Psychosis

Question 1

Psychosis

Answer 1

Disturbances in experience of reality or reality testing. This is complex bc who decides what is real? To avoid this the DSM classifies this based on observable behaviors and reported experiences.

If there’s a group of people who believe in the delusion, we won’t call it psychotic

Question 2

Transdiagnostics

Answer 2

MDD
Autism
Bipolar
Drugs/withdrawal
Side effects of medication
Lack of sleep
Post-partum

Question 3

Classification of symptoms

Answer 3

Delusions
Hallucinations
Grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behaviour
Disorganized speech (formal thought disorder)
Negative symptoms

Question 4

Most commonly used diagnostic instrument

Answer 4

Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale

Semi structured interview/rating scale
30 symptoms.

Question 5

Delusions

Answer 5

Fixed beliefs that are not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence.
Most common:
- Persecutory (trying tog et me, being followed)
- Referential (Cues meant for you)
Less common
- Somatic (smelling things)
- Religious (I’m jezus/a prophet)
- Grandiosity
- Erotomanic (dangerous, x is in love w me)
- Nihilistic (catastrophy is coming)

Question 6

Hallucinations

Answer 6

Perception-like experiences that occur without an external stimulus. Vivid and clear, force of normal perception. Can be on any modality, but auditory is by far most common.

Question 7

Negative symptoms

Answer 7

Lessened expressivity; blunted affect
Avolition; reduction of self-motivated goal-oriented activites.

Less common
- Alogia: reduction of speech output
- Anhedonia: reduced enjoyment of formerly enjoyable activities
- A-sociality: less interest in social activities.