Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is a psychotic disorder?
It is where you see or hear things that are not there (hallucinations) or believe things that are not true (delusions)
Define schizophrenia
A long term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behaviour. Leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion and a sense of mental fragmentation
What is a delusion
A delusion is where a person has an unshakeable belief in something untrue
What are hallucinations?
Hallucinations are where someone sees, hears, smells, tastes, or feels things that don’t exist outside their mind
Explain what is meant by positive symptoms of schizophrenia
Any change in behaviour or thoughts
Explain what is meant by negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Where people appear to withdraw from the world around them, take no interest in everyday social interactions, and often appear emotion less or flat
What does the double bond theory state?
That schizophrenia is caused by mixed messages from parents that express care but at the same time appear critical
Who is used as evidence for the double bind theory?
Bateson
What does Bateson argue?
That this communication dysfunction was a risk factor in the on set of schizophrenia and could help explain negative symptoms
What is contesting evidence for the double bind theory?
Liem - measured patterns of paternal communication in families with a schizophrenic child and found no difference when compared to ‘normal families’
What is the schizophrenic mother?
Mothers who were cold, rejecting and controlling create a dysfunctional family climate. - the cause of schizophrenia
What is a problem with the schizophrenic mother?
It is very reductionist because it’s blaming the mother and doesn’t take any other factors into consideration
What is used as supporting evidence for the schizophrenic mother?
Kasanin - studied parents of 45 schizophrenics and found maternal rejection in 2 patients and maternal overprotection in 33
What are characteristics of a high expressed emotion family?
- verbal criticism
- hostility towards the patient, often with threats
- emotional over involvement
What are the findings of Tienari’s study?
Of the 303 adoptees, 14 developed schizophrenia over the course of the study. 11 of these were from the high risk group and 3 from the low risk group. However, being reared in a ‘healthy’ adoptive family appeared to have a protective effect even for those that had a high genetic risk. In adoptees at high risk of schizophrenia, stress was a significant predictor of the development of schizophrenia
What does the dopamine hypothesis suggest as an explanation for schizophrenia?
According to the dopamine hypothesis, excess levels of dopamine is the cause of schizophrenia - abnormal dopamine functioning
What are typical antipsychotics?
Dopamine agonists reducing dopamine activity by blocking dopamine receptors at the synapse. This reduces positive symptoms such as hallucinations and has a calming/sedative effect
What did Adams do?
Reviewed 50 articles with a string methodological basis. It was concluded that even after 50 years of use chlorpromazine was still an effective, very cheap drug despite is severe side effects
What are atypical antipsychotics?
Also block dopamine receptors like chlorpromazine. In addition to this they also act on other neurotransmitters such as serotonin and glutamate. This drug addresses the negative symptoms such as avolition, reduced depression and anxiety
What did Marder do?
Reported that clozapine was an effective drug in approximately 30-67% of patients who are resistant to typical antipsychotics
What is the aim of CBT?
To help patients to identify their faulty, delusionary beliefs and to help them develop more rational constructive ways of thinking, coping and behaving
What does CBT focus on?
Focuses on changing unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour. The CBT therapist reaches people with schizophrenia how to test the reality of their thoughts and perceptions, how to “not listen” to their voices, and how to manage their symptoms overall. CBT can help reduce anxiety, the severity of symptoms and the risk of relapse
Who developed the ABC cognitive model?
Ellis
What is the breakdown of the ABC model?
A = activating event B = belief C = consequence
