Schizophrenia Flashcards
What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
Additional experiences beyond normal functioning, e.g. hallucinations and delusions.
What are hallucinations?
Perceptions not based in reality, e.g. seeing or hearing things that aren’t there.
What are delusions?
False beliefs not based in reality, e.g. delusions of persecution or grandeur.
What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
A loss of abilities associated with normal psychological function, e.g. speech poverty and avolition.
What is speech poverty?
Reduced quality/amount of speech; may include word salads or new words.
What is avolition?
Lack of motivation or energy, e.g. not completing daily tasks.
What are the two main diagnostic manuals for schizophrenia?
DSM-5 and ICD-10.
What does reliability mean in diagnosing schizophrenia?
Consistency of diagnosis across different clinicians.
What does validity mean in diagnosing schizophrenia?
Accuracy of the diagnosis in identifying the correct disorder.
What did Gottesman’s twin study find?
Identical twins have a 48% concordance rate, non-identical 17%, supporting genetic influence.
What are neural correlates in SZ?
Brain structure differences found via fMRI/post-mortem, e.g. less grey matter and enlarged ventricles.
What is the dopamine hypothesis?
Suggests SZ is caused by abnormal dopamine activity (too much or too little in certain brain areas).
How do dopamine-affecting drugs support the dopamine hypothesis?
Drugs that reduce dopamine lessen symptoms; drugs that increase it (e.g. meth) can induce symptoms.
What are typical antipsychotics?
First-generation drugs (e.g. chlorpromazine) that block dopamine receptors.
What are atypical antipsychotics?
Second-generation drugs (e.g. clozapine, risperidone) that target dopamine and other neurotransmitters like serotonin.
What is family dysfunction in SZ?
Poor family communication (e.g. double bind theory, high expressed emotion) contributing to SZ development.
What does the double bind theory suggest?
Mixed messages from parents lead to confusion and increased SZ risk.
What is the cognitive explanation for SZ?
Faulty thinking processes (e.g. dysfunctional metacognition, cognitive biases) cause symptoms.
What is metacognition?
Thinking about one’s own thoughts; dysfunctional in SZ, causing issues like hallucinations.
What is the goal of family therapy in SZ?
Improve communication, reduce negativity, and increase understanding and support.
What is CBT used for in SZ?
Identify and challenge irrational thoughts with evidence and realistic evaluation.
What are token economies?
Use of operant conditioning to reinforce desirable behaviors with tokens (used mainly in institutions).
What is the interactionist approach to SZ?
Combines biological and psychological explanations and treatments.
