophrenia
1%
what gender more commonly is diagnosed with schizophrenia
men, city-dwellers and lower socio-economic groups. Many people with scz become homeless or hospitalised
what are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia
- hallucinations:
- delusions: also known as paranoia. Irrational beliefs. Common delusions involve being important historical, political or religious figures like Jesus or Napoleon. Commonly involve being persecuted by the gov or aliens or having superpowers. Believe there body is being controlled by external forces and are under external control.
give examples of negative symptoms
- speech poverty
- avolition
evaluate issues in diagnosis and classification (strengths)
- good reliability. Has good inter-rater reliability as clinicians often give the same diagnosis for the same individual on two occasions (test-retest reliability)
give limitations to classification and diagnosis
- co-morbidity is a limitation: if it’s often diagnosed with other conditions. Questions the validity as its probably just the same disorder. Those who have schizophrenia also have depression or substance abuse (Buckley et al.)
- more men get diagnosed than women. This underdiagnosis means women may not be receiving treatment and services that might benefit them.
