Introduction to Schizophrenia + Classification Diagnosis

Question 1

What is schizophrenia?

Answer 1

A severe mental disorder where contact with reality and insight are impaired, an example of psychosis

Question 2

How many people in the world have schizophrenia?

Answer 2

1% of the world population

Question 3

Where is schizophrenia more commonly diagnosed in?

Answer 3

• More in men than women
• More in cities than the countryside
• More in working class than middle class

Question 4

As the symptoms of schizophrenia can severely interfere with everyday tasks…what commonly happens to these people?

Answer 4

They end up homeless or hospitalised

Question 5

What are the two major systems for the classification of mental disorders?

Answer 5

• The World’s Health Organisation’s International Disease Edition 10 (ICD-10)
• The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Edition 5 (DSM - 5 / V)

Question 6

What are the subtypes of schizophrenia recognised by ICD-10?

Answer 6

• Hebephrenic schizophrenia (primarily negative symptoms)
• Paranoid Schizophrenia (hallucinations and delusions)
• Catatonic schizophrenia (disturbance to movement leaving them immobile or alternatively overactive)

Question 7

What are the criteria for schizophrenia diagnosis under DSM-5?

Answer 7

At least one of the so-called positive symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, or speech disorganisation, must be present for diagnosis.

Question 8

What are positive symptoms?

Answer 8

Atypical symptoms experienced in addition to normal experiences. They include hallucinations and delusions.

Question 9

What are hallucinations?

Answer 9

A positive symptom of schizophrenia. They are sensory experiences of a stimuli that either have no basis in reality or are distorted perceptions of things that are there

Question 10

What are delusions?

Answer 10

A positive symptom of schizophrenia. They are irrational beliefs that have no basis in reality for example the person believes they are someone else or a victim of a conspiracy

Question 11

What are delusions also known as?

Answer 11

Paranoia

Question 12

What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 12

Atypical experiences that represent the loss of a usual experience such as clear thinking or ‘normal’ levels of motivation

Question 13

What is speech poverty?

Answer 13

A negative symptom. Reduced frequency and quality of speech

Question 14

What is avolition?

Answer 14

A negative symptom Loss of motivation to carry out tasks and results in lowered activity levels

Question 15

Define co-morbidity

Answer 15

The occurrence of two disorders or conditions together. Where two disorders are frequently classified together, it questions the validity of classifying the two disorders separately

Question 16

Define symptom overlap

Answer 16

Occurs when two or more conditions share symptoms. Where two disorders share many symptoms, it questions the validity of classifying the two disorders separately