Week 2 Flashcards
Schizophrenia
A form of psychosis, is characterised by distortion to thinking and perception and inappropriate or blunted affect.
Reduced/blunted affect
Reduced emotional reactivity in an individual.
A failure to express feelings either verbally or non-verbally, especially when talking about issues that would normally be expected to engage the emotions.
Strongest risk factor for developing Schizophrenia
Family history
Other risk factors, other than family history for schizophrenia
Black Caribbean ethnicity Migration Urban environment Cannabis use + illicit substances 2nd trimester viral illness Increased parental age Social isolation
Most common form of psychosis
Schizophrenia
Hallucinations
Can be defined as perceptions in the absence of stimuli. Most commonly auditory but may be visual or affect smell, taste, or tactile senses.
Usually third person talking (talking about me) relatively specific to schizophrenia
Type of auditory hallucinations in Schizophrenia
Usually third person talking (talking about me) relatively specific to schizophrenia
2nd order talking
Talking TO me
Third person talking (auditory hallucinations)
Talking ABOUT me
Delusions
a fixed, false belief not in keeping with cultural and educational background.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Auditory hallucinations in 3rd person Voices commenting on the patient's behavior Thought insertion, withdrawal, echo & broadcasting Passivity phenomena Delusional perceptions impaired insight Incongruity/blunting of affect Decreased speech Neologisms Catatonia
Passivity phenomena
Bodily sensations being controlled by external influence
actions/impulses/feelings - experiences which are imposed on the individual or influenced by others
Neologisms
Made up words
Catatonia
Abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental state. It may involve repetitive or purposeless over activity, or catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism.
Such as excitement, posturing or waxy flexibility, negativism, alogia, mutism and stupor.
Flight of ideas
Refers to a thought disorder, wherein there are abrupt, rapid shifts in the conversation topics. The affected individual quickly moves from one topic to another
Alogia
Poverty of speech
Avolition
Lack of self-will/ lack of the drive/will to act
What is a risk for an schizophrenic individual?
Increased risk of suicide and cardiovascular disease
Possible theories for developing schizophrenia (pathogenesis)
Include increased size of the ventricles and reduced whole-brain volume.
Increased activity of dopamine in the mesolimbic region is associated with symptoms of psychosis. It is likely numerous other neurotransmitters are involved in the pathogenesis.
What drugs are risk factors for schizophrenia?
Amphetamines (increase Dopamine in brain)
Cocaine
Cannabis
Novel psychoactive substances (e.g. Ivory Wave, Spice)
Diagnosis of Schizophrenia by ICD-10 - Criteria 1
Psychotic episode lasting for at least one month & one (or more) of the following is present:
- Thought echo, insertion, withdrawal, or broadcasting.
- Delusions of control, influence or passivity, clearly referred to body or limb movements or specific thoughts, actions, or sensations, delusional perception.
- Hallucinatory voices giving a running commentary on the patient’s behaviour, or discussing him between themselves, third person hallucinations (talking about me)
- Persistent delusions of other kinds that are culturally inappropriate and completely impossible (e.g. being able to control the weather or being in communication with aliens from another world).
Diagnosis of Schizophrenia by ICD-10 - Criteria 2
Psychotic episode lasting for at least one month if two (or more) of the following are present:
- Persistent hallucinations in any modality (auditory, taste, smell and touch) when accompanied by delusions, or when accompanied by persistent over-valued ideas.
- Neologisms,
- Catatonic behavior
- “Negative” symptoms such as marked apathy (complete lack of emotion), paucity of speech, and blunting or incongruity of emotional responses
Different types of hallucinations
Auditory, taste, smell and touch
Mutism
Inability to speech
Stupor
Daze/state of unconsciousness
The different sub-types of schizophrenia
Paranoid schizophrenia
Hebephrenic schizophrenia
Catatonic schizophrenia
Undifferentiated schizophrenia
Paranoid schizophrenia
Predominant symptom is that of what are stable, normally paranoid delusions. These are often accompanied by hallucinations (often auditory) but catatonic symptoms and those of abnormal affect, volition and speech are normally absent.
Hebephrenic schizophrenia
Affective (mood) symptoms are prominent with abnormal behaviour, such as depression, anxiety, lethargy, feelings of guilt etc. Negative symptoms are significant and social isolation may result.
Catatonic schizophrenia
Predominant symptoms are those of psychomotor disturbance and may exhibit both hyperkinesis (extreme or excessive activity of a part of the body, especially the muscles) and stupor as well as automatic obedience and negativism. Other features may include episodes of violent excitement.
Undifferentiated schizophrenia
Those that meet the diagnostic threshold but do not fit into one of the above categories.
Hyperkinesis
Extreme or excessive activity of a part of the body, especially the muscles
Investigations for schizophrenia
Other conditions excluded especially autoimmune encephalitis (in particular anti–NMDA receptor encephalitis).
Screen for Illicit drugs and alcohol if necessary
Trauma investigations
Prior to starting an antipsychotics; what investigations should be done?
- Weight
- Height
- Waist circumference
- Pulse and blood pressure
What assessments should be recorded prior to starting to anti psychotic medications?
- Assessment of any movement disorders
2. Assessment of nutritional status, diet and level of physical activity
Two generations of antipsychotics
Typical
Atypical
What is a serious side effect of anti-psychotic drugs?
Close attention should be paid to cardiovascular risk-factor modification due to the high rates of cardiovascular disease in schizophrenic patients (linked to antipsychotic medication and high smoking rates)
Dystonia
Uncontrolled and sometimes painful muscle movements (spasms) and tremor. Basically muscles contract involuntarily, causing repetitive or twisting movements
Tardive dyskinesia
Which refers to uncontrolled repetitive movements such as smacking lips together
Side effects of typical anti-psychotics drugs
Dystonia
Tardive dyskinesia
Agranulocytosis and bone marrow suppression
Examples of typical anti-psychotics drugs
chlorpromazine flupentixol haloperidol levomepromazine perphenazine prochlorperazine