Module 43: Schizophrenia and other disorders

Question 1

schizophrenia

Answer 1

a disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression

Question 2

psychotic disorders

Answer 2

a group of disorders marked by irrational ideas, distorted perceptions, and a loss of contact with reality.

Question 3

positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 3

inappropriate behaviors are present

there is an overabundance of stimulus that is not actually present

Includes: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech

Question 4

negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 4

appropriate behaviors are absent

there is a lack of stimulus that should be there

Including: flat affect, impaired theory of mind, catatonia

Question 5

hallucinations

Answer 5

seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling things that exist only in the individual’s mind

most common are auditory (hearing voices) followed by visual (seeing things that aren’t there)

a positive symptom of schizophrenia

Question 6

delusions

Answer 6

a false belief, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

a positive symptom of schizophrenia

Question 7

word salad

Answer 7

disorganized speech associated with schizophrenia (positive symptom)

jumbled ideas that may make no sense even within sentences

Question 8

flat affect

Answer 8

a negative symptom of schizophrenia, meaning that your emotional expressions don’t show. You may speak in a dull, flat voice and your face may not change. You also may have trouble understanding emotions in other people.

Question 9

impaired theory of mind

Answer 9

a negative symptom of schizophrenia

unable to understand others’ mental states

Question 10

catatonia

Answer 10

characterized by motor behaviors ranging from a physical stupor–remaining motionless for hours–to senseless, compulsive actions, such as continually rocking or rubbing an arm, to severe and dangerous agitation

Question 11

chronic schizophrenia

Answer 11

(also called process schizophrenia) a form of schizophrenia in which symptoms usually appear by late adolescence or early adulthood. As people age, psychotic episodes last longer and recovery periods shorten.

onset slowly and recovery less likely

Question 12

acute schizophrenia

Answer 12

(also called reactive schizophrenia) a form of schizophrenia that can begin at any age, frequently occurs in response to a traumatic event, and from which recovery is more likely

onset: more quickly, recovery: more likely

Question 13

influence of the prenatal environment in schizophrenia

Answer 13

risk factors included low birth weight, maternal diabetes, older paternal age, and oxygen deprivation during delivery

famine and viral infections may also increase risk

Question 14

brain abnormalities in schizophrenia

Answer 14

• excess number of dopamine receptors (particularly the D4 receptor).
• abnormally low brain activity in the frontal lobe
• enlarged, fluid-filled ventricles and a corresponding shrinkage and thinning of cerebral tissue
• smaller than normal brain areas include the cortex, the hippocampus, thalamus, and the corpus callosum
• loss of neural connections across the brain network

Question 15

dissociative disorders

Answer 15

controversial, rare disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings

Question 16

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Answer 16

a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating identities (formerly called multiple personality disorder)

Question 17

personality disorders

Answer 17

inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning

Question 18

antisocial personality disorder

Answer 18

a personality disorder in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist

Question 19

anorexia nervosa

Answer 19

an eating disorder in which a person maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight; sometimes accompanied by excessive exercise

Question 20

bulimia nervosa

Answer 20

an eating disorder in which a person’s binge eating (eating a larger amount of food in a short period of time and feeling out of control) is followed by inappropriate weight-loss promoting behavior, such as self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic misuse, fasting, or excessive exercise