SCHIZOPHRENIA: Characteristics Flashcards
Schiz Characteristics: Definition of schizophrenia
A major psychotic disorder involving a loss of contact with reality
- Eurgen Bleuer 1911 - Coined ‘schizophrenia’
- 15-35: age of diagnosis
- Treated by antipsychotics
Schiz Characteristics: Positive / Negative Symptoms Definition
Positive: Symptoms added to typical behaviour
Negative: Symptoms taken away from typical behaviour
Schiz Characteristics: Positive Symptoms
Symptoms a person exhibits in addition to typical behaviour
Hallucinations - Perceptions that are not real (auditory / visual hallucinations)
- Lewandowski: 20% of people with schizophrenia have tactile hallucinations (perceiving sensations as if someone/thing is touching their skin)
- Formication: Sensation that resembles small insects such as spiders crawling on / under the skin; often feels so real the person cannot interpret this as a hallucination
Delusions - Beliefs that are unreal; usually experienced with no evidence to offer support to the delusion
- Grandiosity: Individual believes they are special in some way - superior; more powerful / intelligent
- Persecution: Based on the idea that a person / group / organisation wants to harm the individual; e.g. the government wanting to harm them because they believe they are a threat to national security
Schiz Characteristics: Negative Symptoms
Symptoms a person exhibits which limits their typical behaviour
Alogia - Poverty of speech: A reduction in the total amount of speech produced
Avolition - People seem to be indifferent and unconcerned about what is going on around them
Anhedonia - Individual does not react appropriately to pleasurable experiences
Flatness of affect - Individual appears to have no emotion; shows little or no facial emotion while conversing or interacting with others
Catatonic behaviour - Issues with movement; ranging from fast, repetitive movement to little / no movement at all
- Echopraxia: People with schizophrenia mimic the movement of people around them
Schiz Characteristics: Negative Symptoms mnemonic
FAAACE
Schiz Characteristics: Issues in researching schizophrenia - Diagnostic cultural bias
UK & Europe - ICD-10
USA - DSM-5
Subtle differences in the diagnostic criteria used in different countries; diagnostic criteria also often changes over time
- Limits the generalisability of findings and cause validity issues; e.g. when conducting family history studies
Schiz Characteristics: Issues in researching schizophrenia - Difficulty in accepting diagnosis
Most people with schizophrenia have difficulty accepting their diagnosis is real
- Believe their hallucinations / delusions are real
- Do not have adequate language skills to to express their beliefs fully
Takes a long time for an individual to accept the impact schizophrenia has on their life
Schiz Characteristics: Issues in researching schizophrenia - Stigma
Schizophrenia is misunderstood; especially in regard to how it is portrayed in the media
Schiz Characteristics: Issues in researching schizophrenia - Chicken / Egg
DEPRESSION / SCHIZOPHRENIA:
Which is the underlying cause of the other? Treatments are different - it is important to focus on and treat each symptom individually.
- Many symptoms of schizophrenia may be seen in people who have mood disorders such as depression
- Many schizophrenic individuals are later diagnosed with depression
Alogia
Poverty of speech: A reduction in the total amount of speech produced
Avolition
Schizophrenics seem to be indifferent and unconcerned about what is going on around them
Anhedonia
Schizophrenic does not react appropriately to pleasurable experiences
Flatness of Affect
Schizophrenic appears to have no emotion; shows little or no facial emotion while conversing or interacting with others
Catatonic Behaviour
Issues with movement; ranging from fast, repetitive movement to little / no movement at all
- E.g. Echopraxia
Echopraxia
(Catatonic behaviour)
Schizophrenics mimic the movement of people around them
