Schizophrenia

-       “splitting of the mind”

-       psychotic disorder

o  out of touch with reality

o  disturbances about self, world

o  episodes uncontrollable

o  pervasive, chronic

-       1%

o  law of fourths

-       symptoms

o  positive symptoms

§    exaggerations, distortions

·    delusions

o  false beliefs

§    grandeur vs. persecution

·    hallucinations

o  false perceptions

·    disorganized speech

o  loose associations

o  word salad

o  perseveration

§    clang associations

o  pompous sounding

o  monotone

·    disturbed behavior

o  catatonia

o  negative symptoms

§    function below normal

·    affective flattening

o  little emotion, NVC

·    alogia

o  communication

·    avolition

o  lack of initiative

·    anhedonia

o  loss of pleasure, interest

-       phases

o  active phase

§    positive, negative symptoms

o  prodromal phase

§    progressive deterioration

o  residual phase

§    negative symptoms remain

-       types

o  catatonic type

§    motor disturbances

§    echolalia

§    echopraxia

o  disorganized type

§    flat affect

§    positive symptoms not organized

§    most severe

o  paranoid type

§    positive symptoms

·    organized

§    interpersonal relations

§    little disorganization, impairment

o  undifferentiated type

§    mixture of symptoms

o  residual type

§    some symptoms

§    partial remission

-       course

o  several patterns

o  recovery

§    20-67%

-       gender differences

o  males

§    2:1

§    18-25

§    negative symptoms

§    why?

o  females

§    25-mid 30’s

§    positive symptoms

§    better prognosis

-       culture

o  African-American, Asian-American

-       diagostic label

o  schizophreniform disorder

§    6 months or less

o  schizophrenic disorder

§    6 months or more

Causes

-       biological factors

o  brain structure/function

§    enlarged ventricles

§    cortical atrophy

§    neurotransmitters

·    dopamine hypothesis

o  overactive

o  D2 receptor

·    serotonin

·    glutamate

o  underactive

o  genetics

§    specific chromosomes

§    twin/family studies

·    MZ = 40-65% concordance

·    1 parent

o  12%

·    both parents

o  35-46%

o  biological stressors

§    prenatal development

·    viral infections

·    birth complications

·    famine

o  psychological perspective

§    no credible theory

§    focus on cognitive deficits

§    biological markers

·    sustained attention tests

·    smooth pursuit eye movements

o  irregular

·    sensory gating

o  difficulty filtering

o  sociocultural factors

§    family systems

§    EE

·    expressed emotion

§    class and income

·    social causation hypothesis

o  low SES triggers schizophrenia

·    downward social drift hypothesis

o  symptoms cause low SES

Treatment

-       control symptoms, not cure

-       biological

o  neuroleptics

§    sedate

§    reduce psychotic symptoms

§    block dopamine

§    side effects

·    motor disturbances

·    tardive dyskinesia

o  10-20%

§    atypical antipsychotics

·    fewer side effects

·    dangerous side effects

§    6 weeks

§    usually lifelong

§    may stop taking meds

-       psychological

o  behavioral therapy

§    token economies

·    reward for appropriate behavior

§    social skills training

-       sociocultural

o  milieu therapy

§    therapeutic community works together

§    ease transition outside of community

o  family education