Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is schizophrenia? how is it diagnosed? is there pathognomonic symptom?
-group of brain disorders
-characteristic distortions of thought/perception/emotion/behavior
-no pathognomonic symptom
-neurodevelopmental
-genetic
currently diagnosed according to clinical features
what are the three positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
- hallucinations
- thought disorder
- delusions
Do positive or negative symptoms respond better to treatment in schizophrenia?
positive
what the four negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
- apathy
- lack of volition (lose drive)
- social withdrawal
- cognitive impairment
what is the ICD10 criteria for schizophrenia: 1 of 4 or 2 of 4 for how many months?
one of: -thought interference -passivity phenomena -hallucinatory voices giving running commentary, discussing pt., or coming from part of body -impossible persistent delusions OR two of: -formal thought disorder -catatonic behavior --ve symptoms -loss interest/idleness/self absorbed attitude/social withdrawal for one month or more
What is passivity phenomenon?
The core feature is the belief that one is no longer in control of one’s own body, feelings or thoughts. The individual feels that some external agent is controlling them to feel emotions, to desire to do things, to perform actions or to experience bodily sensations. Respectively, these are termed passivity of affect, passivity of impulse, passivity of volition and somatic passivity.
What are schneider’s 1st rank symptoms? list them (6)
symptomes strongly suggestive of schizophrenia but not pathognomonic (can get in other disorders and can not have them in schizophrenia)
- thoughts spoken aloud
- third person voices
- running commentary
- delusional perception
- passivity phenomena: made acts, impulses, volition, feelings
What is a delusion?
- A fixed belief, not amenable to logical thought or argument
- Did not come about through logical means
- Not a cultural or subcultural belief
Can get any type of delusion in schizophrenia- tends to be bizarre (things that are not possible). Can be paranoid, grandiose, nihilistic. Tend not to be mood-congruent.
Often related to current affairs or other things often thought about by the patient.
What is a hallucination?
- Perceptual experience not based on an actual object (as opposed to illusion which is distortion perception of an object)
- As vivid as a real perception
- Exists in external space
- Believed to be public (other people can perceive it too- realisation that others do not perceive it may be explained by further delusional elaboration- e.g. Patient who believed I must be protected by a “force field” as I could not hear his voices)
What is disruption of associations in schizophrenia?
in normal healthy thinking one thought provokes another one in a logical manner
In schizophrenia- may have lack of association between thoughts- so what they are saying may not make sense
What is thought blocking - thought disorder?
when the chain of thought unexpectedly breaks off- not caused by distraction by other thoughts though!
What is crowding of thought -thought disorder?
thoughts feel passively concentrated and compressed- some characteristics of flight of ideas but also has quality of passivity ie being controlled from outside
what is thought interference?
disturbance of the experience of thought: thought insertion/thought withdrawal/thought broadcasting
What is thought insertion?
thoughts being put into mind by an external agency
what is thought withdrawal?
thoughts being taken out of mind by an external agency - can be delusional explanation for thought blocking