Schizophrenia and psychosis

Question 1

What class of symptoms are the acute and chronic syndromes of schizophrenia characterised by, respectively?

Answer 1

Acute - positive symptoms

Chronic - negative symptoms

Question 2

What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 2

hallucinations (any sensory modality)
persecutory ideas
delusions of reference
social withdrawal
impaired performance (e.g. at work)
Impaired insight
formal thought disorder
disorders of stream of thought
mood changes: irritability, euphoria, depression, anxiety, incongruity of affect, blunting of affect

Question 3

Which of the following is not a first-rank symptoms of schizophrenia?

• thought broadcasting
• visual hallucinations
• thought withdrawal
• delusional perceptions
• auditory hallucinations

Answer 3

Visual hallucinations

Question 4

What are the first-rank symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 4

Auditory hallucinations:
- 2 or more voices discussing patient in 3rd person
- thought echo
- voices commenting on patients behaviour
Thought disorder:
- thought insertion
- thought withdrawal
- thought broadcasting
Passivity phenomena:
- bodily sensations being controlled by external influences
- actions/impulses/feelings are imposed on pt or influenced by others
Delusional perceptions:
- normal object perceived, then there is sudden intense delusional insight into the object’s meaning