Schizophrenia

Question 1

Explain ‘Positive symptoms’ of SZ

Answer 1

Symptoms of SZ that are additional experiences beyond those of ordinary existence

Question 2

Name two positive symptoms of SZ

Answer 2

Hallucinations

Delusions

Question 3

Describe hallucinations

Answer 3

Unusual sensory experiences that are either related or unrelated to what the sense are picking up

Question 4

Describe delusions

Answer 4

Irrational beliefs

Can often be someone believing they are an important historical figure

Or that they are being persecuted

Question 5

Explain negative symptoms of SZ

Answer 5

Symptoms that involve the loss of usual abilities

Question 6

Two examples of negative symptoms

Answer 6

Avolition

Speech poverty

Question 7

Describe Avolition

Answer 7

Also know as ‘apathy’, involves finding not hard to stay motivated to keep up with goal directed activities

Question 8

Describe speech poverty

Answer 8

SZ is characterised by changes in speech patterns

Includes a delay in verbal responses in conversation

Question 9

Name the two manuals used to diagnose mental health disorders such as SZ

Answer 9

DSM-5 (American)

IDC-10 (International)

Question 10

Three points about DSM-5

Answer 10

Requires 2 positive symptoms

Symptoms must include failure to function adequately

Does not identify sub-types of SZ

Question 11

2 points on IDC-10

Answer 11

• Requires two or more (positive/negative) symptoms for at least a month
• identifies 5 different sub-types (e.g. paranoid)

Question 12

Define ‘co-morbidity’

Answer 12

When two or more conditions are present, making it hard to differentiate between the two when diagnosing

Question 13

Study against reliability of DSM and ICD

Answer 13

Two psychiatrists independently diagnosed 100 patients using DSM and ICD
-
Poor inter-rater reliability 
-
One diagnosed 26 (DSM) other 13
-
One 44 (ICD) other 24

Question 14

Define co-morbidity

Answer 14

Two conditions together 
-
Overlap of symptoms 
-
Questionable validity of diagnosing separately

Question 15

Problem of symptom overlap?

Answer 15

One may be diagnosed with bipolar and another with SZ depending on criteria

Question 16

Gender bias with diagnostics?

Answer 16

They may be better at hiding symptoms

Question 17

How is it known there is a genetic link for SZ?

Answer 17

50% of identical twins with SZ share the condition

Question 18

How was it shown SZ had a genetic basis?

Answer 18

108 genetic variations shown to increase risk

Question 19

What is abnormally high levels of dopamine known as?

Answer 19

Hyperdopainergia

Question 20

What did the old dopamine hypothesis suggest was the cause of SZ?

Answer 20

High dopamine in subcortex

Question 21

How could domaine cause delusions?

Answer 21

Overstimulation of the auditory or visual area as a result of excess domaine could mean more attention is given to insignificant things

Question 22

What does the new domaine hypothesis suggest?

Answer 22

Low levels of domaine in cortex