Psychosis Flashcards
Psychosis
a condition in which people have difficulty distinguishing what is real and not real
- hallucinations and delusions
- often accompanied by further symptoms like inappropriate behaviour, disorganized speech/thinking, dissociation, disturbed mood, social withdrawal
Hallucinations
often associated with mental illness but can occur in healthy people too
- use of hallucinogens/stimulants
- sensory deprivation/loss
- sleep deprivation
- headache/migraine
- sleep paralysis
True Hallucinations
perceived as entirely real by the person experiencing it
Pseudo-hallucination
person is aware what they are experiencing is not real
Grapheme-Colour Synesthesia
seeing letters and numbers as colourful
Synesthesia
cross-modal activation of sensory information
Incidence of Hallucinations by Age
grow less common with development
Simple/Sporadic/Transient Auditory Hallucinations
very common in the general population
- like hearing someone say your name, vibration of phones, phantom ringing
Auditory Voice Hallucinations
typically one the more characteristic and distressing symptoms of psychosis
- negative or commanding tone/content more common than positive content
Delusions
beliefs which are poorly justified by evidence or reason, and persist despite evidence which strongly contradicts the belief
- pleas by others to abandon the belief are resisted/ignored
Monothematic Delusions
following a single theme
Polythematic Delusions
following many themes
- common in schizophrenia
Brief Psychotic Disorder
various psychotic symptoms
- lasts less than a month
Schizophreniform Disorder
various psychotic symptoms
- lasts 1-6 months
Schizoaffective Disorder
marked symptoms of both schizophrenia and a major depressive episode or manic episode
- lasts 6 months or more
Delusional Disorder
persistent delusions that are not bizarre and not due to schizophrenia; persecutory, jealous, grandiose, and somatic delusions are common
- lasts 1 month or more
Psychotic Disorder due to another medical condition
hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized speech caused by a medical illness or brain damage
- no minumum length
Substance/Medication Induced Psychotic Disorder
hallucination, delusions, or disorganized speech caused directly by a substance such as an abused drug
- no minumum length
Schizophrenia
the most prevalent condition with psychosis as a central feature
- has positive and negative symptoms
Positive Symptoms
the presence of an experience/behaviour that people don’t typically show
ie; hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech
Negative Symptoms
ie; social withdrawal, flat affect, poverty of speech, avoilition/apathy
the lack of an experience/behaviour that people typically show
Catatonia
abnormal movements or immobility
Malignant Catatonia
catatonia accompanied by fever, kidney and vascular damage, pulmonary symptoms, which is life-threatening
Avolition
patients with schizophrenia sometimes report that their thoughts and actions are happening out of their control
Delusion of Control/Alien Control
some of those patients will additionally report that they are being controlled by another person or entity
Phases of Schizophrenia
prodromal phase -> active phase -> residual phase
Schizophrenia Treatment
- often hospitalized during episodes
- assisted living
- antipsychotics (act on dopamine and tend to act quicker on positive symptoms)
CBT for Schizophrenia
- cognitive remediation; trains patients to improve their cognitive skills
- cognitive reinterpretation and acceptance; trains patient to recognize and accept hallucination for what they are, rather than creating delusional explanations for them
- goal is not to eliminate symptoms but to understand them more clearly and accept them
Assertive Community Treatment
patients receive intensive assistance from an integrated team of carers
- consists of continuous contact with patients
- showed positive results
Family Psychoeducation
patients and their families are provided with therapy in groups
- clients provide mutual support by sharing successes and struggles and learn ways to manage their symptoms and relationships
Schizophrenia Causes
- genetics (gene variations, comorbid with conditions)
- dopamine hypothesis
- misinterpretation hypothesis
- dissociation hypothesis
Dopamine Hypothesis
most effective anti-psychotic mediations act on dopamine
- drugs that affect dopamine, such as amphetamines, can induce psychosis
Misinterpretation Hypothesis
people with psychosis misinterpret sensations/perceptions as anomalous and misattribute them to external forces
- could by due to dysfunctional sensorimotor networks, which allow us to distinguish intended and unintended movements/imagery
Dissociation Hypothesis
hallucination could be a consequence of dissociation, with fragmented memories, thoughts, and emotions emerging into consciousness with intention or context
- these experiences are then misinterpreted as uncontrolled or foreign
Psychosis and Trauma
symptoms of PTSD often have psychotic characteristics ie; vivid flashbacks, perceived lack old control
- significant relationship between childhood trauma and hallucinations
- certain types of trauma are associated with specific types of hallucinations ie; neglect with visual sensations or physic al abuse with tactile sensations
- more types of trauma experiences -> increased prevalence
