Schizophrenia Flashcards
The DSM diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia is that 2 or more of the following symptoms must be present for a sig portion of time during a 1 month period:…
1) Delusions, 2) Hallucinations, 3) Disorganised speech, 4) Grossly disorganised or catatonic behaviour (all +ve symptoms) & 5) -ve symptoms
What are the different phases during which +ve & -ve symptoms may occur?
Prodromal (preclinical), active (+ve symptoms most likely) & residual (-ve & cognitive outcomes of the psychotic episode)
Name 3 common delusions. Delusions of…1), 2) & 3). Delusions are cognitive ___ of abnormal experiences
Control (of the mind/body by an external force), persecution (X wants to harm you) & reference (remarks, events or objects have special meaning). Explanations
Name 3 common auditory hallucinations:…
Audible voices (say the patient’s thoughts out loud), commentary (of the patient’s actions) & voices arguing (2 voices arguing with each other)
Give 3 other commons signs of “thought disorder” (3 delusions about your own thoughts)
1) Thought insertion (by an outside force), 2) Thought withdrawal (by an outside force) & 3) Thought broadcast (paranoia that one’s own thoughts have been inserted into others’ minds)
What do we mean by disorganised speech?
The production of speech which is incoherent & incomprehensible due to loosening of semantic associations between concepts. The patient may catch onto the sound but not the meaning of a question asked
What do we mean by catatonic behaviour?
Disturbances of movement including rigidity, bizzare posturing & repetitive imitations of others’ movements - which fit with the notion of DA dysfunction
Give 3 -ve symptoms
1) Affective flattening (lack of mood), 2) Alogia (lack of speech) & 3) Avolition (lack of general desire)
Give 2 points which suggest that schizophrenia may not be one disorder
1) No one symptom/ collection of symptoms characterises all patients, 2) All the component symptoms of S can be found in other psychological or medical conditions. I.e. symptoms lack consistency & exclusivity
It is possible that S is a group of disorders with different biological causes producing similar/related behavioural symptoms because the DSM…
Classifies disorders on the basis of behaviour only (not biology)
Around .%-_% of the population suffer from S. It occurs equally in…& in…
0.5%-1%. All cultures & both genders
Are there any typical gender differences in S?
Yes in the nature of how the disorder manifests itself. Men: earlier onset, more schizotypical traits prior to onset, more -ve symptoms (vs. +ve symptoms for women), more often chronic & unresponsive to treatment than when diagnosed in females
Define endophenotypes
Brain markers of underlying genetic factors
Is S entirely genetically determined? How was this demonstrated in quadruplet S patients?
No. These quadruplets all suffered from S but their illnesses varied in severity & they showed symptom & neuropsychological differences. Whether early brain injury or harsh childhood treatment caused these differences is unknown
The average risk for developing S in the population is 1%. What is the % risk for 1) spouses of patients, 2) first cousins (12.5% genes shared = 3rd degree relatives), 3) 2nd degree relatives e.g. nephews (25% genes shared) & 4) first degree relatives e.g. offspring of S parents & siblings/DZ twins vs. MZ twins
1) 2% (due to the shared environment or assortative matching), 2) 2%, 3) 4% & 4) 16.6%, 17% vs. 48% N.B. 3) changes with the amount of shared environment