Shizophrenia

Question 1

What are some positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 1

• Disorganized thinking, speech
• Delusional beliefs, esp. of grandeur, persecution
• Disturbed perceptions: sensory hallucinations
• Inappropriate emotions, actions

Question 2

What causes shizophrenia

Answer 2

• Dopamine overactivity
• Abnormal brain anatomy, activity; associated genes
• Maternal virus during pregnancy
• Social-psychological influences

Question 3

Schizophrenia

Answer 3

Split of mind from reality

ie. split from one’s own thoughts so that they appear as hallucinations

Question 4

Psychosis

Answer 4

Mental split from reality and rationality

Question 5

What are some negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 5

• Flat effect (emotionless face); inability to read emotions
• Social withdrawal
• Anhedonia (lack of enjoyment)
• Avolition (lack of motivation, focus)
• Alogia (speaking less)
• Catatonia (moving less)

Question 6

Describe the onset, prevalence, an development of schizophrenia

Answer 6

Onset: symptoms typically appear at the end of adolescence / early adulthood; later for women than men
Prevalence: 1 / 100 ppl; more men than women; identical twins are likely to codevelop it
Development: Course of disease can be acute/reactive or chronic

Question 7

Acute / Reactive Shizophrenia

Answer 7

Some ppl develop positive schizophrenia symptoms (eg. hallucinations) as a rxn to stress
- recovery is likely

Question 8

Chronic / Process Schizophrenia

Answer 8

Slow development of schizophrenia symptoms, esp. negative ones (eg. flat effect, social withdrawal)
- no real cure, but can suppress symptoms for certain periods

Question 9

Paranoid Schizophrenia

Answer 9

Subtype of schizophrenia
Plagued by hallucinations and delusions
- negative messages
- delusions of grandiose / persecution

Question 10

Disorganized Schizophrenia

Answer 10

Subtype of schizophrenia
Primary symptoms:
- flat effect
- incoherent speech
- random behavior

Question 11

Catatonic Schizophrenia

Answer 11

Subtype of shizophrenia
Rarely initiating / controlling movement
- copies others’ speech, actions

Question 12

Undifferentiated Schizophrenia

Answer 12

Subtype of schizophrenia

Many varied symptoms (?)

Question 13

Residual Schizophrenia

Answer 13

Subtype of schizophrenia

Withdrawal continues after disappearance of positive symptoms

Question 14

What’s going on in the brain in schizophreniacs?

Answer 14

Too much dopaminergic receptor activation affecting the thalamus
- leads to paranoia, hallucinations
Poor coordination of frontal lobes
General shrinking of brain, neural connections

Question 15

What are some biological risk factors affecting early development of schizophrenia?

Answer 15

Low birth weight, famine, O2 deprivation
Maternal diabetes, maternal virus mid-pregnancy, maternal schizophrenia; older paternal age
Flu epidemics near birth

Question 16

What are some social-psychological factors that affect development of schizophrenia?

Answer 16

Stress
Early separation from parents
Short attention span; disruptive / withdrawn behavior
Emotional unpredictability
Poor peer relations, solitary play