Chapter 13 (Exam 2) Flashcards
(36 cards)
psychosis
a state defined by a LOSS of contact with REALITY
- the ability to perceive and respond to the environment is significantly disturbed; functioning is impaired
- symptoms may include hallucinations and/or delusions
hallucinations
false sensory perceptions
- auditory hallucinations are most common
- visual hallucinations are second common
- also: tactile, somatic, visual, gustatory, or olfactory
delusions
false beliefs
psychosis may be ______ induced or caused by ________
psychosis may be SUBSTANCE induced or caused by BRAIN INJURY
BUT…… most psychoses appear in the form of schizophrenia
schizophrenia
psychotic disorder in which personal, social, and occupational functioning deteriorate as a result of UNUSUAL PERCEPTIONS, ODD THOUGHTS, DISTURBED EMOTIONS, and MOTOR IRREGULARITIES
- lifetime prevalence worldwide: 1%
- lifetime prevalence in US: 0.3-0.7%
- equally diagnosed in men and women
- avg age of onset: men- 23 y/o, women- 28 y/o
clinical info
schizophrenia
significant financial and emotional costs
- 25% attempt suicide
- 5% commit suicide
- increased risk of physical illness
more frequently found in lower-SES groups
- downward drift theory
schizophrenia (dx checklist)
downward drift theory (schizophrenia)
schizophrenia, with its cognitive and functional impairments, leads individuals to experience downward social mobility (resulting in lower SES, homelessness, etc.)
positive symptom
something that is there that should NOT be
examples:
- delusions- faulty interpretations of reality
- disordered thinking and speech: loose associations (rapidly shifting from one topic to another), neologisms (made up words), perseverations (repetitive speech), clang (speaking in rhymes), heightened perceptions (feel their senses are being flooded, making it difficult to concentrate), sensory perceptions (happen in the absence of external stimuli), inappropriate affect (emotions that are unsuited to the situation; e.g. smiling when receiving sad news
negative symptom
something is MISSING that should be there
examples:
- poverty of speech/alogia (reduced quantity of speech/speech content; may also say a lot but convery little meaning)
- blunted and flat affect (less emotion, expressionless face, monotonous voice, anhedonia/lack of enjoyment)
- loss of volition (motivation/directedness)
- social withdrawal
blunted affect
LOWER LEVELS of emotional expression
flat affect
NO emotional expression
psychomotor symptoms
awkward movements, repeated grimaces, and odd gestures; movements seem to have a magical quality (private purpose)
symptoms may take extreme forms, collectively called CATATONIA (includes stupor, rigidity, posturing, and excitement); experienced by ~10% of people with schizophrenia
what are the three categories of symptoms of schizophrenia?
- positive symptoms
- negative symptoms
- psychomotor symptoms
three phases of schizophrenia
- PRODROMAL- beginning of deterioration; mild symptoms such as social withdrawal, odd speech, or flat affect
- ACTIVE- symptoms become apparent (must last AT LEAST one month)
- RESIDUAL- 1/4 of pt fully recover; 3/4 continue to have residual problems
- each phase of the disorder may last for days or years
a fuller recovery from schizophrenia is more likely in people…
- with good premorbid functioning (an individual’s level of psychosocial functioning before the onset of a condition)
- whose disorder was triggered by stress
- with abrupt onset
- with later onset (during middle age)
- who receive early treatment
type I schizophrenia
dominated by POSITIVE SYMPTOMS (usually a result of dopamine abnormalities; more likely to respond to antipsychotic meds)
- may be linked more closely to biochemical abnormalities in the brain
- greater likelihood of improvement
type II schizophrenia
dominated by NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (often does not respond well to antipsychotic meds)
- may be tied largely to structural abnormalities in the brain
diathesis-stress relationship may be at work for schizophrenia- what is it?
diathesis-stress relationship- people with a biological predisposition will develop schizophrenia only if certain kinds of stressors or events are also present
***LIFE STRESS IS A TRIGGER
biological views
KEY ROLES/GENETIC FACTORS
schizophrenia
INHERITANCE and BRAIN ACTIVITY play key roles in development of schizophrenia
genetic factors (diathesis-stress perspective) have research support based on:
- relatives of people with schizophrenia
- twins with schizophrenia
- people with schizophrenia who are adopted
- direct genetic linkage research and molecular biology
biological views
FAMILY LINKS
schizophrenia
-people who are biologically related to someone with schizophrenia have a heightened risk of developing the disorder during their lifetimes
- the closer the biological relationship (aka the more similar to genetic makeup), the greater the risk of developing the disorder
dopamine hypothesis
schizophrenia
certain neurons using dopamine FIRE TOO OFTEN (producing signs of schizophrenia)
-messages traveling from dopamine-sending neurons to dopamine-receptors may be transmitted too easily or too often (D2 receptors)
- this theory is based on the effectiveness of first-gen antipsychotic meds (dopamine antagonists)
dopamine antagonists
block dopamine receptors for D2 receptor
HELPS POS SYMPTOMS
challenge to dopamine hypothesis
schizophrenia
atypical antipsychotic drugs/second-gen antipsychotics
- bind to D2 dopamine receptors and also many D1 receptors and other neurotransmitters (SEROTONIN, glutamate, GABA)
- much more effective than first-gen antipsychotics
