Schizophrenia features

Question 1

Define negative symptoms

Answer 1

The absence of some ability/attribute a typical person would possess
Eg. Loss of personal abilities such as initiative, interest in others and sense of enjoyment (Turner, 2009)

Question 2

Give 5 examples of negative symptoms

Answer 2

Lack of motivation, loss of enjoyment, poor self-care, flattening effect (reduced facial expression) and reduced verbal expression

Question 3

How do France & Kramer (2001) describe negative symptoms? (3)

Answer 3

1. Loss of normal functioning
2. Alogia (fluency of productivity of thought and speech)
3. Avolition (initiation of goal-directed behaviour)

Question 4

Define positive symptoms (2)

Answer 4

Disordered versions of the normal brain functions of thinking, perceiving, formation of ideas and sense of self (Turner, 2009)
Examples include hallucinations, delusions, disorganised speech and catatonic behaviour (France & Kramer, 2001)

Question 5

Define catatonia

Answer 5

1. Abnormality of movement and behaviour
2. May involve repetitive or purposeless overactivity
3. Or catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism.

Question 6

Define hallucinations

Answer 6

Perception in the absence of external stimuli which can affect all senses (auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory and gustatory)

Question 7

What are the 2 most common types of hallucinations in SP?

Answer 7

Visual and auditory

Question 8

Give 3 examples of auditory hallucinations

Answer 8

Running commentary of their actions, voices discussing the person and voices speaking the persons thoughts (Turner, 2009)

Question 9

What are simple and complex hallucinations?

Answer 9

France & Kramer (2001)
Simple: indistinct mutterings and sounds
Complex: voices speaking clearly, a familiar voice, speaking in phrases/sentences

Question 10

What are delusions?

Answer 10

Firmly held false belief that is not ordinarily accepted by society
There is no evidence to confirm the belief

Question 11

Give 8 types of delusions

Answer 11

Grandeur, reference and paranoid

France & Kramer (2001): hypercondriacal, religious, jealousy, worthlessness, nihilism

Question 12

What is nihilism?

Answer 12

Perssimistic ideas about death/impending doom

Question 13

Give 3 examples of delusions

Answer 13

Thoughts are being taken from their mind, thoughts are being inserted or thoughts are being known to others (Turner, 2009)

Question 14

What is thought disorder? (3)

Answer 14

1. Refers to disorganised thinking, evidenced by disorganised speech
2. They are not thinking straight and it is hard to make sense of what they’re saying (RCP, 2018)
3. Thinking is not logical or coherent and shows a loss of contact with reality

Question 15

Give 4 examples of though disorder

Answer 15

Conversation goes off on a tangent, logical progression but developing own new topics, irrelevant answers to questions and difficulty following the overall topic/message

Question 16

What are 3 viewpoints on thought disorder?

Answer 16

1. It is often unclear whether thought disorder reflects deficits in language itself or in related cognitive processes such as planning, executive function and memory (Covington et al., 2005).
2. Is this a disruption to thinking shown through language and communication? Is this a disruption to language so their thinking is intact but language is disordered
3. Viewpoint taken today: a combination