characteristics

• What is Schizophrenia?

  'Split Mind'

  psychotic disorder characterised by losing touch with reality

  affects 1% of population > 1 in 100

  some symptoms cross over with other disorders
• What are positive symptoms?

  any significant change in B / thoughts

  symptoms reflect excess / distortion of normal functioning
• Examples of Positive Symptoms - Delusions

  > false belief

  • persecution (chased/watched)
  • grandeur (powerful / God)
  • paranoia (anxious)
• Examples of Positive Symptoms - Hallucinations

  > sensory perceptions that aren't real

  • auditory (voices) - most common
  • visual (sight)
  • tactile (feeling)
  • olfactory (smell)
• Examples of Positive Symptoms - Experiences of Control

  > form of delusion

  > belief that thoughts are being inserted into brain / being controlled
• Examples of Positive Symptoms - Catatonic Behaviour

  > concerns with movement

  • fast repetitive / bizarre movements
• What are negative symptoms?

  reflect a withdrawal / loss of normal functioning

  don't expect to see in healthy person
• Examples of Negative Symptoms - Avolition

  > reduction of / inability to persist in / initiate goal directed behaviours

  • don't know what to do
  • sit for hours doing nothing
  • no desire / will
• Examples of Negative Symptoms - Alogia

  > 'poverty of speech' - reduction in speech fluency + productivity

  - less fluid

  > may show neologism
• Examples of Negative Symptoms - Flatness of Effect

  > aka Affective Flattening / Flattened Emotion

  > characterised as reduction in range + intensity of emotional expression
• Disorganised Symptoms - Thoughts

  > thoughts jump from one topic to another in an illogical manner
• Disorganised Symptoms - Speech

  > random words / phrases used together = WORD SALAD

  > create new words = NEOLOGISM

  > muddled / confused
• Diagnostic Criteria = ICD-10

  > classification system for all physical + mental diseases

  > requirement for Sz diagnosis: at least 1 symptom from List 1

  2/+ symptoms from List 2

  > symptoms must be present for most of the time during period of 1 month / more