Schizophrenia

Question 1

Describes two positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

Answer 1

• Delusions: bizarre beliefs that seem real to the schizophrenic.
• Hallucinations: unreal perceptions of the environment that are auditory or visual.

Question 2

Describe two negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Answer 2

• Speech poverty: low level of the frequency and quality of speech.
• Avolition: reduction of interests or desires and the inability to initiate and persist in goal-directed behaviour.

Question 3

What are the differences between the two classification systems?

Answer 3

The DSM-V has a more specific diagnostic criteria

The ICD-10 has a broader approach

Question 4

Diagnosis of schizophrenia

Answer 4

Two or more symptoms present. Occurs between the ages 15 and 25.

Question 5

What are the two classification systems?

Answer 5

1) The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
2) International Classification of Disease

Question 6

Outline one limitation of classification and symptoms.

Answer 6

High co-morbidity creates a confusing picture.
e.g. diagnosis of two disorders together like OCD and schizophrenia.

Question 7

Outline another limitation of classification and systems

Answer 7

• African Americans more likely to diagnosed with SZ
• hearing voices linked to spirituality and ancestors in African culture.
• compared to western cultures who don’t have this belief.
• classification systems sees this as a sign of SZ.

Question 8

Three factors of biological explanation

Answer 8

• Genetics
• Neural correlates
• Dopamine

Question 9

What is meant by neural correlation

Answer 9

Patterns of structure or activity in the brain that occur with a schizophrenic experience.

Question 10

What did Juckel et al (2006) suggest regarding abnormally low levels of activation in the ventral striatum?

Answer 10

Juckel et al (2006) suggested that abnormally low levels of activation in the ventral striatum, compared to healthy neurotypical controls, may be associated with the negative symptom of avolition.

Question 11

Why is the ventral striatum important in this context?

Answer 11

The ventral striatum is associated with evaluating reward values, predictability, and risks.

Question 12

How does the low activation in the ventral striatum relate to avolition?

Answer 12

Low levels of activation and neurotransmission in the ventral striatum may mean that individuals cannot accurately assess the reward of having enough motivation to carry out normal day-to-day tasks. As a result, they may be unable to cope with ‘normal’ life.

Question 13

What is the genetic explanation

Answer 13

Transmission of abnormality by hereditary means.

Question 14

genetic explanation for family studies

Answer 14

• find individuals with SZ and compare biological relatives with non-relatives to see if their similarly affected.
• Gottesman: children with two SZ parents have a concordance rate of 46%
• 1 SZ parent = 13%
• Siblings = 9%

Question 15

What are monozygotic twins

Question 16

What are Dizygotic twins

Question 17

genetic explanation for twin studies

Question 18

genetic explanation for adoption studies

Question 19

Outline the dopamine hypothesis

Answer 19

When the neurotransmitter dopamine is in excess in regions of the brain, positive symptoms of schizophrenia can be observed.
- hyperdopaminergia in the sub cortex.

Question 20

What is a dopamine

Answer 20

Chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) manufactured in the brain that transmits messages between neurons (brain cells).

Question 21

Outline one limitation of biological explanations

Question 22

Outline one strength of biological explanations

Question 23

What are the psychological explanations

Answer 23

family dysfunction, cognitive explanations and dysfunctional thought processing.

Question 24

Define the double bind theory

Question 25

Define expressed emotions