Task 8 - Psychotic disorders Flashcards
Daalman et al.: AVHs in healthy and psychotic people
- The perceived location of voices, the number of voices, loudness, and personification did not differ between healthy and psychotic individuals
- Most prominent difference was the emotional valence of the content (could predict psychotic disorder in 88% of participants), the frequency and the control over the hallucinations
- Age of onset was at a much younger age for healthy individuals
Schizophrenia
Definition
A chronic and severe mental disorder characterized by distortions in thinking, perceptions, emotions, and behaviors. It often involves experiencing hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and a reduced ability to comprehend reality
DSM-5 Criteria fro Schizophrenia
A. Two or more of these symptoms: Delusions, Hallucinations, Disorganized speech, Disorganized or catatonic behavior, negative symptoms
B. Must impair functioning
C. Persisted for 6 months
D. Other mental disorders have been ruled out
E. No substances or other medical conditions
…
Psychosis
Definition
Perception distortions like unreal visions or auditory hallucinations
Acute phase
Definition and before/after
Refers to a period where an individual experiences intense and active symptoms of psychosis
* Prodromal symptoms occur before the acute phase, often displaying withdrawal and unusual beliefs.
* Residual symptoms persist after the acute phase, characterized by peculiar behaviors, disorganized speech without losing coherence.
Delusions
Definition
Defined as strongly held beliefs that are highly unlikely or impossible
Types of delusions
Only names
- Persecutory delusion
- Delusion of reference
- Grandiose delusion
- Delusion of being controlled
- Thought broadcasting
- Thought insertion
- Thought withdrawal
- Delusion of guilt or sin
- Somatic delusion
Hallucinations
Definition
Perceptual experiences involving sensing things that aren’t present or real, such as seeing, hearing, or feeling things that others do not.
Types of Hallucinations
Only names
- Auditory hallucinations
- Visual hallucinations
- Tactile hallucinations
- Somatic hallucinations
Formal thought disorder
Definition
Disorganized thinking in schizophrenia is termed formal thought disorder
Catatonia
Definition
Catatonia refers to a state of unresponsiveness to the environment, displaying a range of symptoms from lack of response or rigid postures to purposeless excessive motor activity and incoherent speech
Anhedonia
Definition
Loss of ability to experience pleasure often reported by individuals with schizophrenia.
Self-reports show anhedonia, but lab studies demonstrate similar positive affect responses to stimuli
Avolition
Inability to start or maintain goal-directed activities in various settings (work, school, home)
Asociality
Expressed as a lack of desire to engage socially, termed asociality
Prognosis for Schizophrenics
- 5-10% of individuals with schizophrenia die by suicide
- Around 40% of individuals stabilize within 5-10 years post their first episode
- Around 41% have had at least one recovery period lasting a year or more.
Genetic factors of schizophrenia
Approximately 83% of the variation in schizophrenia is attributed to genetic factors, but they don’t know exact genes
Structural and Functional Brain Abnormalities in Schizophrenia
- Marked reduction in gray matter
- irregularities in prefrontal cortex activity
- The hippocampus, essential for long-term memory formation, exhibits anomalies in activation, volume, and cellular structure
- White Matter Abnormalities
- Ventricular Enlargement
Role of neurotransmitters in Schizophrenia
- Mainly dopamine
- Also serotonin, glutamate and GABA
Social-drift theory
Socioeconomic status decreases because of having schizophrenia
Expressed emotion as familial factors
Expressed emotion—families being overly involved but critical—showed a connection to schizophrenia relapses
Typical Antipsychotics
- Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) and other phenothiazines (Stelazine, Mellaril, Prolixin, Trilafon) discovered to reduce hallucinations, agitation, and delusions in schizophrenia.
- These drugs block dopamine receptors, reducing its action in the brain, effectively managing positive symptoms
- Significant side effects
Atypical Antipsychotics
- Clozapine, a common atypical antipsychotic, binds to D4 dopamine receptors and influences other neurotransmitters, aiding patients who didn’t respond to phenothiazines
- Side effects not as bad
- Better remission rate
Tardive dyskinesia
Definition
An irreversible condition involving involuntary movements, may occur in over 20% of long-term users of typical antipsychotics
Cognitiv biases in Schizophrenia
Moritz et al.
- Jumping to Conclusions
- Attributional Style and Self-Esteem
- Metamemory Problems
- Bias against Disconfirmatory Evidence
- Theory of Mind
Assertive Community Treatment Programs (ACT)
These programs cater to individuals with schizophrenia who lack familial support or have extensive needs. They offer comprehensive 24-hour care, including medication monitoring, occupational training, financial assistance, social skills training, emotional support, and housing support
Schizoaffective Disorder
Definition
A mental health condition characterized by symptoms of both schizophrenia and mood disorders, like depression or bipolar disorder, occurring concurrently or in quick succession
Schizophreniform Disorder
A short-term mental health condition resembling schizophrenia but with a shorter duration, typically between one and six months.
Brief Psychotic Disorder
Definition
A brief, intense mental health condition where an individual experiences psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized speech lasting for a short period, generally less than a month.
Delusional disorder
Definition
A mental health condition marked by the presence of delusions, which are false beliefs persisting for at least a month, but without the presence of other prominent psychotic symptoms.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
A personality disorder characterized by peculiar behavior, odd beliefs or magical thinking, unusual perceptual experiences, and social discomfort or reduced capacity for close relationships
