Week 2 - Psychosis and Schizophrenia Flashcards
Define Psychosis
a collection of symptoms of impaired sense of reality
- Delusions, hallucinations and disorganised thinking
- Positive, negative and cognitive symptoms
- Beliefs that are not grounded in reality
Identify the main characteristics or symptoms of psychosis
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Cognitive impairment or thought disorder
agitation and agression
What are delusions
Fixed belifs which the consumer holds to be true but which are not grounded in reality
* not changed by compelling counterargument or proof of the contrary
* held with absolute conviction
* can solidify to become their reality
Bizarre vs non-bizzare delusions
Bizarre - delusions which are implausible or impossible
Non-bizarre - delusions which are exagerrated or very unlikely but could technically be true
Identify and describe the types of delusions
- Delusions of reference - belief that a random event is aimed at them personally
- Delusions of grandeur - belief that they have a unique and extreme significance or power
- Paranoid/persecutory delusions - belief they are being harmed or watched
- Delusions of control - belief that another person/group/force is in control of their thoughts or actions
- Erotomanic delusions - belief that a person is romantically in love with them (celebrity, stranger)
What are hallucinations
Sensual perceptions in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real percepiton
* often vivid and detailed
Identify and describe the different types of hallucinations
- Auditory hallucinations - most common, voices, commentary, spoken commands
- Visual hallucinations - colours, faces, people, objects, can be clear and identifiable or more abstract
- Gustatory (taste) hallucinations - less common
- Tactile hallucinations - less common, associated with substance misuse
- Olfactory (smell) hallucinations - less common
Disorganised thinking and disorganised behaviour
Disorganised thought - indirectly observed through speech, an unusual or interrupted pattern of thought which impacts speech and writing
Disorganised behaviour - directly observed, bizarre, inappropriate or unusual behaviour or movement in the context of the situation
Speech patterns which suggest disorganised thought
- Poverty of content (alogia) - speech is brief, with little content or elaboration, and non-spontaneous
- Tangenital speech - speech progresses off topic
- Thought blocking - losing train of thought and stopping speech suddenly for seconds or minutes. often when speech resumes there is a change in topic
- Word salad - words are combined in a sentence with no sense or meaning
- Preservation - the repetition of words or ideas due to an inability to switch from the topic mentally
Biological/genetic causes of psycosis
- Dopamine dysregulation - increased levels in the brain
- structural changes to amygdala and hippocampus - affects memory and learning AND may be attributed to the perceptual disturbances of hallucinations and delusions
- genetic heritability/family history
- birth
Psychological causes of psychosis
- preexisting mental illness eg. schizophrenia, depression, BPD
- negative/threatening perception of the world
- avoidant personality
- stress - exacerbates risk of relapse
environmental/social causes of psychosis
- birth trauma and foetal brain developmental issues
- perinatal malnutrition and illness
- childhood adversity/trauma
- birth season (late winter/early spring)
- cannabis use (especially with genetic vulnerability)
- low SES - education, healthcare
- lack of social connection/support systems
List the symptoms of psychosis
- hallucinations
- delusions
- thought and speech disorder
- suicidal thoughts
- severe mood swings
- agitation and hostility
- paranoia
- insomnia
- thought insertion - the belief that one’s thoughts are not their own and have been placed in the mind by someone else
Puerperal psychosis
Experience of psychosis symptoms in the postpartum period
requires prompt treatment and sensitive but quick separation of mother and baby to prevent
* infanticide
* maternal suicide
* child abuse/neglect
* ongoing psychotic illness
Women often present with
* severely impaired judgement
* insomnia
* anorexia
* agitation
* paranoia
* depressive symptoms
Women with PMHx of bipolar disorder are at increased risk
Screen for infection to eliminate sepsis as the cause
Typical antipsychotics
MOA: D2 receptor antagonists block dopamine receptors in the brain to decrease dopaminergic activity and effect
- very good at treating positive symptoms
- poorer response to negative symptoms - can even make them worse
- increased risk of serious side effects
Side effects include:
* NMS
* EPS
* TD
* prolonged QT interval
* hypotension
* sedation
* convulsions