lecture 11 p5: psychological challenges

Question 1

Schizophrenia Overview

Answer 1

○ Schizophrenia is often associated with behaviors perceived as “crazy” or atypical.
○ Historically, it was a catch-all term for strange behaviors, contributing to societal avoidance.
○ People may distance themselves due to unpredictability and perceived danger.

Question 2

Positive Symptoms Schizophrenia

Answer 2

● Present when something is there that shouldn’t be.
● Examples: Delusions (unfounded beliefs), hallucinations (false perceptions).

Question 3

Negative Symptoms Schizophrenia

Answer 3

● Absence of something that should be there.
● Examples: Lack of emotional expression, social withdrawal.

Question 4

types of delusions

Answer 4

■ Persecution
■ Reference
■ Grandeur
■ Control

Question 5

Persecution

Answer 5

Believing everyone is against you, discriminating, spying, or threatening

Question 6

Reference

Answer 6

Attaching special meaning to external objects or actions

Question 7

Grandeur

Answer 7

Believing oneself to be more important, possibly as historical figures

Question 8

Control

Answer 8

Believing external forces are trying to control thoughts or actions

Question 9

Persecutory Delusion

Answer 9

■ False beliefs about harm or persecution

Question 10

Referential Delusions

Answer 10

■ Attaching special meaning to unrelated events or object

Question 11

Grandiose Delusions

Answer 11

■ An exaggerated sense of self-importance

Question 12

Control Delusions

Answer 12

■ Believing external forces control thoughts or actions

Question 13

Psychotic Experience

Answer 13

○ People with psychosis often experience a loss of contact with reality.
○ Unusual perceptions, odd thoughts, and disturbed emotions are common in schizophrenia.

Question 14

Challenges and Understanding: Psychotic Experience

Answer 14

○ Societal stigma and fear often result from a lack of understanding.
○ Individuals may avoid those with schizophrenia due to unpredictable behavior.
○ Psychosis involves a complex interplay of symptoms, and understanding it is crucial for more informed and compassionate interactions.

Question 15

Delusions of Control

Answer 15

○ Individuals with schizophrenia may have delusions of being controlled by external forces, such as the government or other entities.
○ These delusions can extend to various aspects of life, like believing COVID vaccines are devices for control

Question 16

Episodic Nature of Symptoms

Answer 16

○ Schizophrenia symptoms often manifest in late teens to early 20s.
○ Research suggests that brain development, especially in areas like the prefrontal cortex, might contribute to the onset.
○ The exact reasons for this timing are still being explored

Question 17

Familial and Environmental Factors

Answer 17

○ Genetics may play a role, as schizophrenia is more common in families with a history of the disorder.
○ Environmental factors and traumatic events might contribute, but they are not exclusive triggers

Question 18

Early Signs and Types

Answer 18

○ Early signs and symptoms may include changes in thinking, social withdrawal, and altered emotional expression.
○ Schizophrenia is categorized into Type I (more positive symptoms) and Type II (more negative symptoms)

Question 19

Dementia and Schizophrenia

Answer 19

○ Both schizophrenia and dementia involve improper brain functioning.
○ Delusions or hallucinations in dementia can be related to how the brain processes sensory information

Question 20

Origin of Delusional Ideas

Answer 20

○ Delusional ideas can originate internally or be influenced by external factors.
○ Sometimes, delusions may develop within the individual’s thought process.
○ External influences, like constant false information, can also contribute to delusional beliefs

Question 21

Nature vs. Nurture: schizophrenia

Answer 21

○ Schizophrenia is a complex interplay of genetic predisposition and environmental factors.
○ Nature (genetic) and nurture (environmental) elements both contribute to the development of the disorder

Question 22

Onset and Brain Function

Answer 22

○ Brain development during late adolescence and early adulthood may contribute to the onset.
○ The intricate balance of neurotransmitters and brain structures can influence the emergence of symptoms

Question 23

Attentional Issues and Filtering: Schizophrenia

Answer 23

○ Individuals with schizophrenia may struggle to filter out distracting information, similar to attention deficit disorders (ADHD).
○ ADHD involves difficulties in stopping oneself from paying attention to distracting stimuli.

Question 24

Role of Brain Stimulation: Schizophrenia

Answer 24

ADHD are addressed with medications like Ritalin, designed to stimulate the brain’s focus-related processes.
○ Similarly, individuals with schizophrenia might have attention and focus problems due to challenges in filtering out irrelevant stimuli

Question 25

Eye Tracking Tasks

Answer 25

○ Eye tracking tasks reveal challenges in individuals with schizophrenia to filter information.
○ Their eyes exhibit unpredictable patterns, unlike typically functioning individuals who show a clear and predictable gaze pattern when observing faces

Question 26

Affective Responses and Emotional Reactions

Answer 26

○ Individuals with schizophrenia might display strange behaviors and peculiar emotional reactions due to their difficulty filtering out less important information from their environment.
○ In response to bad news, they might laugh hysterically not because they find it funny, but due to an inability to filter out irrelevant stimuli

Question 27

Hallucinations and Perceptions

Answer 27

○ Hallucinations involve perceptions in the absence of external stimuli.
○ Schizophrenia can lead to various types of hallucinations, including auditory and visual.

Question 28

Auditory hallucinations

Answer 28

involve hearing sounds or voices, often misattributed to an external source

Question 29

Visual hallucinations

Answer 29

vague perceptions of colors, lights, or shapes, rather than fully detailed images