Schizophrenia

• What is required for the diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the DSM-I?


  Two of the following symptoms need to be present for at least a month.
• What are the two categories of symptoms in schizophrenia?


  • Positive symptoms: Hallucinations, delusions.
  • Negative symptoms: Avolition, social withdrawal, speech poverty.
• What are positive symptoms in schizophrenia?


  Experiences that are in addition to normal experiences, such as hallucinations and delusions.
• What are hallucinations in the context of schizophrenia?


  Additional sensory experiences, such as seeing distortions or hearing voices.
• What are delusions in schizophrenia?


  Rational beliefs about oneself or the world that are false, such as persecution or grandeur.
• What are negative symptoms in schizophrenia?

  Loss of normal experiences and abilities, such as avolition and social withdrawal.
• What is avolition in schizophrenia?

  A lack of purposeful behavior and energy.
• What does speech poverty refer to in schizophrenia?


  A brief verbal communication style with a loss of quality and quantity of verbal responses.
• How can speech be classified as a positive symptom in schizophrenia?


  If it is excessively disorganized, with sufferers wandering off the point.
• What are the two types of reliability in the diagnosis of schizophrenia?


  • Inter-rater reliability: Agreement between different observers.
  • Test-retest reliability: Consistency of the same observer over time.
• What does validity in the diagnosis of schizophrenia refer to?


  Whether a person truly has a disorder when diagnosed and if schizophrenia has clear symptoms.
• What did Back (1963) find regarding the concordance rate among doctors diagnosing schizophrenia?


  Only a 54% concordance rate among 153 patients diagnosed by multiple doctors.
• What does low inter-rater reliability suggest about the diagnosis of schizophrenia?


  It suggests many people may be diagnosed incorrectly.
• What is comorbidity in the context of schizophrenia?


  When schizophrenia is diagnosed alongside other disorders, potentially leading to inaccurate diagnoses.
• What are the comorbidity rates found by Bley (2009) for schizophrenia with other disorders?


  Depression 50%, drug abuse 47%, PTSD 29%, OCD 23%.
• What gender bias exists in the diagnosis of schizophrenia?

  Women's experiences are often taken less seriously and underdiagnosed compared to men.
• What cultural bias is present in the diagnosis of schizophrenia in the UK?


  People of African-Caribbean heritage are up to nine times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.
• What did Loring and Pal (1988) find regarding psychiatrist diagnoses based on ethnicity and gender?


  Overdiagnosis of black clients and underdiagnosis of female clients.
• What is the focus of class one of schizophrenia in this video?


  The classification of schizophrenia
• What are the two types of symptoms necessary for a schizophrenia diagnosis?


  Positive and negative symptoms
• What is the genetic explanation for schizophrenia?

  Schizophrenia is polygenetic, with multiple gene locations associated with a higher risk.
• Why is diagnosing schizophrenia not foolproof?


  Due to issues with validity and reliability
• What are the concordance rates for schizophrenia in identical and non-identical twins?


  48% for identical twins and 17% for non-identical twins.
• What percentage of the British population is affected by schizophrenia?


  Around one percent
• At what age do the first symptoms of schizophrenia usually appear?


  Between 15 and 45
• What does the dopamine hypothesis suggest about schizophrenia?


  Symptoms are due to an imbalance of the dopamine neurotransmitter in the brain.
• Which gender is more likely to develop schizophrenia?

  Men
• What is a common misconception about schizophrenia?


  That it involves having multiple personalities
• How do excessive and lower levels of dopamine relate to schizophrenia symptoms?


  Excessive dopamine is linked to positive symptoms, while lower levels are linked to negative symptoms.
• How can schizophrenia be defined?


  As a break from reality
• What are the two positive symptoms of schizophrenia?


  Hallucinations and delusions
• What did Gotsman (1991) find regarding the concordance rate for schizophrenia?


  48% for identical twins and 17% for non-identical twins.
• What do positive symptoms of schizophrenia represent?


  Experiences that are in addition to normal experience
• What did Tari (2004) find regarding children of schizophrenic mothers?


  1. 8% of children adopted into psychologically healthy families develop schizophrenia compared to 36.8% in dysfunctional families.
• What do negative symptoms of schizophrenia represent?


  A lack of normal experiences or abilities
• What does the diathesis-stress model suggest about schizophrenia?


  It suggests a genetic vulnerability combined with environmental stressors triggers the disorder.
• What is the role of a clinician in identifying schizophrenia symptoms?


  To use a guide like the DSM-5 or ICD
• What are the biological treatments for schizophrenia?


  • Antipsychotic medications (typical and atypical).
  • Typical antipsychotics: Treat positive symptoms, e.g., Clozapine.
  • Atypical antipsychotics: Treat both positive and negative symptoms, e.g., Clozapine.
• How many symptoms must be present for a schizophrenia diagnosis?


  Two of the following symptoms for at least a month, with one being a positive symptom
• What are hallucinations in the context of schizophrenia?


  Additional sensory experiences