Psychotic Disorders Flashcards
What is psychosis?
A mental state in which reality is greatly distorted (individual is experiencing a reality different to everyone else’s).
What does psychosis present with?
Hallucinations
Delusions
Thought disorder
Fragmentation of the boundaries of the individual
What is a hallucination?
Perception in the absence of an external stimulus
What are delusions?
Fixed false belief, firmly held despite evidence to the contrary and goes against the individuals normal, social and cultural belief system.
What is thought disorder?
Impairment in the ability to form thoughts from logically connected ideas.
What are the different types of delusions and what do they mean?
Persecutory- people are coming after you
Grandiose- you believe you have special skills
Reference- you believe everything is about you
Erotomanic- you believe everyone is in love with you
Hypochondriac- you believe you have a terrible disease
What is formal thought disease?
Problem of speech where each sentence does not follow on from the next, it is different from flight of ideas, flight of ideas is where each sentence although they do not follow on from the next, they are connected.
What are disorders of the self?
This is when the individual can no longer distinguish between theirselves and the world, it involves passitivity phenomena, thought insertion and though broadcast.
What is passivity phenomena?
Phenomena in which individuals feel that some aspect of themselves is under the control of others
You need to determine whether psychosis has an organic or non organic cause, what are the organic causes of psychosis?
Delirium (confusion also state/ electrolyte imbalance) Dementia Infection (syphilis) Endocrine (cushings/thyroid) Temporal lobe epilepsy Drugs Alcohol
What are the non organic causes of psychosis?
Schizophrenia Schizotypal Schizoaffective Acute psychotic episode Mood disorders W/ psychosis Delusional disorder Induced delusional disorder Puerperal psychosis
What is schizotypal disorder?
Also known as Latent schizophrenia, characterised by eccentric behaviour, suspiciousness, unusual speech and deviations of thinking and affect that is similar to those suffering from schizophrenia. There is an increased risk of schizotypal disorder in those who have first degree relatives with schizophrenia.
What is meant by ‘acute and transient psychotic disorders’
A psychotic episode, presenting very similar to schizophrenia but lasting <1month and so not meeting the criteria for schizophrenia.
What is persistent delusional disorder?
The development of a single or set of delusions for a period of at least 3 months, where the delusion is the only or the most prominent symptom. The content of the delusion is often persecutory, grandiose or hypochondrial.
What is the induced delusional disorder?
Uncommon disorder characterised by the presence of similar delusions in two or more individuals.
What is mood disorders with psychosis?
Psychosis occurring secondary to depression or mania (unlike schizophrenia which is usually spontaneous).
What is puerperal psychosis? (Post partum psychosis)
Acute onset of a manic or psychotic episode shortly after childbirth, it usually develops in the first 2 weeks following birth.
What is late paraphrenia?
Late onset schizophrenia
Hallucinations and delusions are prominent (particularly paranoid), while thought disorders and catatonic are rare.
What is schizophrenia?
Most common psychotic condition, characterised by hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders which lead to functional impairment. It occurs in the absence of organic disease, alcohol or drug related disorders and is not secondary to elevation or depression of mood.
What are the biological predisposing risk factors of schizophrenia?
Genetic
Neuro chemical (increase in dopamine, decrease in glutamate, serotonin, GABA)
Age 15-35
Neuro developmental- intrauterine infection, premature birth, fetal brain injury and obstretic complications.
Extremes of parental age
