Week 3 - Schizophrenia Flashcards

1
Q

What is dementia praecox? (x1)

A

The original term for schizophrenia (Kraepelin)

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2
Q

What is the prevalence of schizophrenia?
Age and gender epidemiology? (x2)
Suicide risk?

A

1% in general population
Male peak onset 15-25 yrs, female 25-35
Men 30-40% more likely to get it
50% attempt suicide, 10% succeed

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3
Q

What is the cultural pattern of schizophrenia? (x2)

A

Described in all cultures and SES

But disproportionate low SES in industrial nations - potentially downward drift

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4
Q

Why is schizophrenia the most expensive of all mental disorders? (x5)

A

Direct treatment costs
Loss of productivity
• Some high functioning, but huge cost in lost productivity
Public assistance costs
Shorter average lifespan - poor lifestyle choices, lacking motivation

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5
Q

What are the DSM criteria A for schizophrenia? (x1, x4, x3)

A

Two or more during one month and at least one needs to be 1, 2, or 3
Positive symptoms:
1. Delusions
2. Hallucinations
3. Disorganised speech (frequent derailment or incoherence)
4. Grossly disorganised or catatonic behaviour
Negative symptoms
5. Affect flattening
6. Alogia
7. Avolition

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6
Q

What are criteria B - F for schizophrenia?

A

B. Social Occupational Dysfunction – must show downward trend in functioning
C. Duration - continuous signs for 6 months
D. Schizoaffective & Mood Disorder - Exclusion
E. Substance/general Medical Condition – Exclusion
F. Relationship to Autism Spectrum Disorder or a communication disorder – can be co-diagnosed

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7
Q

What are delusions? (x3)

A

Disturbances in content of thought
Misrepresentation of reality -
Fixed belief that is impervious to reason – they’ll argue that you’re wrong

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8
Q

What is a delusion of persecution? (x2)

A

Someone or something is out to harm you;

Often try and prosecute those they feel are responsible

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9
Q

What is a delusion of reference? (x2)

A

Hidden the signals that are directed at you specifically –

Inferring personal curse for random experience

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10
Q

What is a delusion of grandeur? (x2)

A

Something very special about you –

Magic powers, being Jesus

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11
Q

What is a delusion of sin? (x1)

A

Belief that you’ve done something evil

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12
Q

What is a hypochondriacal delusion? (x2)

A

Firm belief in illness, despite all tests saying no

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13
Q

What is a nihilistic delusion? (x1)

A

That the whole world is about to end, or is not real

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14
Q

What is a delusion of somatic passivity? (x2)

A

Sensations ‘imposed’)

Being made to feel things

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15
Q

What is a delusion of thought insertion? (x1)

A

Thoughts put in mind by someone else

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16
Q

What is a delusion of thought broadcasting? (x1)

A

They can all see what I’m thinking

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17
Q

What is a delusion of ‘made feelings’? (x2)

A

Your feelings aren’t your own, are being made by something else

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18
Q

What is a delusion of ‘made impulses’ (x2)

A

Your behaviours aren’t your own, are being made by something else

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19
Q

What is Capgras syndrome? (x3)

A

Delusion of another being a body double
You’re the only one who knows they have been replaced –
Usually aimed at loved one toward whom they have negative feelings

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20
Q

What is Cotard’s syndrome? (x3)

A

Delusion of impossible bodily change
eg haven’t got a heart, or a brain
Showing images doesn’t work, may even think they were dead

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21
Q

What are loosening of associations in psychosis? (x2)

Also known as… (x1)

A

Disturbances in production and organisation of thought -
Revealed by peculiarities of verbal expression
Derailment

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22
Q

What are 5 forms of loosening of associations/derailment?

A

Neologism – made up words
Perseveration – can’t change topic, get stuck on one concept
Word salad – can’t make sense of what they’re saying
Circumstantiality – following trains of thought waaaaaay off track
Tangentiality – more extreme than circumstance, they don’t find their way back to the point

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23
Q

What are hallucinations? (x3)

A

Disturbances of perception
Percept like experience occurring in absence of appropriate stimulus,
That aren’t under voluntary control

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24
Q

What forms can hallucinations take? (x5)

A

Auditory
• Most common type, often sounds like a critical running commentary, maybe command hallucinations. Sometimes know it’s not real, but in deep psychosis, can’t tell (time for hospital)

Visual
Olfactory
Gustatory
Tactile

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25
Q

What are disturbances in affect (schizophrenia)? (x5)

A
Disturbed expression of outward emotion
A continuum from:
Restricted affect,
Blunted affect, to 
Flat affect
26
Q

What is catatonia? (x1, plus e.g. x2)

A

A collective term for disturbances in psychomotor behaviour,
eg Catatonic stupor – extreme slowness of movement
Catatonic rigidity – maintaining one position, often very uncomfortable ones, waxy flexibility (can move them, and they stay in position)

27
Q

What are the specifiers for schizophrenia? (x4)

A

Sub-categories to describe after 1 year
With catatonia
Severity based on primary symptoms of psychosis
No longer distinguishing between Type 1 and 2 - most people don’t fit neatly

28
Q

What are 5 characteristics of Type 1 schizophrenia?

A
o	Sudden onset
o	Normal intellect
o	No brain damage
o	No negative symptoms
o	Good drug response
29
Q

What are 5 characteristics of Type 2 schizophrenia?

A
o	Slower onset
o	Intellectual deterioration
o	Brain abnormality
o	Prominent negative symptoms
o	Poor drug response
30
Q

Describe the 3 phases that constitute the course of schizophrenia

A

Prodromal
o For minority, can be very abrupt onset, but usually a long prodromal phase
o Beginning of issues
o Less hygiene
o Expressing some strange ideas
o Interpreted as phase by others, eventually becomes extreme, can’t be ignored

Active phase
o Eventually in active phase – responding to cues that aren’t real, often hospitalised until managing symptoms

Residual phase
o Back into the community, in residual phase, functioning well

(typically episodic)

31
Q

What do the many different patterns of the course of schizophrenia tell us? (x1)

A

That there’s huge heterogeneity in predicted course following diagnosis

32
Q

Name 8 predictors of good outcomes for those with schizophrenia

A
o	Good premorbid adjustment
o	No family history of schizophrenia
o	Sudden onset
o	Precipitating stress
o	Good response to medication
o	Positive symptoms
o	Later age of onset
o	Female gender
33
Q

Name 8 predictors of poor outcomes for those with schizophrenia

A
o	Poor premorbid adjustment
o	Family history of schizophrenia
o	Slow onset
o	No precipitating stress
o	Poor response to medication
o	Negative symptoms
o	Early age of onset
o	Male gender
34
Q

Besides schizophrenia, name 11 other psychotic disorders

A

Shizophreniform disorder
Schizoaffective disorder
Delusional disorder
Brief psychotic disorder
Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition
Substance/medication induced psychotic disorder
Catatonia associated with another mental disorder
Catatonia associated with another media condition
Unspecified catatonia
Other specified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder
Unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder

35
Q

What 6 factors are involved in the biological view of the aetiology of schizophrenia?

A
Genetics
Biochemical abnormalities
Structural brain changes
Functional brain changes
Non-specific indicators of brain dysfunction - don't get same structural diffs across all patients
Neurodevelopment
36
Q

What do gene studies tell us about the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x2)

A

Is a heterogeneous disorder, therefore likely to have polygenic influences
• Makes it very unlikely that there is a single responsible gene

37
Q

What do family studies tell us about the likelihood of schizophrenia for biological relatives of a schizophrenic proband? (x3)

A

48% concordance in MZ twins (so can’t be purely genetic)
46% for offspring
17% for DZ twins/siblings

38
Q

What do studies of the Genain Quads (‘dreadful gene’) tell us about the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x7)

A
All diagnosed, raised in same family, but big variations in 
   •	Time of onset
   •	Symptoms
   •	Diagnoses
   •	Course of disorder
   •	Outcomes

So despite same family environment, must be heaps of unshared features in environment too

39
Q

Explain the dopamine hypothesis of the aetiology of schizophrenia (x5)

A

Found that in Parkinson’s: L-DOPA increases dopamine, and reduces stiffness and tremors
• When take too much L-DOPA, triggers some schizophrenic symptoms

And in schizophrenia: neuroleptics decrease dopamine,
Calming disordered thought/behaviour, but causing stiffness and tremors

These patterns led to idea that excess dopamine is causal of schizophrenia

40
Q

What are the problems with the dopamine hypothesis of the aetiology of schizophrenia (x5)

A

Many drugs used to treat schizophrenia are effective in treating other disorders.
Not everyone with schizophrenia respond to traditional antipsychotics
Clozapine primarily blocks serotonin receptors
• Clozapine is weak at lessening dopamine, but very effective for some schizophrenia

All points to a host of biochemical abnormalities, not just dopamine

41
Q

What evidence is there for a role of structural brain changes in the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x3)

A

o Enlarged brain ventricles – especially lateral ventricles
o Decreased frontal, temporal, whole brain volume – reduced hippocampal volume too
o Volumetric differences in twins discordant for schizophrenia

42
Q

What conflicting evidence is there for a role of functional brain changes in the aetiology of schizophrenia (e.g., reduced activity in frontal regions)? (x2)

A

o When asked to complete cognitive tasks, low frontal metabolism – but some show higher than average levels…

43
Q

What neurodevelopment factors have been implicated in the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x3)

A

Fatal neurodevelopment - obstetric complications, maternal infection (colds/flus)
Maternal stress - spouse death during pregnancy, military invasion
Postnatal brain insults - head injury before 10yrs

44
Q

What are the issues with neurodevelopment factors have implicated in the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x4)

A

o While likely component, biological abnormality is at most a correlation
o Difficult to determine whether abnormality is related to disease process or treatment
o Pathology identified in one area of the brain doesn’t mean primary area has been defined
o A single pathological process in the brain can cause a wide range of phenomena in different individuals

45
Q

What limited value does the behavioural view have in explaining the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x2)

A

Failure to attend to relevant social cues results in bizarre responses to environment
Acquisition of bizarre behaviours through operant conditioning

46
Q

How is the behavioural view useful in treatment of schizophrenic symptoms? (x2)

A

Success in modifying problematic behaviours:
Appropriate verbal responses/social behaviours can be learned with systematic ignoring of bizarre behaviours/reinforcement of appropriate responses

47
Q

What theoretical views of the aetiology of schizophrenia focussed on family views? (x6)

A

Early ones basically blamed the mothers – inconsistency of treatment,
• Schizophrenogenic mother
• Double-bind communication, eg mother saying she loves you, while looking at you with disgust

Family structure
Communication deviance
Expressed emotion - only one with current credibility

48
Q

How does the theory of expressed emotion explain schizophrenia relapse, and so provide targets for intervention? (x5)

A

Family stress = expressed emotion – three particular behaviours linked to likelihood of relapse
• Criticism
• Hostility
• Emotional over-involvement

3.7 times more likely to relapse if living in a High EE family

49
Q

What are the issues with explaining schizophrenia relapse through expressed emotion? (x6)

A

Assigns blame to family, when stressful in both directions

(i) Family found the negative symptoms most difficult to deal with – lack of emotions, words etc
(ii) Less bothered by hallucinations (which become less over time, while negative symptoms rise)

Families’ reactions

(a) Emotional reactions (e.g., sense of loss of family member)
(b) Family conflict
(i) Daily struggle with patient who won’t get out of bed, bath etc

50
Q

What are the limitation of family views of the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x5)

A

Earlier views not empirically based
Many findings are correlational
Family patterns also occur in families of patients with other disorders, e.g. eating, gambling, depression
Reciprocal patient/family relationship not taken into account
Impact of living with a family member with schizophrenia neglected

51
Q

What are the diatheses in the diathesis-stress model of the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x4)

A
  • Genetic factors
  • Physical trauma prenatally or during birth
  • Brain or neurotransmitter abnormalities
  • Psychosis-prone personality
52
Q

What are the stressors in the diathesis-stress model of the aetiology of schizophrenia? (x3)

A
  • Physical trauma, prenatally or during birth
  • Psychological and social stressors and environmental hazards associated with urban living and poverty
  • Family environment with high EE
53
Q

What 3 treatment areas are available for schizophrenia?

A

Psychosocial interventions
Somatic treatments
Multifaceted treatment approach

54
Q

What 3 psychosocial interventions are available for treating schizophrenia?

A

CBT
Broad rehab approach - symptom management plus daily living training
Family interventions - to supplement drug therapy/reduce relapse

55
Q

What is involved in CBT for schizophrenia? (x7)

A

Psychoeducation
Social skills training
Coping strategies enhancement training
• Problem solving
• Strategies for maximising medication compliance
• Identification of relapse warning signals
• Stress management strategies

56
Q

What somatic treatments are available for schizophrenia? (x1)
But… (x4)

A

Anti-psychotics (neuroleptics/major tranquillisers)

Positive symptoms respond better than negative symptoms.
About 25% do not improve on classical antipsychotic drugs.
Side-effects of traditional anti-psychotic drugs, eg. tar dive dyskinesia
(but less psychomotor shaking grimacing on new ones, like clozapine)

57
Q

What is involved in multifaceted treatment for schizophrenia? (x1)
Which requires what in order to be effective? (x5)

A

Community care - deinstitutionalisation

  • Coordinated services
  • Short-term hospitalisation
  • Partial hospitalisation
  • Community houses/half-way houses
  • Advocacy
58
Q

What differentiates schizophreniform disorder from schizophrenia? (x2)

A

o Duration at least 1 month but less than 6 months

o Impaired social/occupational functioning not required

59
Q

What differentiates schizoaffective disorder from schizophrenia? (x3)

A

Symptoms fall on the boundary between schizophrenia and mood disorders
• Often major depression coupled with psychosis

Prominent episode of mood disturbance coexisting with Criterion A schizophrenia symptoms

Delusions/hallucinations for at least 2 weeks in absence of prominent mood disturbance

60
Q

What differentiates delusional disorder from schizophrenia? (x2)

A

One or more delusions

And never met Criterion A Schizophrenia

61
Q

What differentiates brief psychotic disorder from schizophrenia? (x3)

A

Sudden onset of at least one: delusions, hallucinations, disorganised speech, disorganised/catatonic behaviour
Lasts at least one day but less than month and full return to premorbid functioning
Usually preceded by extreme acute stressor