Schizophrenia

Question 1

What is schizophrenia and how does it affect individuals?

Answer 1

Schizophrenia is a serious psychotic disorder that disrupts cognition and emotion, affecting language, perception, emotion, thought, and sense of self.

Question 2

At what age does schizophrenia typically begin?

Answer 2

Between 15 and 45 years old.

Question 3

What diagnostic systems are used for schizophrenia?

Answer 3

DSM-5 and ICD-11.

Question 4

What characterizes Type 1 schizophrenia?

Answer 4

Positive symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions of grandeur.

Question 5

What characterizes Type 2 schizophrenia?

Answer 5

Negative symptoms such as emotional flattening and poverty of speech.

Question 6

What are hallucinations in schizophrenia?

Answer 6

Sensory experiences with no basis in reality, which can be auditory, visual, etc.

Question 7

What are delusions in schizophrenia?

Answer 7

Bizarre, irrational beliefs such as thinking one is a historical figure or being controlled externally.

Question 8

What is avolition?

Answer 8

Lack of motivation to begin or sustain goal-directed behavior.

Question 9

What is speech poverty in schizophrenia?

Answer 9

Reduced fluency and productivity of speech, often due to slowed thinking.

Question 10

What is comorbidity and how does it affect diagnosis?

Answer 10

The co-occurrence of disorders like OCD or depression with schizophrenia complicates accurate diagnosis.

Question 11

What did Swets find regarding schizophrenia and OCD?

Answer 11

12% of schizophrenics also met the diagnostic criteria for OCD.

Question 12

What reliability issue arises from culture in diagnosis?

Answer 12

Culture influences how symptoms like auditory hallucinations are experienced and reported.

Question 13

What did Luhrmann’s study find?

Answer 13

US patients reported more violent voices compared to those in Ghana or India.

Question 14

What is the ethnic culture hypothesis?

Answer 14

Ethnic minorities may experience less distress from schizophrenia due to cultural support systems.

Question 15

What is gender bias in schizophrenia diagnosis?

Answer 15

Diagnosis may vary due to gender stereotypes; men show more negative symptoms and earlier onset.

Question 16

What did Kulkarni find regarding females and schizophrenia?

Answer 16

Estradiol may protect females and help reduce symptoms when used with antipsychotics.

Question 17

What is symptom overlap?

Answer 17

Shared symptoms between schizophrenia and other disorders like bipolar disorder lead to misdiagnosis.

Question 18

How can brain scans aid accurate diagnosis?

Answer 18

Brain scans can detect grey matter deterioration, aiding distinction between schizophrenia and other illnesses.

Question 19

How do genetics influence schizophrenia?

Answer 19

It is inherited, polygenic, with genes like NRG1 and NRG3 involved.

Question 20

What were Gottesman and Shields’ findings on twin concordance?

Answer 20

48% for MZ twins and 17% for DZ twins.

Question 21

What is the dopamine hypothesis?

Answer 21

Schizophrenia is linked to excess dopamine activity in the brain.

Question 22

What drug evidence supports the dopamine hypothesis?

Answer 22

L-Dopa and amphetamines induce or worsen symptoms by increasing dopamine.

Question 23

What structural brain abnormalities are linked to schizophrenia?

Answer 23

Enlarged ventricles, reduced grey matter, and smaller hypothalamus.

Question 24

What did Swayze find about brain imaging in schizophrenia?

Answer 24

Structural brain abnormalities such as less grey matter and enlarged ventricles.

Question 25

What is the double bind theory?

Answer 25

Schizophrenia results from conflicting parental messages leading to cognitive confusion.

Question 26

What did Berger find related to the double bind theory?

Answer 26

Schizophrenic patients recalled more double bind statements from their mothers.

Question 27

What is expressed emotion (EE)?

Answer 27

High EE families express criticism, hostility, or overinvolvement, increasing relapse risk.

Question 28

What did Hooley’s research show about EE?

Answer 28

High EE predicts relapse not just in schizophrenia, but also in depression and eating disorders.

Question 29

What is Frith’s cognitive theory of schizophrenia?

Answer 29

Delusions and hallucinations stem from poor self-monitoring and metacognitive deficits.

Question 30

What is metarepresentation in schizophrenia?

Answer 30

The inability to distinguish between internal and external sources of thought and action.

Question 31

What cognitive problems did Hemsley associate with schizophrenia?

Answer 31

Breakdown in linking perception and memory, causing delusional thinking.

Question 32

What is chlorpromazine used for?

Answer 32

A typical antipsychotic that blocks dopamine to reduce positive symptoms.

Question 33

What are side effects of typical antipsychotics?

Answer 33

Tardive dyskinesia, dizziness, and extra-pyramidal symptoms like tremors.

Question 34

What are atypical antipsychotics?

Answer 34

Drugs like clozapine and risperidone that affect dopamine and serotonin with fewer side effects.

Question 35

What benefits does clozapine offer?

Answer 35

Reduces suicide risk, anxiety, depression, and improves cognition.

Question 36

What did Meltzer find about clozapine?

Answer 36

Clozapine is 30–50% more effective than typical antipsychotics.

Question 37

What does CBT aim to do for schizophrenics?

Answer 37

Challenge and rationalize negative thoughts, such as delusions and hallucinations.

Question 38

What is the ABC model in CBTp?

Answer 38

A technique that disputes irrational beliefs and replaces them with rational ones.

Question 39

What is the normalisation technique in CBT?

Answer 39

Reassuring patients that others also have unusual experiences when stressed.

Question 40

What did NICE find about CBT’s impact on hospitalization?

Answer 40

It reduced hospitalisation rates by 24% in patients who received CBT.

Question 41

What is a major weakness of CBT access in the UK?

Answer 41

Only 1 in 10 patients receive CBT due to limited availability and resources.

Question 42

What is family therapy in schizophrenia?

Answer 42

Therapy involving the patient’s family to reduce EE and improve communication.

Question 43

What did Lobban’s research on family therapy find?

Answer 43

60% of studies showed positive coping outcomes in families.

Question 44

What were Pharoah’s findings on family therapy vs. drugs?

Answer 44

Family therapy improves medication compliance and reduces hospitalisation.

Question 45

What is token economy in treating schizophrenia?

Answer 45

A behavior modification technique using rewards to reinforce appropriate behaviors.

Question 46

What did Ayllon and Azrin’s study show?

Answer 46

Token economy increased task performance and reduced symptoms in female patients.

Question 47

What ethical concerns exist about token economy?

Answer 47

It may manipulate patient behavior and lacks fully informed consent.

Question 48

What is the diathesis-stress model?

Answer 48

Schizophrenia results from a genetic vulnerability combined with environmental stress.

Question 49

What did Murray find in flu epidemic children?

Answer 49

An 88% increased risk of schizophrenia in children whose mothers had flu mid-pregnancy.

Question 50

What did Houston (2008) discover?

Answer 50

Childhood trauma plus cannabis use increased schizophrenia risk, supporting diathesis-stress.

Question 51

What did Hogarty find about combining treatments?

Answer 51

A 0% relapse rate with drugs + family therapy + social support, vs. 41% for drugs alone.

Question 52

What did Guo find regarding early schizophrenia treatment?

Answer 52

Combined therapies improved insight, quality of life, and treatment compliance.

Question 53

Why does the interactionist approach align with holism?

Answer 53

It merges biological and psychological therapies tailored to the individual.

Question 54

How does the interactionist approach handle treatment comparison?

Answer 54

It evaluates cost, side effects, and effectiveness of drug and psychological therapies.

Question 55

Why are combined treatments favored over standalone ones?

Answer 55

They yield better outcomes, reduce relapse, and improve functioning.

Question 56

What is the significance of Andreason’s criticism of neural correlates?

Answer 56

He questioned the clinical relevance of brain structural abnormalities in schizophrenia.

Question 57

What was Davidson’s contribution to the dopamine hypothesis?

Answer 57

Found that L-Dopa exacerbated symptoms, supporting excess dopamine theory.

Question 58

What did Frith’s card experiment show?

Answer 58

Schizophrenics produce stereotypical sequences, indicating impaired voluntary action generation.

Question 59

What is Hemsley's cognitive breakdown theory?

Answer 59

It highlights failures in combining memory and perception, leading to delusions.

Question 60

What does the NICE report recommend regarding treatment?

Answer 60

Combining CBT with standard care reduces hospitalisations and improves outcomes.