Schizophrenia Flashcards
(36 cards)
Define schizophrenia
A type of psychosis characterized by severely impaired emotions, cognition and behaviour.
Define the classification of mental disorders
The process of organising symptoms into categories based on which symptoms frequently cluster together.
State the two major systems for the classification of mental disorders
ICD-10 AND DSM-5
State the criteria for DSM-5
For a diagnosis, symptoms must be present for 6 months, with one positive symptom.
State the criteria for ICD-10
For a diagnosis, symptoms must be present for 1 month, with 2 or more negative symptoms.
Define positive symptoms
Symptoms that enhance the typical experience of sufferers, and occur in addition to their usual behaviour.
This includes hallucinations (auditory & visual) and delusions
Define negative symptoms
Symptoms that take away from the typical experience of sufferers, and so represent a loss of usual abilities and behaviour.
This includes speech poverty and avolition.
Define delusions
Also known as paranoia, delusions are distorted and irrational beliefs, with no basis in reality at all.
The most prevalent forms in Sz are delusions of grandeur, persecutory and physicality,
Define delusion of grandeur
Involves the Sz person believing that they have a higher power, importance or significance. (For example, the belief that they are Jesus or Einstein).
Explain persecutory delusions
Involve the Sz person having an all-consuming belief that they’re under threat (maybe by the government), being stalked for example or that someone is out to harm them.
This is likely to install a great sense of fear within them, hence the paranoia.
Define physical delusions
Delusions that manifest themselves within the body in which the person may believe that their body is under the control of someone or something else.
This causes them to act in a way that may seem bizarre to others, but makes sense to them.
Explain hallucinations
These are unusual sensory experiences, meaning that a Sz person could hear (auditory) or see (visual) things that aren’t there, but they can be experienced in relation to any sense.
Sometimes hallucinations are directly related to what the Sz person picks up from the environment around them, such as overhearing someone critising another person. But sometimes this isn’t the case, such as when a Sz hears voices inside their head when they’re alone.
Hallucinations may also take the form of distortions, such as seeing a distorted face in the mirror.
Explain speech poverty
Also known as alogia and represents a reduction in the quality and amount of speech. This means that they’ll speak infrequently, not fluently and incoherently.
Some features also include giving one-word answers and a delay in verbal responses.
Define avolition
The complete lack of motivation to engage with goal-oriented behaviour. Andreason categorised it into 3 areas: poor hygiene & grooming, lack of persistence in work and education and lack of energy.
Define disorganised speech
Mixed-up thought processes affect a patient’s speech resulting in muddled sentences where they often mix up topics in a sentence, so it doesn’t make sense.
Define inter-rater reliability
Whether different clinicians uses different classification systems with the same patient and it gives the same diagnosis.
Define test-retest reliability
Whether the same clinician uses the same classification system with the same patient, at 2 different time periods, and it gives the same diagnosis.
Define reliability in terms of the classification and diagnosis of schizophrenia
Refers to how consistently schizophrenia is diagnosed.
Explain why co-morbidity may be an issue in the validity of the diagnosis and classification of Sz (AO3)
(Refer to Buckley)
POINT - Co-morbidity refers to when 2 or more conditions occur together. If conditions are occurring together, it’s possible that they’re actually a single condition. Schizophrenia is commonly diagnosed with other mental health disorders.
EVIDENCE - For example, in one review, Buckley et al found that 50% of Sz patients also have depression, 47% have a co-morbidity with substance abuse and for OCD, 23%.
ELABORATE - This poses a challenge for diagnosis bc it could be that psychiatrists are bad at differentiating between conditions. As for classification, it may be that if severe depression looks a lot like Sz and vice versa, they may be better seen as a single condition.
LINK - Therefore, this confusing picture affects descriptive validity as it makes it harder to diagnose accurately.
Define validity in terms of the classification and diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Refers to how accurately schizophrenia is diagnosed.
Define predictive validity
To be valid, diagnosis should lead to effective treatment and we should be able to predict the prognosis (likely cause) of the disorder.
Define descriptive validity
To be valid, patients with schizophrenia should differ in symptoms from patients with other disorders.
State the 3 biological explanations for schizophrenia
- genetics
- neural abnormalities
- abnormalities in dopamine
Outline family studies as a genetic explanation of schizophrenia
(Refer to Gottesman)
In Grottesman’s study he found that childrden with two Sz parents had a concordance rate of 46%, children with one Sz parent a rate 13%, and siblings (where a brother or sister had Sz) a concordance rate of 9%.
This established that Sz is more common among biological relatives of a person with Sz, and that the closer the degree of genetic relatedness, the greater the risk.
