Schizophrenia Flashcards
Define Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that distort the way a person thinks, act, expresses emotion, relates to others and perceives reality
What are the two main sub-systems for classifying mental disorders?
1) ICD-10 = recognises subtypes of schizophrenia such as: Hebephrenic schiz (disorganised behaviour/speech), Catatonic schiz (catatonic stupor: long periods of immobile movement), Paranoid schiz (delusions of persecution, angry, irritated), Residual schiz (mild symptoms), Undifferentiated schiz (don’t fit into other categories & two or more negative symptoms must be present for diagnosis
2) DSM-5 = one of the positive symptoms must be present for diagnosis
What are the positive symptoms of schiz?
= atypical symptoms experienced with normal experiences
1) Hallucinations = sensory experiences that have no basis in reality or are distorted perceptions of real things (e.g. hearing voices that criticise them)
2) Delusions = irrational beliefs that have no basis of reality or they believe their body is under external control
- Delusions of persecution = they think people are plotting against them
- Delusions of grandeur = false impression of one’s own importance
3) Speech disorganisation = incoherent speech
What are the negative symptoms of schiz?
=atypical symptoms that represent a loss of visual experiences such as clear thinking or normal levels of motivation
1) Avolition = loss of motivation to carry out tasks and results in lowered activity levels = 3 signs of avolition: poor hygiene, lack of persistence at school or work, lack of energy
2) Speech poverty = reduced amount and quality of speech accompanied by a delay in verbal responses during conversation
3) Blunted effect = decreased expression of emotion
What are the biological explanations of schiz?
1) Genetic basis of schiz
2) Dopamine hypothesis
Explain the Genetic basis of schiz biological explanation
1) proposed that there’s a genetic component to developing schiz which predisposes some to the illness
- Gottesman’s family study found that the greater the genetic relatedness, the greater risk of developing schiz = MZ twins share 100% genes with 46% chance of developing the disorder compared to 50% of genes shared between DZ twins with 17% chance & 1% chance with the general population = concluded a strong relationship between genetic similarity and shared risk of schiz
- adoptions studies on genetically related individuals who have been reared apart due to being adopted = allows researchers to overcome problem of disentangling genetic and environmental influences = Heston compared 47 adopted children whose biological mother had schiz with a control group of adopted children with no history of schiz in their biological family = none of the control group were diagnosed with the illness but 16% of the other group were diagnosed
2) Candidate genes are individual genes that are believed to be associated with a risk of inheritance = schiz is though to be polygenic (not only determined by a single factor)
Explain the Dopamine Hypothesis biological explanation
= schiz is caused by an excess of too much or too little of the neurotransmitter dopamine that has been implicated with the symptoms of schiz = dopamine works differently in the brain of a patient with schiz = it’s active in governing emotions = dopamine neurons are instrumental in regulating attention so if this process is disturbed it leads to schiz
1) Hyperdopaminergia = high levels of dopamine in the subcortex (e.g. excess of dopamine in Broca’s area may be associated with speech poverty or auditory hallucinations)
1) Hypodopaminergia = low levels of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex( responsible for thinking, decision making)
= both hyper & hypo are correct as both high and low levels of dopamine are involved in different areas of the brain in schiz
What are the psychological explanations of schiz?
1) Family Dysfunction = schizophrenogenic mother, double-bind theory, expressed emotion
2) Cognitive explanation
Explain the ‘schizophrenogenic mother’ psychological explanation
Reichmann proposed a psychodynamic explanation of schiz based on accounts she heard from her patients about their childhoods = many spoke about a type of patient termed as ‘schizophrenogenic mother’ which means ‘ schizophrenia causing’ = these types of mothers are cold, rejecting, controlling, and create families characterised by tension and secrecy = leads to distrust that develops into paranoid delusions and then schiz
Explain the Double-bind theory psychological explanation
Bateson et al agreed that family climate is important in the development of schiz but emphasised the role of communication style within a family
