Schizophrenia Flashcards
‘Dementia praecox’ means:
Early dementia
What was schizophrenia formally known as?
Dementia praecox
‘Schizo’ as in ‘schizophrenia’ means:
Splitting
‘Phrenia’ in ‘schizophrenia’ means:
The mind or disorders of the mind.
From which problematic idea around schizophrenia does its name also originate from?
People with schizophrenia has ‘split’ personalities
Which Swiss psychiatrist came up with the 4 core features of schizophrenia?
Bleuler
Name at least 1 of Bleuler’s core features of schizophrenia:
Associative disturbances. Affective disturbances. Preference for fantasy. Ambivalence.
Why was the term “dementia praecox” problematic when referring to what is now known as schizophrenia?
Symptoms did not align with the development of dementia
____ symptoms of schizophrenia include delusions, hallucinations and disorganised speech: positive or negative.
Positive
____ symptoms of schizophrenia include diminished emotion, expression or avolition: positive or negative.
Negative.
Positive symptoms are the ___ of symptoms and negative symptoms are the ___ of symptoms: presence, absence.
Presence, absence.
Name any problems or challenges involved with researching schizophrenia:
Diagnosis is varied and unreliable. Heterogeneity of classification. Some phenomena not captured in diagnostic criteria. Significant secondary effects.
Formal thought disorder (FTD) is characterised by:
Disorganised or delusional speech
Formal thought disorder (FTD) is characterised only by negative (reduced) symptoms: true or false?
False
What is the most popular theory of the development of FTD in patients with schizophrenia?
Activation of the semantic memory
Semantic priming (word associations) relies on:
The strength and speed of activation
Memory characterised by rapid processing and unconscious awareness is:
Automatic
Memory characterised by processing with conscious awareness is:
Controlled
In the case study of Harry, his paranoid schizophrenia was closely correlated with an unstable family and upbringing. True or false?
False - Harry came from a seemingly stable, privileged upbringing.
Name Harry’s diagnosis:
Paranoid schizophrenia
Which personal struggles may have activated or exacerbated Harry’s schizophrenia?
Relationships ending, substance abuse
Which voices did Harry claim to be able to hear?
Hi-5 - Charlie Robinson, Kellie Hoggart, Kathleen De Leon
Charlie Robinson was the most malevolent of Harry’s voices, and also the most prominent. True or false?
False - Charlie was particularly malevolent, but the voice of Kellie was most prominent
Name any of the antecedents that may have exacerbated Harry’s schizophrenia:
Anxiety, hallucinations, alcohol abuse, breaking up with his girlfriend
What were Harry’s beliefs about his hallucinations?
Identity, intention, power
Name the ways in which Harry may have coped with his hallucinations that further exacerbated his symptoms:
Alcohol, rubbing his head when hearing voices, sleeping with a knife under his pillow
In what way might the fear Harry experienced as a result of his hallucinations exacerbate the problem?
Giving his voices ‘power’
How might Harry combat the power he gives to his voices?
By not referring to them using their names
Name any of the treatments administered to Harry to help him deal with his schizophrenia:
Anti-psychotic medication, CBT
What should psychologists ideally do to ensure Harry does not relapse after treatment?
Provide him with the skills to maintain his relationships so that his relationship issues do not manifest into paranoia.
