Positive And Negative Symptoms

Question 1

Positive symptoms

What does research notice about hallucinations

Answer 1

research shows changes in the speech area of the brain when people experience hallucinations - these studies show the experience of hearing voices as a real one, as if the brain

Question 2

Positive symptoms

Define delusions

Answer 2

A belief with complete conviction, even though it is based on a mistaken, strange or unrealistic view

  - they can be linked to justifying hallucinations
  - examples of delusions: reading too deeply into TV, magazines or radio articles for hidden codes etc.

Question 3

Positive symptoms

Define confused thoughts (thought disorder)

Answer 3

People experiencing psychosis often have trouble keeping track of their thoughts and conversations

Question 4

Positive symptoms

Define changes in behaviour and thoughts

Answer 4

Behaviour may become more disorganised and unpredictable and appearance or dress may seem unusual to others - some people feel their body is being taken over and that someone else is directing their movements and actions

Question 5

What is a Positive symptom?

Answer 5

Where something is added to your personality

Question 6

What is a negative symptom?

Answer 6

Where something is removed from your personality

Question 7

What is the initial appearance of negative symptoms known as?

Answer 7

Prodromal period

Question 8

Explain the onset of negative symptoms

Answer 8

Negative symptoms can often appear several years before somebody experiences their first schizophrenic episode - these initial negative symptoms are often referred to as the prodromal period. They usually appear gradually and slowly get worse.

Question 9

Examples of negative symptoms present in the prodromal period

Answer 9

• becoming more socially withdrawn
• experiencing an increasing lack of care about your personal appearance and hygiene
• losing interest and motivation in life and activities including relationships and sex
• lack of concentration; not wanting to leave the house and changes in sleeping patterns
• being less likely to initiate conversation with people and feeling uncomfortable in social situations

Question 10

Difficulty with establishing negative symptoms in the prodromal period as early onset schizophrenia…

Answer 10

It can be difficult to tell whether the symptoms are as a result of developing schizophrenia or are as a result of something else

Question 11

3 examples of actual negative symptoms (not prodromal period)

Answer 11

Affective flattening
Alogia
Avolition

Question 12

Negative symptoms

What is affective flattening?

Answer 12

Lack of emotion

Question 13

Negative symptoms

What is Alogia

Answer 13

Poverty of speech

Question 14

Negative symptoms

What is Avolition

Answer 14

Having no drive to do anything

Question 15

What is most countries life time risk of being diagnosed with Sz?

Answer 15

1%

Question 16

Average age range for onset?

Answer 16

15-45

Question 17

It is equally common in males and females except for one difference:

Answer 17

Onset is usually 4-5 years earlier in males

Question 18

What are the two types of schizophrenia?

Answer 18

Chronic onset and acute onset

Question 19

What is chronic onset Sz?

Answer 19

Insidious (gradual) change in apparently normal person- slowly lose drive and motivation and start to drift away from friends. After months/years, more obvious signs such as delusional ideas/ hallucinations occur,

Question 20

What is acute onset Sz?

Answer 20

Signs such as hallucinations appear suddenly, usually after a stressful event - very disturbed behaviour within a few days.

Question 21

Name the two classification systems and the populations they represent

Answer 21

ICD - European classification system

DSM - American classification system

Question 22

ICD (Europe)

What does it state for diagnosis? I.e. How many symptoms present and for how long?

Answer 22

Either one of the symptoms listed under (1) or at least 2 of the symptoms listed under (2) should be present for most of the time during an episode of psychotic illness lasting for at least one month (or at some time during most of the days)

Question 23

An example of symptoms in brackets (1) and (2) for the ICD

Answer 23

(1) thought echo, insertion, withdrawal or broadcasting
(2) persistent hallucinations of any modality
(2) catatonic behaviour

Question 24

What is the DSMs process of diagnosis

Answer 24

A) characteristic symptoms: two or more of the following, each present for a significant portion of time
- hallucinations
- delusions
- disorganised speech
- catatonic behaviour
- negative symptoms
B) social/ occupational dysfunction: for a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, one or more major areas of functioning (e.g. Interpersonal relations) are markedly below the level achieved prior to onset
C) Duration - continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months. This 6 month period must include at least 1 month symptoms that meet criterion A

Question 25

What was the main change on the introduction of DSM-V

Answer 25

The elimination of the special attribution of bizarre delusions and Schneiderian first-rank auditory hallucinations: removed due to non-specificity, therefore poor reliability in distinguishing non-bizarre from bizarre delusions

Question 26

What does the ICD state about schizophrenia

Answer 26

The disorder is not attributed to organic brain disease, or to alcohol - or drug-related intoxication, dispense or withdrawal

Question 27

Positive symptoms

Define hallucinations

Answer 27

A person experiences a sensation that can involve any of the senses but there is nothing or nobody to account for it
- research shows changes in the speech area of the brain when people experience hallucinations - these studies show the experience of hearing voices as a real one, as if the brain mistakes thoughts for real voices

Question 28

What does ICD stand for?

Answer 28

International Statistical Classsification of Diseases- created by World Health Organisation

Question 29

What does DSM stand for?

Answer 29

Diagnostic and statistical Manual of mental disorders - produced by the American Psychological Association