Schizophrenia Flashcards
What is schizophrenia?
A severe mental illness where contact with reality and insight are impaired, an example of a psychotic disorder.
What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
Atypical symptoms experienced in addition to normal experience, for example, hallucinations and delusions.
Define hallucinations.
A positive symptom of schizophrenia, they are sensory experiences of stimuli that either have no basis in reality or distorted perceptions of things that are there.
Define delusions.
A positive symptom of schizophrenia, they involve beliefs that have no basis in reality, for example, that the sufferer is someone else or that they are a victim of conspiracy.
What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
Atypical; experiences that represent a loss of a usual experience such as clear thinking or ‘normal’ levels of motivation.
Define speech poverty.
A negative symptom of schizophrenia, it involves reduced frequency and quality of speech.
Define avolition.
A negative symptom of schizophrenia, it involves loss of motivation to carry out tasks and results in lower levels of activity.
What is co-morbidity?
The occurrence of two illnesses or conditions together, for example a person who has both schizophrenia and OCD.
How does co-morbidity question the validity of diagnosis?
Where two conditions are frequently diagnosed together it calls into question the validity of classifying the two disorders separately.
What does symptom overlap mean and how does this question the validity of diagnosis?
Occurs when two or more conditions share symptoms. Where conditions share symptoms this calls into question the validity of classifying the disorders separately. Both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia include positive symptoms such as delusions.
How is reliability a weakness of schizophrenia?
Poor inter-rater reliability found in studies is a weakness of diagnosing schizophrenia, Elie Cheniaux et al (2009).
DSM-5
Diagnostic classification system produced in the USA.
ICD-10
Diagnostic classification system produced by WHO.
Test-retest reliability
Occurs when a clinician makes the same diagnosis on separate occasions from the same information.
Inter-rater reliability
Occurs when different clinicians make identical, independent diagnoses of the same patient.
Seto (2004) reported…
That the term ‘schizophrenia’ was relabelled ‘integration disorder’ in Japan, due to the difficulty of attaining a reliable diagnosis, suggesting that schizophrenia, as a separate, identifiable disorder, does not exist.
Positive of classification systems
They provide practitioners with a common language for communication of research and findings, which may ultimately lead to a better understanding of disorder and development of effective treatments.
Types of validity
Reliability, predictive, descriptive, Aetiology.
Difference between type 1 and type 2.
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How are typical and atypical antipsychotics different?
- Both block receptors but atypicals block less tightly and for shorter amounts of time, resulting in fewer side effects.
- Typical antipsychotic only normalise the action of dopamine, whereas atypicals also block serotonin and glutamate receptors.
What is drug therapy?
Chemical treatment of abnormality through tablets and intravenous means.
What theory is the drug therapy for schiz based on?
The dopamine hypothesis.
What does CBT aim to do?
Modify thought patterns to alter behavioural and emotional states.
What is the aim of family therapy?
To improve the quality of communication and interaction between family members and therefore reduce stress that may contribute to relapse.
Name some strategies used in family therapy.
Reduce stress
Psychoeducation
Anticipating problems
Improving relationships
Reality testing in CBT for schiz involves…
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