Schizophrenia

Question 1

Name 2 risk factors for developing schizophrenia

Answer 1

• Family history
• Heavy cannabis use
• Traumatic events in childhood
• Traumatic birth
• Maternal poor health

Question 2

The first rank features of schizophrenia can be divided into what (4)?

Answer 2

• Auditory hallucination
• Thought disorder
• Delusional perceptions
• Passivity phenomena

Question 3

Name an auditory hallucination feature of schizophrenia

Answer 3

• 2 or more voices discussing the patient in the third person
• Thought echo
• Voices commenting on the patient’s behaviour

Question 4

Name a thought disorder feature of schizophrenia

Answer 4

Thought insertion, withdrawal and broadcasting

Question 5

Name a passivity phenomena feature of schizophrenia

Answer 5

• Bodily sensations being controlled by external influence
• Actions/impulses/feelings - experiences which are imposed on the individual or influenced by others

Question 6

What is the main delusional perception feature of schizophrenia

Answer 6

A two stage process where first a normal object is perceived, then secondly there is a sudden intense delusional insight into the objects meaning for the patient e.g. ‘The traffic light is green therefore I am the King’.

Question 7

Name 2 negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and what do they mean?

Answer 7

• Alogia (poverty of speech)
• Anhedonia (inability to derive pleasure)
• Incongruity/blunting of affect
• Avolition (poor motivation)

Question 8

1) What drugs are used as first line treatment of schizophrenia?
2) Name 1 of these
3) What drugs may be used if there is acute behavioural disturbance in the presentation of paranoid schizophrenia?
4) What drug is recommended for children and young people whose schizophrenia has not responded to adequate doses of at least two different antipsychotics used sequentially for 6-8 weeks?

Answer 8

1) Atypical antipsychotics
2) Risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine,
3) Benzodiazepine i.e. lorazepam
4) Clozapine?