Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders Flashcards
Aetiology of Schizophrenia: the diathesis-stress model
individuals are exposed to stressful events in the course of their life and these events may precipitate the symptoms in some people who have predisposition to mental health
Aetiology of Schizophrenia: Biochemical theories
chemicals known as neurotransmitters responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses across synapse have also been thought to be responsible for the development of schizophrenia
Delusion
fixed false belief that are inconsistent with one’s social, cultural and religious beliefs and not amenable to change despite conflicting evidence or argumentation
Disorganised thinking
The symptoms must be severe enough to substantially impair effective communication. this is evident if:
- the person switches topids erratically (derailment or loose association)
- their response to questions are unrelated (tangentially)
- their speech is incoherent or disorganised
the ideas fail to follow one another with a logical flow and sequence; this results in shifting from one subject to another resulting in loss of significant meaning.
perceptual disturbance
vivid involuntary perceptions that are experienced as “normal” and occur without external stimuli
Affect: emotional blunting
being “flat” or inappropriate; voice is a monotone and face is imobile
Bizarre Behaviour: catatonia
a marked decrease in reactivity to the environment, behaviour induced resistance to instructions, ridgid posture
Bizarre Behaviour: Abnormal motor behaviour
can rage from agitation to childlike silliness, which leads to difficulties in performing activities of daily living
Bizarre Behaviour: Clothing and Appearence
reflects mental state: can be dishevelled, poorly groomed, quiet and immobile or screaming and agitated; may be; inappropriately dressed for the occasion, environment and temperature
Bizarre Behaviour: social or sexual behaviour
loss of ego boundaries can cause confusion in relationship with others,
positive symptoms of psychotic disorders and schizophrenia
- hallucinations, delusions, disordered speech, bizarre behaviour
negative symptoms of psychotic disorders and schizophrenia
diminished emotional expression (reduced facial expression, eyecontact, head/hand movement), avolition, alogia. anhedonia, asoslity, poverty of ideas and anergia
Schizophrenia- introduction
- prevalence, approx 1% population
- predominantly young people (18-24)
- high presence in the socially disadvantaged and homeless
- research yet to determine cause of schizophrenia
- increasingly viewed as a neurological illness rather than a disorder of the mind
- most debilitating and misunderstood disorder
Biological theories Theories
Neuroanatomical abnormalities - Genetic predisposition - Biochemical theories -
The Diathesis-stress model
- brings much of what is known into one model of understanding
- exposure to stress
- environmental and family
- expressed emotion