Schizophrenia

Question 1

What are we currently using to diagnose Sz?

Answer 1

DSM-V
(the 5th addition)

Question 2

Between which ages is Sz most often diagnosed?

Answer 2

15-35yrs

Question 3

Which gender is more commonly diagnosed?

Answer 3

Men

Question 4

What are the most common symptoms of Sz?

Answer 4

Hallucinations and Delusions

Question 5

What does a positive symptom reflect?

Answer 5

An excess or distortion of normal functioning

Question 6

Name two positive symptoms of Sz

Answer 6

1. Hallucinations
2. Delusions

Question 7

What does a negative symptom of Sz reflect?

Answer 7

A reduction or loss of normal functioning

Question 8

Name 4 negative symptoms of Sz

Answer 8

1. *Alogia ( speech poverty)
2. Anhedonia
3. *Avolition
4. Affective Flattening

Question 9

Outline what is meant by delusions

Answer 9

• False beliefs
• Bizarre beliefs that seem real to the person, but are not real

Question 10

Outline what is meant by hallucinations

Answer 10

• False perceptions
• unreal perceptions of the environment that are usually :
  Auditory (hearing voices)
  Visual (seeing objects/faces)
  Olfactory (smells)
  Tactile (Feeling bugs crawling under skin)

Question 11

Outline what is meant by Alogia ( Speech poverty)

Answer 11

• The lessening of speech fluency and productivity which reflects slow or blocked thoughts

Question 11

Outline what is meant by Avolition

Answer 11

• The reduction of, or inability to persist in, goal directed behaviour
  e.g sitting in the house for hours doing nothing every day

Question 12

Outline what is meant by Anhedonia

Answer 12

A general loss of interest or pleasure in everyday life

Question 13

Outline what is meant by Affective flattening

Answer 13

When a person experiences a reduction in their range of their emotional expressions
e.g. tone of voice

Question 14

Explain reliability in relation to Sz

Answer 14

The consistency of a measuring tool (eg. the DSM)

Question 15

What is test-retest reliability?

Answer 15

Where doctors are able to reach the same conclusions about a patient at two different points in time so that a patient is not labelled with a diagnosis which then changes or is re-diagnosed as something else later on

Question 16

What is Inter-rater reliability?

Answer 16

The extent to which different assessors agree on their assessments
eg. doctors should be able to reach the same conclusions about a persons diagnosis

Question 17

What did Cheniaux et al conclude regarding inter-rater reliability of classification systems?

Answer 17

The system is poor because we would expect the same number of diagnoses made from the two psychiatrists, irrespective of criteria used

Question 18

Give two evaluation points for reliability in Sz diagnosis

Answer 18

— Cultural differences :
research suggests that there is significant variation between countries when it comes to diagnosing Sz
+++ Rosenhan’s research

Question 19

What is meant by Validity in relation to Sz?

Answer 19

The correctness of a diagnosis
(the extent to which it is accurate and meaningful)

Question 20

Why is gender bias a limitation for validity?

Answer 20

Broverman et al. found that the clinicians in the US equated mentally healthy ‘adult’ behaviour with mentally healthy ‘male’ behaviour, therefore women tended to be seen as less mentally healthy

Question 21

Explain what symptom overlap is

Answer 21

Many of the symptoms of Sz are also found in other disorders such as depression and bpd which causes confusion

Question 22

List 3 evaluation points in regards to validity in Sz diagnosis

Answer 22

1. Gender bias
2. Symptom overlap
3. Co-morbidity

Question 23

Explain Co-morbidity

Answer 23

Refers to the extent that two or more conditions occur
eg. Sz often occurs alongside a substance abuse, anxiety and depression
- if conditions occur together a lot of the time, then this calls into question the validity of their diagnosis

Question 24

What did Buckley et al estimate?

Answer 24

he estimated that co-morbid depression occurs in 50% of patients and 47% also have a lifetime diagnosis of co-morbid substance abuse

Question 25

What are the three biological explanations for Sz?

Answer 25

1) genetics 2) neural correlates 3) the dopamine hypothesis

Question 26

What are the 3 ways of studying the genetic explanation of Sz?

Answer 26

1) family studies 2) twin studies 3) adoption studies

Question 27

What did Gottesmann find regarding family studies as a genetic explanation for sz?

Answer 27

- He concluded that Sz is more common in the biological relatives of a schizophrenic individual -The closer the degree of genetic relatedness, the greater the risk -Monozygotic twins (48%) -Dizygotic twins (17%)

Question 28

What did Joseph highlight regarding Twin studies as a genetic explanation for Sz?

Answer 28

He pointed out that Mz twins are treated much more similarly, encounter more similar environments and experience more identity confusion than Dz twins

Question 29

Why are adoption studies useful?

Answer 29

Separates the influence of genetics and environment

Question 30

What did Tienari find regarding adoption studies?

Answer 30

-6.7% of 164 adoptees who's biological mothers had been diagnosed also recieved a diagnosis -2% of 197 adoptees born to non Sz mothers were diagnosed

Question 31

What is the dopamine hypothesis?

Answer 31

Claims that an excess of the neurotransmitter Dopamine in certain regions of the brain is associated with the positive symptoms of Sz

Question 32

What is the role of Dopamine?

Answer 32

-associated with feeling pleasure or satisfaction -plays a crucial role in various brain functions, including the reward system, motivation, movement, and mood

Question 33

What is Hyperdopaminergia?

Answer 33

An excess of dopamine in the brain

Question 34

What is Hypodopaminergia?

Answer 34

Low levels of dopamine in the brain

Question 35

What has the dopamine hypothesis concluded regarding negative symptoms of Sz?

Answer 35

low levels of dopamine cause negative symptoms to arise

Question 36

What has the dopamine hypothesis concluded regarding positive symptoms of Sz?

Answer 36

Positive symptoms are caused by an excess of dopamine

Question 37

State some evaluation points for the Dopamine Hypothesis?

Answer 37

+ scientific ( high validity ) - individual differences