Psychosis Flashcards
True or false: Psychosis is a diagnosis defined by the presence of hallucinations or delusions
FALSE
Psychosis is not a diagnosis but a description of SYMPTOMS
Define “hallucinations”
Perception without stimulus within any sensory modality
Visual hallucinations are usually organic, meaning what?
They are caused by a physical disease/problem with the brain or eyes
What are the two types of hallucination experienced by the “normal” population?
Hypnogogic- when going to sleep
Hyponopompic- when waking up
What is the definition of a “delusion”?
An abnormal belief outside of cultural norms that is unshakable
What are the first rank symptoms of schizophrenia?
Auditory hallucinations
Passivity experiences (e.g. believing movements are being controlled) Thought withdrawal, broadcast or insertion
Delusional perceptions
Somatic hallucinations (feelings from inside the body)
Identify two kinds of auditory hallucinations and describe them
Thought echo- hearing thoughts aloud
Running commentary - voices referring to the patient in third person e.g. “he’s brushing his teeth”
What is a passivity experience? Give an example
When a patient believes that an equation or feeling is caused by an external force
“MI5 have been moving my leg”
Explain what is meant by thought withdrawal, broadcast or insertion
Thoughts taken out of the mind
Thoughts being made known to others
Thoughts being implanted by others
What is meant by delusional perception?
Give an example of such
When a true perception is given a false meaning
e.g shape of a cloud meaning that aliens are coming
What are somatic hallucinations?
When the hallucination mimics feelings from inside the body
What is the difference between positive and negative symptoms?
Give examples of each
Positive- Added symptoms e.g. delusions, hallucinations, (lack of insight?)
Negative- Symptoms that take away from a patient e.g. under activity, low motivation, social withdrawal, emotional flattening
According to the ICD10 diagnosis, what are the features required for a diagnosis of schizophrenia?
At least one of:
- thought echo, insertion, withdrawal, broadcast
- delusions of control, influence or passivity
- hallucinatory voices giving a running commentary on patient’s behaviour
- persistent delusions of other kinds that are culturally inappropriate
Or
At least two of the following:
- persistent hallucinations in any modality every day for at least a month
- neologisms, breaks or interpolations in train of though resulting in incoherent speech
- catatonic behaviour
- negative symptoms such as marked apathy, paucity of speech and blunting
Identify 5 types of schizophrenia
Paranoid schizophrenia - delusions or hallucinations
Undifferentiated schizophrenia -insufficient or too many symptoms to meet criteria of other subtypes
Simple schizophrenia - loss of drive, interest, aimlessness, social withdrawal, no hallucinations/delusions, decline in academic/social/work performance
Hebephrenic schizophrenia - flattening or shallowness of addict or incongruity of affect, hallucinations/delusions do not dominate, child-like, “strange”
Catatonic schizophrenia
Describe some potential explainations of symptoms of schizophrenia in relation to its pathogenesis
Changes in the dopamine pathways of the brain
- overactivity of the mesolimbic system
- underactivity of the mesocortical system
