Week 1 - Schizophrenia Flashcards
(54 cards)
What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia? Give some examples (4)
Symptoms that are new or increased experiences
Delusions
Hallucinations
Behavioural changes
Confusion and thought disorder
What are the 4 types of hallucinations a person can experience?
○ Auditory. The person most often hears voices in their head. They might be angry or urgent and demand that they do things. It can sound like one voice or many. They might whisper, murmur, or be angry and demanding.
○ Visual. Someone might see lights, objects, people, or patterns. Often it’s loved ones or friends who are no longer alive. They may also have trouble with depth perception and distance.
○ Olfactory and gustatory. This can include good and bad smells and tastes. Someone might believe they’re being poisoned and refuse to eat.
○ Tactile. This creates a feeling of things moving on your body, like hands or insects.
What are persecutors delusions?
The feeling someone is after you or that you’re being stalked, hunted, framed, or tricked.
What are referential delusions?
When a person believes that public forms of communication, like song lyrics or a gesture from a TV host, are a special message just for them.
What are somatic delusions?
These center on the body. The person thinks they have a terrible illness or bizarre health problem like worms under the skin or damage from cosmic rays.
What are eroto-manic delusions?
A person might be convinced a celebrity is in love with them or that their partner is cheating. Or they might think people they’re not attracted to are pursuing them.
What are religious delusions?
Someone might think they have a special relationship with a deity or that they’re possessed by a demon.
What are grandiose delusions?
They consider themselves a major figure on the world stage, like an entertainer or a politician.
What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia? Give some examples (6)
Refers to symptoms that represent a decrease in some factor
Anhedonia
Alogia
Affective flattening
Apathy
Self neglect
Avolition
What are cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia? Give some examples which can be affected (6)
• Refers to symptoms that affect patient’s thought processes and memory.
○ Processing speed ○ Working memory ○ Attention and vigilance ○ Verbal learning ○ Reasoning and problem solving ○ Social cognition
What is the family link in schizophrenia?
• 44% risk for MZ twins
• 15% risk for DZ twins
• Children of non-schizophrenic MZ twin 9x more likely to develop psychosis at some point
• Increased paternal age increases risk
Which ethnicity in the uk is most affected by schizophrenia?
Afro Caribbean
What are some psychological links/causes of schizophrenia? (3)
Childhood adversity:
• Abuse
• Bullying
• Parental loss or separation
Stressful life experiences (bereavement, job loss, eviction, relationship breakdown)
Migration (from a developing country)
What environmental factors are linked/cause schizophrenia? (6)
Obstetric complications:
• Malnutrition
• Viral infections
• Pre-eclampsia
• Emergency C-section
Drug abuse:
• Cannabis use (teenagers)
• Other drugs can cause psychotic symptoms: amphetamines, cocaine, LSD
• High dose corticosteroid use
Socioeconomic status:
• Lower socioeconomic classes
• Urban areas
Exposure to Toxoplasma gondii
Lower childhood IQ
Less developed motor skills
What are delusions of control?
The belief that their feelings, thoughts, and actions are being controlled by other people.
What are 1st person auditory hallucinations?
patients hear their own thoughts spoken out loud as they think them.
What are elementary auditory hallucinations?
are simple sounds e.g. whirring, buzzing, whistling or single words
What are complex auditory hallucinations?
occur as spoken phrases, sentences or even dialogue that are sub-classified into first, second, and third person.
What are 2nd person auditory hallucinations?
patients hear a voice, or voices, talking directly to them. Second person hallucinations can be persecutory, highly critical, complimentary or issue commands to the patient (command hallucination). These kind of hallucinations can often be mood-congruent -.e. a patient with low mood will more often experience hallucinations of a persecutory or critical nature, and similarly a patient with an elevated mood will more often experience hallucinations of a complimentary nature.
What are 3rd person auditory hallucinations?
patients hear a voice or voices speaking about them, referring to them in the third person. This may take the form of two or more voices arguing or discussing the patient among themselves; or one or more voices giving a running commentary on the patient’s thoughts or actions.
Where does the nigrostriatal pathway run to and from?
substantia nigra pars compacta –> striatum
What does blockade of the nigrostriatal pathway lead to in schizophrenia?
Extra pyramidal side effects
List some potential side effects from schizophrenia (6)
Suicide
Cardiovascular disease
Substance abuse
Social isolation
Cancer
Financial problems
How long can you be detained under section 2 of mha?
28 days
