Classification

• Schizophrenia- derived from two Greek words 'Schizein' meaning 'to split' and 'phren' meaning 'mind'
• Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterised by major disturbance in thoughts, emotion and behaviour
• Schizophrenia can be characterised by disordered thinking in which ideas are not logically related
• Patients with schizophrenia withdraw from reality to live in a world of fantasy with a life of delusion and hallucination
• For a person to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, they have to have:

  • 2 or more symptoms
  • Been experiencing the symptoms for more than a month
  • Reduced social functioning
• Two types of schizophrenia:

  1. Type 1- acute onset
  2. Type 2- chronic onset
• Acute onset- symptoms appear suddenly after a stressful incident
• Chronic onset- gradual withdrawal and loss of motivation
• Type 1- acute type, characterised by positive symptoms. This type has better chances of recovery
• Type 2- Chronic, characterised by negative symptoms and poorer chances of recovery
• Type 1 symptoms

  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions
• Type 1 schizophrenia responds better to medication
• Type 2 symptoms

  • Avolition
  • Speech poverty
• Type 2 schizophrenia is more resistant to medication
• Hallucinations- someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that do not exist outside their mind
• The speech area of the brain changes when people have auditory hallucinations, the brain mistakes the hallucinations for real voices
• Delusion- a belief held with complete conviction even though it is based on an unrealistic view, can affect behaviour
• Delusions are often affected by hallucinations and vice versa. For example if a person hears their actions being described, they may believe they are being monitored
• Delusions can lead to treatment being difficult: if someone believes the government are watching them and want them, having the police turn up at their door during an episode will not help
• Speech poverty- the inability to speak properly, lack of ability to produce fluent words, might reflect slow or blocked thoughts
• Speech poverty often expresses itself as short and empty replies to questions
• Avolition- the reduction, difficulty or inability to start and continue with a goal-directed behaviour
• Examples of avolition

  • No longer meeting friends
  • Loss of motivation or enthusiasm
• The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is used in 35 countries to diagnose all physical and psychological disorders
• The ICD is up to date and uses statistics to trace and report cases to the World Health Organisation (WHO)
• The ICD provides diagnostic descriptions and guidance
• The ICD requires just 2 negative symptoms of schizophrenia for diagnosis
• The ICD recognises a range of subtypes of schizophrenia: Paranoid (delusions and hallucinations), catatonic (disturbance to movement)
• Positive symptoms- add to day to day life
• Negative symptoms- lose something from day to day life
• The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) was most recently released in 2013
• The DSM is exclusively used by American doctors and psychiatrists
• The DSM contains diagnostic criteria, prevalence and development for a range of mental disorders
• The DSM requires 1 positive symptom of schizophrenia for diagnosis
• Schizophrenia is a disorder where a person has difficulty distinguishing what is real and what is in their imagination
• 8% of people with schizophrenia display aggressive behaviours
• People with schizophrenia are 10 times more likely than the general population to commit suicide- 14% of people with schizophrenia commit suicide
• Schizophrenia is 2x more likely to occur in men
• While schizophrenia can occur at any stage of life, it is extremely rare after the age of 40 and uncommon after the age of 30
• Schizophrenia is less frequently diagnosed in African and West Indian cultures than in the UK