schizophrenia Flashcards
definition of schizophrenia
a mental illness that can affect the way someone thinks, speaks or feels to such a degree that they lose their grip on reality (Psychosis).
According to the DSM, a diagnosis of SZ requires one to six months of positive and negative symptoms.
features of schizophrenia
● It affects 1 in every 100 people (1% of the population).
● Episodes of psychosis usually appear between late adolescence and mid thirties, usually appears earlier in men (teens), later in women (20-30’s).
● Males more likely to have a poor prognosis (development of disorder) compared to women, they develop higher proportion of negative symptoms and have longer duration of the disorder.
schizophrenia in the diagnostic manuals
The DSM used to include numerous types of schizophrenia but DSM-5 has replaced them with a single category: schizophrenia spectrum disorders. This is because schizophrenia features a range (spectrum) of symptoms which are not fixed but might change over time
Name the positive symptoms of schizophrenia
- delusions
- hallucinations
- disorganised thinking and/or speech
- thought insertion
- thought broadcasting
Describe the negative symptoms of schizophrenia
- Lack of energy and apathy eg. no motivation to do daily chores.
- Social withdrawal eg. avoiding family and friends and not going out.
- Flatness of emotions, the individuals face becomes emotionless and the voice dull with no rise and fall of tone.
- Lack of pleasure in everyday activities and life.
- Speaking little even when required to interact.
- Not looking after appearance and personal hygiene, not preserving a sense of ‘self
Describe delusions
False thoughts held by individual which cannot be changed despite evidence that challenges the belief.
Grandiose delusions = believe they have remarkable qualities such as being famous or having special powers.
Persecutory delusions = individual reports believing others are ‘out to get them’ and trying to harm or manipulate them in some way.
Describe hallucinations
Hearing (auditory hallucination), seeing or smelling things which are not there but feel real to the individual.
Critical voices provide a running commentary on what the person is doing. Controlling voices tell the person what to do - usually uncharacteristic acts.
Sometimes the voices talk to one another - they may tell someone to do something or warn them them of danger.
Describe disorganised thinking and/or speech
The individual finds it hard to put their thoughts into logical sense, they may stop mid-sentence and may say the thought has been taken out of their head. They may lose concentration at work and complain of having muddled thinking.
Describe thought insertion
a person thinks their own thoughts are put there by someone else
Describe thought broadcasting
thinking others can hear their thought
What are positive symptoms?
Addition to an individual’s reality/experience
What are negative symptoms?
Subtract/Absence from experience
