Schizophrenia (AO1)

Question 1

What is the most common form of biological treatment for SZ? What are the two types?

Answer 1

Drug therapy. Typical antipsychotics, atypical antipsychotics

Question 2

What is a typical antipsychotic? Typical administration and dosage?

Answer 2

Chlorpromazine. Tablets, syrup or injection and up to 1000mg can be taken daily.

Question 3

What makes the typical antipsychotic a dopamine antagonist?

Answer 3

They reduce the action of a neurotransmitter by blocking dopamine receptors within the synapses, therefore reducing the action of dopamine

Question 4

What other useful quality has Chlorpromazine got?

Answer 4

Sedative

Question 5

What symptoms does Chlorpromazine relieve?

Answer 5

Positive such as hallucination

Question 6

Are antipsychotics taken short or long-term?

Answer 6

Both, depends on patient’s response to the medication

Question 7

What is the aim of atypical antipsychotics?

Answer 7

To improve the effectiveness of symptom suppression whilst minimising side effects

Question 8

Name one atypical antipsychotic and its dosage/administration?

Answer 8

Clozapine. Syrup or tablets, 300 - 450mg a day.

Question 9

How do atypical antipsychotics work differently?

Answer 9

Bind to dopamine receptors, BUT also serotonin and glutamate receptors too. Therefore, it can also help improve one’s mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Question 10

Define CBT

Answer 10

Cognitive behavioral therapy happens within groups or individuals between 5 - 20 sessions. Aims to help patients identify irrational thought patterns.

Question 11

How does CBT help?

Answer 11

Can help patients make sense of (rationalise) their delusions and hallucinations but also how they impact behaviour and feelings.

Question 12

What is an issue with Clozapine?

Answer 12

Can’t be injected as it can cause the blood poisoning condition agranulocytosis

Question 13

What is an alternative to Clozapine? Why?

Answer 13

Risperidone as people were starting to die from agranulocytosis. Also a better binder and does so strongly

Question 14

What does family therapy aim to do?

Answer 14

Improve communication between family members to reduce EE. This means the patient’s stress levels should lower and would reduce the chances of relapse

Question 15

How does the DSM-5 classify a diagnosis of SZ?

Answer 15

One positive symptom MUST be present

Question 16

How does the ICD-10 classify a diagnosis of SZ?

Answer 16

Two or more negative symptoms

Question 17

What do positive symptoms count as?

Answer 17

Additional experiences beyond those of ordinary existence

Question 18

Define hallucinations. Example?

Answer 18

Sensory experiences that have no basis in reality or distorted of real things. E.g; Hearing voices

Question 19

What do negative symptoms count as?

Answer 19

Loss of usual abilities and experiences

Question 20

What is avolition?

Answer 20

Severe loss of motivation to carry put everyday tasks.

Question 21

What is speech poverty?

Answer 21

A reduction in quality and amount of speech. Also delays in verbal responses

Question 22

What are the main issues in diagnosis and why?

Answer 22

Reliability - Consistent diagnosis
Validity - Do the diagnosis measure what they are designed to?
Co-morbidity - Occurrence of two illnesses together which confuses diagnosis and treatment

Question 23

How do families tie into the biological explanations?

Research?

Answer 23

SZ has a genetic basis - strong relationship between genetic similarity of family members and likelihood of developing SZ.

Gottesman (1991) showed that MZ twins have a 48% of both developing SZ.

Question 24

How do candidate genes tie into the biological explanation? Example gene?

Answer 24

Individual genes are associated with developing SZ. Genes mainly included in the risk of this are to do with the functioning of neurotransmitters including dopamine. Example is COMPT.

Question 25

SZ is ____genic. What does it mean?

Answer 25

Polygenic: more than one candidate gene.

Question 26

Explain how hypodopaminergia in the cortex links to SZ?

Answer 26

Often involved in more recent dopamine hypotheses. Low levels of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex have been identified as having a role in negative symptoms.

Question 27

Explain how hyperdopaminergia in the subcortex links to SZ?

Answer 27

The original dopamine hypothesis. Focuses on high levels of dopamine in the subcortex such as the Broca's area as this area is often associated with speech poverty and auditory hallucinations.

Question 28

What are neural correlates?

Answer 28

Patterns of brain structure that occur in conjunction with symptoms and may explain the symptom's origins.

Question 29

What are examples of neural correlates of negative symptoms?

Answer 29

Avolition may be causes by abnormalities in the ventral striatrum. Research found a negative correlation between activity in the area and severity of negative symptoms.

Question 30

What are examples of neural correlates of positive symptoms?

Answer 30

In research, lower activation levels within the superior temporal gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus were found within those who suffered from auditory hallucinations.

Question 31

What type of thought processes are associated with SZ? What does this mean?

Answer 31

Dysfunctional. Functioning does NOT occur normally which causes undesirable outcomes and may be able to explain SZ through a cognitive explanation.

Question 32

Explain metarepresentation

Answer 32

Our ability to reflect on our own behaviour/thoughts. Dysfunction here would occur one to not recognise their behaviour as their own. May explain why people often cite hallucinations such as thought insertion.

Question 33

Explain central control

Answer 33

Cognitive ability to suppress automatic responses to situations and instead perform deliberate actions. Dysfunction here may cause disorganised speech and thoughts and result in the inability to suppress speech triggered by thoughts.

Question 34

What is the double bind theory?

Answer 34

Emphasis on the role of familial communication style as a risk factor. Child receives mixed signals, feel trapped and fear finding themselves in the wrong within a situation. Therefore, warped understanding of the world as dangerous, unpredictable and confusing because the punishment for ‘wrong-doing’ is withdrawal of love

Question 35

What cognitive symptoms does double bind theory reflect?

Answer 35

This is reflective in symptoms of SZ which includes disorganised thinking and paranoid delusions. However, this feature in childhood is only a risk, not a guarantee

Question 36

What is the schizophrenogenic mother?

Answer 36

Based on the case studies of SZ patients and their childhoods and later on content analysis of such accounts. Mother is cold, rejecting, controlling and tends to create a familial environment characterised by tension and secrecy. This causes distrust which develops into paranoia/paranoid delusions and ultimately schizophrenia

Question 37

What is the interactionist approach?

Answer 37

Multidisciplinary and takes into account of various factors that can impact of SZ' development.

Question 38

What is the basic definition of the diathesis-stress model?

Answer 38

Both a genetic vulnerability and a stress-trigger are necessary in order to develop SZ. Having more than one vulnerability makes development even more likelier

Question 39

What did the original stress model concur?

Answer 39

Meehl (1962): - Stated that first of all, to develop SZ, you have to have inherited the 'schizogene'. - Yet even then, it will only develop if you suffer chronic stress during childhood/adolescence.

Question 40

What is the modern understanding of diathesis?

Answer 40

- The illness is polygenic and not a single gene which causes its development. - Another form of diathesis is early psychological trauma which then becomes the D instead of the S.

Question 41

What is the modern understanding of stress?

Answer 41

- No longer literally just means stress but triggers outside of stress. A more diverse concept - For example, though not wholly conclusive yet, research is suggesting that those who heavily smoke cannabis are 7x more likely to develop SZ if they have the vulnerability

Question 42

What are treatments for SZ as according to the interactionist approach?

Answer 42

- As approach analyses and combines both psych/bio factors, it also does with treatment - Therefore, a patient would be both prescribed antipsychotics and have CBT sessions