Schizophrenia Characteristics Flashcards
What does the phrase ‘positive symptoms’ describe?
In addition to normal behaviours
What does the phrase ‘negative symptoms’ describe?
Inhibiting normal behaviours
Name the 3 main positive characteristics:
Hallucinations
Delusions
Disordered thinking
What are the 5 main negative characteristics?
Alogia
Avolition
Anhedonia
Flatness of affect
Catatonic behaviour
What is formication?
A hallucination sensation resembling the feeling of insects on/under the skin
Describe hallucinations:
Perceptions that are unreal that consist of auditory, visual and sensory.
What did Kathryn Lewandowski (2009) estimate?
That 20% of schizophrenics have tactile hallucinations. (sensations)
Describe delusions and the two types.
Beliefs that are unreal.
-Persecution: someone wants to harm individual.
-Grandiosity: Individual is special in some way.
Describe disordered thinking:
Persons’s thoughts and speech seem to jump from topic to another for no apparent reason with no logical flow.
What is insertion in disordered thinking?
An individual believes thoughts are not their own and have been put into their head by a third party
What is alogia?
Poverty of speech: reduced speech which lacks meaning
What is avolition?
Seeming indifferent/unconcerned with surroundings
What is anhedonia?
Individual reacting inappropriately to pleasurable activities
What is flatness of affect?
Individual appear to have no emotion
What is catatonic behaviour?
Ranges from fast, repetitive, useless movements to little/none at all
What is echopraxia in catatonic behaviour?
Mimicking movement of individuals around them.
What is wavy flexibility in catatonic behaviour?
Remaining immobile for prolonged periods of time in seemingly uncomfortable positions
What is the issue with diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia? (3)
-Different diagnostic criteria in UK & US.
-Mainly focuses on Western research
- Limits generalisability of findings and causes validity issues: in historic family studies.
What is the issue with diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia? (3)
-Different diagnostic criteria in UK & US.
-Mainly focuses on Western research
- Limits generalisability of findings and causes validity issues: in historic family studies.
Explain lack of insight as an issue of research in schizophrenia.
Most people with schizophrenia have difficulty accepting diagnosis. Some have inadequate language skills to express beliefs fully.
Explain depression as an issues in terms of schizophrenia:
Many symptoms of schizophrenia are similar or overlap with those of depression so can be misdiagnosed and can be difficult to see which characteristics are from which illness.
“Does ‘schizophrenia’ even exist?”
Some researchers believe that there is such disparity between the symptoms so shouldn’t diagnose them with as having the same disorder.
