Schizophrenia

Question 1

What is Schizophrenia

Answer 1

A chronic mental disorder with periods of psychosis, disturbed behavior and thought, along with declining function

Question 2

How long must the features of psychosis, disturbed behavior and thought, and decline n function last in order to be classified as Schizophrenia

Answer 2

More than 6 mos

Question 3

Associated with what pathologic findings

Answer 3

Rise in Dopaminergic activity

Fall in dendritic branching

Question 4

Dx of schizophrenia

Answer 4

2 or more of the following

Positive Symptoms

• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Disorganized Speech
• Catatonic behavior

Negative Symptoms
- flat affect, social withdrawal, lack of motivation, lack of speech or thought

Question 5

How do you define brief psychotic disorder

Answer 5

Transient psychosis that lasts less than a month, usually precipitated by stres

Question 6

Schizophreniform disorder

Answer 6

1-6 months

Question 7

Schizoaffective disorder

Answer 7

At least 2 weeks of stable mood with psychotic symptoms plus a major depressive, manic, or mixed episode

Question 8

What are the 2 subtypes of schizoaffective diosrder

Answer 8

Depressive and bipolar

Question 9

5 subtypes of schizo

Answer 9

• Paranoid (delusions)
• Disorganized (speech and behavior)
• Catatonic (automatisms)
• Undifferentiated (Elements of all types)
• Residual

Question 10

What are hallucinations

Answer 10

Perceptions in the absence of external stimuli

Question 11

Delusions are what

Answer 11

False beliefs about oneself or others that persist despite the facts ( Believing the CIA is following you around )

Question 12

Types of hallucinations and their most common causes?

Answer 12

• Visual: More commonly a feature of medical illness ( drug illness) than psychiatric illness
• Auditory: More commonly a feature of psychiatric illness (schizophrenia) than medical illness
• Olfactory: Often occur as an aura of psychomotor epilepsy and in brain tumors….so, hearing think psychomotor epilepsy and brain tumors
• Gustatory: Rare
• Tactile: Seen in alcohol and cocaine use (cocaine crawlies) …feels like bugs crawling on the skin
• HypnaGOgic: occurs while GOing to sleep
• HypnoPOMPic: occurs while waking from sleep…pompous upon awaking

Question 13

Schizophrenia is labeled as a psychotic disorder. What defines a psychotic disorder

Answer 13

A distorted perception of reality characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech and movement.

Question 14

Delusional Disorder

Answer 14

Fixed, persistent, belief system lasting more than 1 month. Functioning otherwise not impaired…..a woman gneuinely believes she is in a close relationship with someone when she is not.

Question 15

Catatonia

Answer 15

Severe psychomotor disturbance….very serious potentially

Question 16

Delirium is what

Answer 16

Waxing and waning level of consciousness with acute onset.

• Rapid drop in attention span and arousal
• DELIRIUM IS USUALLY SECONDARY TO SOMETHING ELSE

Question 17

What types of drugs should you check for in a delirious pt?

Answer 17

Anticholnergic drugs

Question 18

Pts with schizophrenia have areduced life expectancy of about how long

Answer 18

a decade

Question 19

The classic thought disorder of schizophrenia (positive symptom, disorganized thought) =

Answer 19

Derailment…Loss of meaning due to random connections/loose associations between ideas…key word here is random

Question 20

Other types of abnormal thought forms seen in schizophrenia

Answer 20

• Tangential: responses to questions are only partially or remotely connected to the topic
• Circumstantial: Excessively detailed

Question 21

Describe the three phases of schizophrenia

Answer 21

1) Prodrmal- gradual change in behavior that may appear as personality or mood change lasting weeks to months
2) Active- classic findings of dellusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and thought
3) Residual: continuing oddities of speech and thought. Prominent negative and cognitive symptoms

Question 22

When does schizophrenia generally appear

Answer 22

early adulthood. rarely presents after 4th decade….a disease of young ppl

Question 23

Treatment of the positive symptoms of schizo revolves around

Answer 23

blocking the DA receptors