Schizophrenia spectrum and others

Question 1

Schizophrenia and the brain

Answer 1

• Widespread abnormalities in the structural connectivity
  -Less activity in frontal cortex (low blood flow)
• Heightened release of neurotransmitters between neurons cause the symptoms
• Temporal lobe smaller. Connection to severity of auditory hallucinations

Question 2

Key features that define psychosis (you don’t have to have hallucinations or delusions to be diagnosed (these are positive symptoms)

positive symptoms are the “easiest to treat” because medication can help hallucinations and delusions

Answer 2

Delusions= Believe something to be true

Grandeur (exception person), Erotomanic (another loves me),

Persecution (being harmed or harassed), Referential (things in environment are meant for person),

Nihilistic (major catastrophe will occur), Somatic (preoccupied with body/health)

Can be bizarre (alien chip implant) or non bizarre (CIA following me)

Hallucinations
Sensory input true, vivid and clear
Auditory most common

Disorganized Speech
Impossible to understand communication
Tangents with answers

Disorganized Behavior
No apparent goal for the action
Negative Symptoms
Not having something that “normal” people likely have (blunt affect, no speech, no pleasure)

Question 3

Quick overview of disorder

Answer 3

• Schizotypal Personality Disorder: pervasive social and interpersonal deficits. No close relationships, eccentric behaviors, cognitive and perceptual distortions
• Delusional Disorder: 1 month of delusions without other psychotic symptoms
• Catatonia: occurs in several disorders; presence of 3 or more of 12 specific psychomotor features
• Brief Psychotic Disorder: more than 1 day, but less than 1 month
• Schizophreniform Disorder: schizophrenia similarities but duration is less than 6 months and absence of declined functioning
• Schizophrenia: at least 6 months
• Schizoaffective disorder: mood episode and schizophrenia occur together with a 2 week delusion/hallucination experience without moo

Question 4

Delusional Disorder

Answer 4

0Major presence of persistent delusions of various types, but doesn’t have disorganization or negative symptoms

0Person could appear fairly normal until connection made to delusional beliefs.

0The beliefs are fixed, false, and resistant to compelling evidence.

0Depression or mania possible, but usually briefer

0Many specifiers needed (certain types, whether bizarre, first/multiple episodes, remission classifications)

0Most have one type, but multiple possible. Must last longer than 1 month

Question 5

do they fee compelled to do what the voices tell them to do

Answer 5

no= safe
yes= dangerous