Schizophrenia

Question 1

What is schizophrenia?

Answer 1

A group of brain disorders 
Characteristic distortions of thought, perception, behaviour and emotion
No pathognomonic symptom
Neurodevelopmental
Genetic

Question 2

What are positive schizophrenia symptoms?

Answer 2

Delusions
Hallucinations
Thought disorder

Question 3

What are negative schizophrenia symptoms?

Answer 3

Apathy
Lack of volition
Social withdrawal
Cognitive Impairment

Question 4

What is the criteria for diagnosis?

Answer 4

One of:
thought interference
passivity phenomena
hallucinatory voices giving running commentary, discussing patient or coming from body part
impossible persistent delusions
OR
Two of:
Formal thought disorder
Catatonic behaviour
-ve symptoms
loss of interest, idleness, self-absorbed attitude, social withdrawal 

All for at least 1/12

Question 5

What are some first rank schizophrenic symptoms?

Answer 5

Thoughts spoke aloud
Running commentary
Third person voices
Delusional perception
Thought broadcasting, withdrawal and insertion
Passivity phenomena: made acts, impulses, volition, feelings

Question 6

What is thought disorder?

Answer 6

Disruption of the thinking process: may involve disruption of associations

Question 7

What are the two types of thought disorder?

Answer 7

Formal

Casual

Question 8

What are the features of emotional disorder?

Answer 8

Blunting of affect- limited range of emotion, lack of emotional sensitivity/connection to surroundings
Incongruent affect- affect incongruent with circumstances- e.g. Laughing at sad story
Apathy- lack of feelings/care about things
Lack of motivation/volition
Anhedonia
Lack of interest in relationships/being sociable, lack of social skills

Question 9

What is catatonia?

Answer 9

State of increased tone in muscles at rest, abolished by voluntary activities

Question 10

What are some features of motor and behavioural disorder?

Answer 10

Catatonia
Stupor (unresponsiveness)
Hyperactivity- non-goal directed
Mutism (no speech)
 Stereotypies- non-goal directed movements (can involve unusual postures which can be held for a long time), or mannerisms
In extreme cases waxy flexibility

Question 11

When is the usual onset of schizophrenia?

Answer 11

15-25 Men

25-35 Women

Question 12

What indicates a good prognosis in schizophrenia?

Answer 12

Older age of onset
Female gender
Marked mood disturbance esp elation
Family history of mood disorder

Question 13

What indicates a poor prognosis in schizophrenia?

Answer 13

Longer duration of untreated psychosis
Poor pre-morbid adjustment
Insidious onset
Early onset  -  childhood / adolescence
Cognitive impairment
Enlarged ventricles