schizophrenia

Question 1

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia? Think positive, negative, cognitive and mood

Answer 1

• Positive: delusions, hallucinations, thought disorder, disorganised speech and behaviour
• Negative: flat affect, poverty of thought, lack of motivation, social withdrawal, reduced speech output
• Cognitive: distractibility, impaired working memory, impaired executive function eg planning, impaired insight
• Mood: mania, depression

Question 2

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia? Think positive, negative, cognitive, mood and other

Answer 2

• Positive: delusions, hallucinations, thought disorder, disorganised speech and behaviour
• Negative: flat affect, poverty of thought, lack of motivation, social withdrawal, reduced speech output
• Cognitive: distractibility, impaired working memory, impaired executive function eg planning, impaired insight
• Mood: mania, depression
• Other: bizarre behaviour, deterioration in work/ study performance, high risk of suicide

Question 3

What are some potential side effects of anti-psychotic medications?

Answer 3

• Acute dystonias: muscle spasms of face, neck, tongue and trunk
• akathisia: subjective restlessness of feet and legs
• parkinsonism
• tardive dyskinesia: abnormal, involuntary movements of face, mouth, tongue, trunk and limbs
• neuroleptic malignant syndrome: high fever, muscle rigidity, altered consciousness
• cardiac dysfunction: prolongation of QT interval