Schizophrenia as a drug target Flashcards
What is psychosis
acute mental state where the patient has a loss of contact with reality
What hallucinations are involved in psychosis?
visual
auditory
What are the delusions in psychosis
- bizarre (something that could never happen irl e.g. someone removing your organ without evidence of procedure)
- non-bizzare (involving situations that could happen irl e.g. poisoning)
What is the thought disorder involved in psychosis?
confused and disturbed thoughts
- e.g. normal speech but believe that thoughts are being inserted by someone
poverty of speech (not talking at all)
word salad
tangential speech (person constantly distresses to random, irrelevant ideas and topics)
agitation
How is psychosis differentiated?
Mood disorders with psychotic features
Schizophrenia & Schizophreniform disorder
Substance-induced psychotic disorder
Delusional disorder
Psychotic disorder due to a medical condition (e.g. thyroid disease, adrenal disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, stroke)
What is the pathophysiology of psychosis?
Unknown cause
Twin studies suggest that there is a genetic link, but hasn’t been discovered
Experimental exposures linked with schizophrenia e.g. prenatal infections, autoimmune diseases
Thought to be linked with increased dopamine levels in the brain (particularly nucleus accumbens)
Likely noradrenaline, serotonin & GABA as well
what are the positive symptoms of psychosis
Delusions
Hallucinations
Disorganised speech
Disorganised behaviour
Catatonic behaviour
what are negative symptoms in psychosis
Lack/less energy
Loss of interests
Flat affect (not showing emotions outwardly)
Reduced motivation
Reduced emotions
what are the cognitive symptoms in psychosis?
Difficulties in:
Understanding
Memory
Learning
what is paranoid schizophrenia
preoccupied with delusions or hallucinations
what is disorganised schizophrenia
disorganised speech and behaviour
what is catatonic schizophrenia
motor immobility, extreme negativism, peculiar movements, echolalia, echopraxia
what is echolalia
involuntary repetition of sounds
what is echopraxia
involuntary repetition of movements
what is undifferentiated schizophrenia
not conforming to any subtype or having features more than one
