Schizophrenia

Question 1

What is the only symptom needed to diagnose schizophrenia and how long must the symptom have been present?

Answer 1

Only one symptom is required if the delusions are bizarre or if auditory hallucinations occur in which the voices comment in an ongoing manner on the person’s behaviour (command hallucination), or if two or more voices are talking with each other. The patient must experience at least one month of symptoms during a 6-month period, and social or occupational deterioration problems occur over a significant amount of time.

Question 2

What are the positive clinical presentations of schizophrenia?

Answer 2

Hallucinations
Delusions
Insight
Ideation
Loose association
Concrete Thinking
Bizarre behaviour

Question 3

What are the negative clinical presentations of schizophrenia?

Answer 3

Flatness
Poverty of speech
Affect blunting
Avolition

Question 4

What are examples of behaviours that a schizophrenic patient may present with that are rarely observed in others?

Answer 4

 Water drinking to the point of intoxication.
 Staring at self in the mirror.
 Stereotyped behaviour.
 Hoarding useless objects.
 Self-mutilation and a disturbed wake-sleep cycle.
 They often experience difficulty dealing with change

Question 5

What are two risk factors of Schizophrenia?

Answer 5

Genetic
Prenatal

Question 6

What are possible differential diagnosis’s in patients with schizophrenia?

Answer 6

Drug induced psychosis
Delirium
PTSD
OCD
Autism

Question 7

Non-pharmacological treatment for schizophrenia?

Answer 7

Psychosocial treatment e.g. social skills training, cognitive behavioural therapy, social cognition training and cognitive remediation
Social work
Vocational rehabilitation
Diet
Activity

Question 8

What is bipolar characterised by?

Answer 8

Mania or hypomania and episodes of depressed mood

Question 9

What is mania characterised by?

Answer 9

Abnormally elevated mood
extreme irritability
aggression
increased energy
activity restlessness
decreased need for sleep
pressure of speech or incomprehensible speech
flight of ideas or racing thoughts
distractibility
poor concentration
increased libido
disinhibition
sexual indiscretions
extravagant or impractical plans
psychotic symptoms: delusions or hallucinations

Question 10

What symptoms is hypomania characterised by?

Answer 10

mild elevation of mood
irritability
increased energy and activity
increased sociability
talkativeness
over-familiarity.