Lecture 10 Flashcards
Schizophrenia 2
the role of genetics
related to the genes shared
more shared genes with a family member that has SZ can increase the risk of developing SZ
genes
play an important role
no one gene is thought to be responsible
many genes associated including: DISC1, NRG1 and RGS4
dopamine hypothesis
in 1950s, Chlorpromazine was used.
a tranquillising effect - numbness
a antipsychotic that reduces dopamine levels, indicating that those with SZ may have increased dopamine which may explain the positive symptoms
neurological structure
enlarged ventricles - cavities that produce fluid to protect the brain
increase in ventricles leads to decrease in brain mass
neurological damage
greater risk if born winter months as there is more risk of viruses around
greater risk of child experiencing SZ if mother experiences influenza in 2nd trimester
pregnancy complications
low birth weight
prolonged labor
umbilical cord around the neck
maternal stress
high levels of stress to the mother during pregnancy
nutritional deficiency
lack of essential nutrients also implicated
this deprived of essential nutrients show greater risk
minor physical anomalies
include
-two or more hair whirls
- epicanthus
- low seated ears
- furrowed tongue
- curved fifth finger
- gap between first and second toe
family and emotional expression
brown 1958
better to live alone or with siblings rather than parents or spouse after hospitalisation
due to
emotional expression - hostility, criticism and emotional over involvement
families with high EE = higher relapse
urban living
living in a high, busy city with lots going on increases the risk of SZ
could be due to high stress levels
Peterson and Mortenson 2001
1.9 million Danish sample
registered in a national database updated if they move
children who lived in urban environments for there first 15x years had:
2.17 x more likely to develop SZ
immigration
first generation = 2.7x more likely to develop sz
second generation = 4.5x greater risk
could be due to the conflict between cultural values from different countries compared to those of the current living country
drug use
certain drugs increase the risk of SZ
such as cannabis
LSD are drugs that produce hallucinations
a meta analysis found that young heavy cannibis users were 2x as likely as non-users to develop SZ
CORRELATION VS CAUSATION
diathesis stress model
a complex interaction between various factors influence whether or not one experiences SZ
genetically influenced not genetically determined
pharmacological treatments
front line treatments consist of anti-psychotic drugs
two main types:
- typical anti-psychotics
- atypical anti-psychotics
typical anti-psychotics
first generation
developed during 1950s
e.g chlorpromazine
reduce positive symptoms
atypical anti-psychotics
newer generation
developed during 1990s
e.g clozapine
reduce positive and negative symptoms
side effects of typical anti-psychotics
treat positive symptoms
movement disorder such as tremors or facial movements
side effects of atypical anti-psychotics
treat positive and negative symptoms
reduction in movement disorder
but weigh gain
nonadherance
an issue with both treatments up to 74% of patients stop taking medication resulting in relapse
a cycle - they stop taking, delusions may begin about the drugs
family therapy
family patient partnership at the heart of treatment
family acts as a collaborator
reduce the risk of expressed emotion and eduction the family about the disorder and coping skills
social skill training
social adjustment and obtaining employment still low with anti-psychotics
therefore the goal is to provide training on improving social interactions
cognitive remediation therapy
cognitive performance tends to be poor over the course of disorder
thus the goal is to provide training on improving cognitive performance
therapy teaches individual methods of strategic information processing, it individualises therapy and focuses on implementing strategies in the real world
