Lecture 10

Question 1

the role of genetics

Answer 1

related to the genes shared
more shared genes with a family member that has SZ can increase the risk of developing SZ

Question 2

genes

Answer 2

play an important role
no one gene is thought to be responsible
many genes associated including: DISC1, NRG1 and RGS4

Question 3

dopamine hypothesis

Answer 3

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

Question 4

neurological structure

Answer 4

enlarged ventricles - cavities that produce fluid to protect the brain
increase in ventricles leads to decrease in brain mass

Question 5

neurological damage

Answer 5

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

Question 6

pregnancy complications

Answer 6

low birth weight
prolonged labor
umbilical cord around the neck

Question 7

maternal stress

Answer 7

high levels of stress to the mother during pregnancy

Question 8

nutritional deficiency

Answer 8

lack of essential nutrients also implicated
this deprived of essential nutrients show greater risk

Question 9

minor physical anomalies

Answer 9

include
-two or more hair whirls
- epicanthus
- low seated ears
- furrowed tongue
- curved fifth finger
- gap between first and second toe

Question 10

family and emotional expression

Answer 10

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

Question 11

urban living

Answer 11

living in a high, busy city with lots going on increases the risk of SZ
could be due to high stress levels

Question 12

Peterson and Mortenson 2001

Answer 12

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

Question 13

immigration

Answer 13

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

Question 14

drug use

Answer 14

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

Question 15

diathesis stress model

Answer 15

a complex interaction between various factors influence whether or not one experiences SZ
genetically influenced not genetically determined

Question 16

pharmacological treatments

Answer 16

front line treatments consist of anti-psychotic drugs
two main types:
- typical anti-psychotics
- atypical anti-psychotics

Question 17

typical anti-psychotics

Answer 17

first generation
developed during 1950s
e.g chlorpromazine
reduce positive symptoms

Question 18

atypical anti-psychotics

Answer 18

newer generation
developed during 1990s
e.g clozapine
reduce positive and negative symptoms

Question 19

side effects of typical anti-psychotics

Answer 19

treat positive symptoms

movement disorder such as tremors or facial movements

Question 20

side effects of atypical anti-psychotics

Answer 20

treat positive and negative symptoms

reduction in movement disorder
but weigh gain

Question 21

nonadherance

Answer 21

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

Question 22

family therapy

Answer 22

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

Question 23

social skill training

Answer 23

social adjustment and obtaining employment still low with anti-psychotics
therefore the goal is to provide training on improving social interactions

Question 24

cognitive remediation therapy

Answer 24

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

Question 25

CBT

Answer 25

goal is to explore the nature of patients delusions and hallucinations and assess their validity

mixed evidence - may help the positive symptoms not the negative