Schizophrenia Flashcards
Define: schizophrenia
a psychotic disorder marked by…
- delusions
- hallucinations
- disorganized, incoherent speech
- cognitive impairments
Define: psychosis
- an extreme mental disturbance involving distorted perceptions and irrational behavior
- may have psychological or organic causes
What are the definitive symptoms of schizophrenia?
- bizarre delusions
- hallucinations
- disorganized, incoherent speech
- disorganized, inappropriate behavior
- impaired cognitive abilities
Social and cognitive deficits may emerge…
-early
The first full blown psychotic episode usually occurs…
-in late adolescence or early adulthood
The more breakdowns and relapses an individual has…
-the poorer the chances for recovery
Over _____ of people with schizophrenia do have one or more periods of recovery.
-40%
Schizophrenia is a _____ disease
-brain
It involves reduced volumes of gray matter in…
- prefrontal cortex
- temporal lobes
It involves abnormalities in…
- hippocampus
- neurotransmitters
- neural activity
- disrupted communication in areas involving cognitive functioning
The also show enlargement in…
-ventricles-spaces in the brain that are filled with cerebrospinal fluid
Many have deficiencies in…
- auditory cortex
- broca’s and wernicke’s area (speech perception and processing)
What are the 3 main contributing factors to the disorder?
- genetic predisposition
- prenatal problems or birth complications
- biological events during adolescence (pruning)
Schizophrenia is _______ heritable.
-highly
The developmental pathway of schizophrenia starts with ___________, which may combine with ____________ that affect brain development. The resulting vulnerability awaits for the next stage, ______________ during adolescence. Then, _________ interact with _____________ to trigger the disease.
- genetic predispositions
- prenatal risk factors or birth complications
- synaptic pruning of the brain
- biological changes
- environmental stressors
