Schizophrenia

• What is an example of positive symptoms?

  thought insertion
• What is an example of positive symptoms?

  hallucinations
• What is an example of positive symptoms?


  delusions
• What is an example of positive symptoms?

  disordered thinking
• what is a hallucination?

  involuntary, vivid experiences, which occur in the absence of any external stimuli
• what is a delusion?


  fixed beliefs, which are not amendable to change in the light of conflicting evidence.
• what is thought insertion?

  when a person believes that thoughts do not belong to them and have been implanted by an external source
• what is an example of a negative symptom?

  social withdraw
• what is an example of a negative symptom?

  flatness of emotion
• what is an example of a negative symptom?


  lack of energy and apathy
• the dopamine hypothesis


  hyperdopaminergia occurs in the mesolimbic pathway
• the dopamine hypothesis


  hyperdopaminergia is where there is abnormally high dopamine levels.
• what does hyperdopaminergia cause 


  it causes for the neurons using dopamine to fire too often, transmitting too many messages
• what does hyperdopaminergia cause?


  positive symptoms
• the dopamine hypothesis 


  hypodopaminergia is in the mesocortical pathway
• the dopamine hypothesis 


  hypodopaminergia is where the dopamine levels are abnormally low
• what does hypodopaminergia lead to

  negative symptoms
• the genetic explanation, DISC1

  people with abnormality to this gene are 1.4x more likely to develop schizophrenia
• what is the purpose of the DICS1 gene?

  it codes for the creation of gaba, which regulates neurotransmitters such as glutamate and dopamine
• what happens in the absence of the DISC1 gene?

  there will be an excess of dopamine in the brain
• the genetic explanation, COMT 


  provided instruction for the creation of an enzyme which breaks down neurotransmitters such as dopamine in the pre-frontal cortex
• what does deletion of the COMT gene result in?


  dopamine levels are poorly regulated
• the genetic explanation, C4

  abnormal synaptic pruning can be a result of the altered expression of the C4 gene
• the genetic explanation, synaptic pruning 


  abnormal synaptic pruning in adolescence can, leading to a shortage of connection between neurons can lead to schizophrenia
• the genetic explanation, C4


  overexpression of the C4 gene has been identified in schizophrenic patients
• family dysfunction, double bind theory

  suggests that a child receives mixed messages and feels unable to do the correct thing, leading to the development of schizophrenia
• family dysfunction, double bind theory 


  Bateson suggested that children who frequently receive contradictory messages from their parents develop schizophrenia
• family dysfunction, high expressed emotion 


  this is a family communication style which involves criticism, hostility and emotional overinvolvement
• family dysfunction, high expressed emotion

  can cause a relapse in schizophrenia, and can maintain it
• drug treatments, antipsychotics 


  aim to change the balance of neurochemicals to address the change in behaviour
• drug treatments, typical-antipsychotics 


  these arrest the dopamine production by blocking D2 receptors in synapses which absorb dopamine, they work in the mesolimbic pathway
• drug treatments, typical-antipsychotics 


  result in the reduction of positive symptoms
• drug treatments, atypical-antipsychotics 


  blocking dopamine receptors in the same way as typical-antipsychotics, but they also act on serotonin and glutamate receptors, blocking them.
• drug treatments, atypical-antipsychotics 


  reduce positive and negative symptoms
• family therapy 


  as family dysfunction can increase the risk of relapse into schizophrenia, family therapy aims to improve the home situation of the person with schizophrenia
• family therapy 


  is family centred, aiming to change the behaviour of the family
• family therapy 


  the first stage is psychoeducation, this is where the family is educated on the symptoms of schizophrenia in order for them to be more understanding
• family therapy 


  stage two is preliminary analysis, this is done through interview and observation, the therapist will identify the strengths and weaknesses of the family
• family therapy 


  information transfer is the third stage, teaching the patient and the family facts about the illness.
• family therapy aims to

  reduce conflict, by addressing anger within the family