Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Question 1

Main characteristics of schizophrenia

Answer 1

Major disturbance in thought, emotion and behavior. Can disrupt interpersonal relationships, diminish capacity to work or live independently, significantly increased rates or suicide and death

Question 2

Prevalence of schizophrenia

Answer 2

Heterogenous. Lifetime prevalence about 0.75%. Largely between 15-35 years old.

Question 3

What is the course of psychotic states?

Answer 3

Prodromal stage (slow deterioration from normal life and social interactions)
Active stage (unambiguous symptoms of psychosis)
Residual stage (reduction in positive symptoms, negative symptoms still present, relapse is common)

Question 4

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 4

Delusions and hallucinations

Question 5

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 5

Asociality, avolition, blunted affect, anhedonia, alogia

Question 6

Disorganized symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 6

Disorganized speech, inability to organize ideas, disorganized behavior, silliness, agitation, unusual dress, rambles, difficulty sticking to one topic

Question 7

What is the prevailing theory for the etiology of schizophrenia?

Answer 7

Diathesis-stress model

Question 8

What is the dopamine theory of schizophrenia?

Answer 8

Excess levels of dopamine causes schizophrenia. When revised -> excess number of dopamine receptors or oversensitive dopamine receptors. Dopamine neurons that are inactive in the mesocortical pathway leads to negative symptoms and abnormalities of dopamine in the mesolithic pathway leads to positive symptoms

Question 9

Treatments for schizophrenia

Answer 9

Community care, social skills training, active family management, CBT, CET, case management, residential treatment, antipsychotics

Question 10

Double-bind hypothesis

Answer 10

A dilemma in communication in which an individual receives two or more conflicting messages. People who have experienced this by their parents, are more likely to develop schizophrenia.

Question 11

Communication deviance and schizophrenia

Answer 11

Communications that would be difficult for ordinary listeners to follow and leave them puzzled. Inability to share a focus of attention with the speaker. Risk factor for psychotic symptoms regardless of the biological disposition, and a stable characteristics of families with children who develop psychotic symptoms.

Question 12

Expressed emotion and schizophrenia

Answer 12

A qualitative measure of the amount of emotion displayed, typically in the family setting, usually by a family member or a caretaker. Many individuals with psychotic symptoms are living in family environments where communication are hostile and critical. They tend to blame the sufferer for their condition.

Question 13

Characteristics of schizophreniform disorder

Answer 13

Same symptoms as schizophrenia, symptoms present for more than 1 month but less than 6 months, symptoms include either hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized speech

Question 14

Characteristics of brief psychotic disorder

Answer 14

The duration of symptoms is from 1 day to 1 month, often triggered by extreme stress, symptoms must include hallucinations, delusions or disorganized speech

Question 15

Characteristics of schizoaffective disorder

Answer 15

Symptoms of schizophrenia and either depressive or manic episode, symptoms of major mood episode are present the majority of the time

Question 16

Characteristics of delusional disorder

Answer 16

Delusions but no other symptoms of schizophrenia