Schizophrenia- Characteristics

Question 1

Positive Symptoms

Answer 1

Define positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
Additonal behaviours that the schizoprenic possesses that are not normally expeienced by people.

Three diff types of positive symptoms that are typically displayed by schizophrenic- hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking

3 forms of interference:-
•Iinsertion - believes thoughts being inserted into their head
•withdrawals - believes thoughts being removed from their head
•broadcasts - person believes their thoughts are being transmitted to others (eg via radio)

Question 2

Hallucinations

Answer 2

What are hallucinations?
•Strange, unusual sensory experiences
•Some are related to events in environment, others are not.
•E.g.: - voices heard either talking to/about sufferer, often criticism.
•Hallucinations can be experienced in relation to any sense ——> visual or tactile, but most common are the auditory ones.

Question 3

Delusions

Answer 3

What are delusions?
•false beliefs that could not possibly be true even though they seem real to sufferer.
•Common forms of delusions
•delusions of persecution —> creates fear/paranoia.. believe they’re being hunted by gov agency or aliens
•delusions of grandeur —> person believes they are an important historical, political or religious figure
•delusions of control —> concerns the body. Sufferers may believe they or part of them is under external control.
•Some Delusions can lead to what?
•Act in bizarre ways to others
•Although mostly victims, sometimes their delusions can lead to violence.

Question 4

Disordered Thinking

Answer 4

• What is disordered thinking ? How many forms ? What are they ?
• When a person believes their thoughts are being interfered with in some way.

Question 5

Negative Symptoms

Answer 5

Define negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
•Symptoms that appear to take away from a person’s experiences.
•They appear to reflect a reduction or loss of normal functions, often persist even during periods of low/absent positive symptoms
•They weaken person’s ability to cope with everyday activities, affecting their quality of life.
•Speech poverty (Alogia)
•Avolition
•Affective flattening

Question 6

Speech Poverty (Alogia)

Answer 6

Characterised by Lessening of speech fluency and productivity , reflects slowing/blocked thoughts.
Signs:-
—> may produce fewer words in given time on task of verbal fluency
—> few clauses
—> shorter utterances

Question 7

Avolition

Answer 7

• Reduction of interests and desires as well as inability to initiate and perish goal- directed behaviour (Eg sitting in house for hours doing nothing).
• Avolition is specified as a reduction in self-initiated involvement in activities that ARE available to patient.

Question 8

Affective flattening

Answer 8

Reduction in range and intensity of emotional expression, voice tone, eye contact and body language.