Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is schizophrenia?
A relapsing and remitting form of psychosis characterised by positive features and negative features
What is the epidemiology of schizophrenia?
Typically develops in early adulthood (20s and 30s)
Slightly more common in men
What is the strongest risk factor for schizophrenia?
Genetics
What is the risk of developing schizophrenia if a monozygotic twin or both parents have schizophrenia?
50%
What is the risk of developing schizophrenia if a parent or sibling has the condition?
10%
What are the environmental risk factors for developing schizophrenia?
Heavy cannabis use in childhood
Childhood trauma
Maternal health issues - rubella and CMV
Birth trauma
What are Schneider’s first rank symptoms of schizophrenia?
Auditory hallucinations
Thought disorders
Passivity phenomena
Delusional perceptions
What thought disorders are common in schizophrenia?
Thought withdrawal
Thought insertion
Thought broadcasting
What types of auditory hallucinations are seen in patients with schizophrenia?
Two or more voices discussing the patient in third person
Voices commenting on the patient’s behaviour
Thought echo
What is thought echo?
A hallucination where the patient hears their own thoughts as if they were being spoken aloud
What is passivity phenomena?
The feeling that a patient’s actions, thoughts, bodily sensations or feelings are being controlled by an external influence
What is a delusional perception?
A true perception, to which the patient attributes a false meaning
What are the negative features of schizophrenia?
Alogia - decrease in the amount of words a person says
Anhedonia
Blunted affect
Avolition - poor motivation
Social withdrawal
What is blunted affect?
Decreased expression of emotion through facial expressions, tone and movement
What are the differentials of schizophrenia?
Substance induced psychosis
Schizoaffective disorder
Dementia with psychosis
Depression with psychosis
Autoimmune encephalitis
Metabolic disorders
