CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS

• define type 1 schizophrenia

  Type 1 schizophrenia is characterised as what are known as positive symptoms. They are severe and are basically changes in behaviour which are additional to their normal lifestyle, such as hallucinations and delusions.
• define hallucinations 


  Strange perceptual experiences
• examples of hallucinations 


  Auditory – Hearing voices or sounds that no one else can.

  Tactile – Refers to when a person senses that they are being touched when they are not. An example of this is formication, which is the name for a sensation that resembles small insects crawling on (or under) the skin.

  Visual – This refers to seeing objects or people that are not there.
• define delusions


  Strange, unjustifiable beliefs
• examples of delustions 


  Persecution – A belief that one is going to be harmed by an individual or organisation. For example, believing that MI5 are following you.

  Grandiosity – A belief that one is special in some way or has assumed the identity of a famous person, like Winston Churchill.

  Reference – A belief that environmental stimuli, like newspapers and TV adverts, are communicating hidden messages to them.
• define thought disorder 


  Odd, illogical reasoning.

  Disordered thinking is often evident through examining the speech of those individual’s with schizophrenia. It is sometimes described as derailment or knight’s move thinking.

  The person’s thoughts and discourse seem to jump from one topic to another, for no apparent reason and show no logical flow of discussion.
• what is thought insertion

  Individuals with schizophrenia also sometimes report that the thoughts in their heads are not their own, this is called thought insertion. The person believes the thoughts have been placed there by a third party.
• define type 2 schizophrenia

  Type II schizophrenia are characterised by what are known as negative symptoms. They are usually permanent and are changes to one’s life in a way that they withdraw from their norms and withdraw from the world around them.
• Flattened affect


  • Reduction in range and intensity of emotions
  • Less eye contact, immobile face
• Reduced motor activity


  • Lack of spontaneous movement
  • Remaining still for hours (catatonia)
• Reduced fluency of speech

  • Rapid shifts from one topic to another
  • Repeat sounds, invent words
• Alogia


  Reduced fluency of speech or poverty of speech. Less fluent speech.
• Avolition/Apathy


  • People seem to be indifferent to or unconcerned with the goings on in their surroundings; they show neither the will nor desire to take part in activities
  • Staying at home, not motivation for normal daily tasks
• Disorganised speech


  • Inappropriate speech and speech patterns are very monotonous, and do not rise and fall as normal speech patterns do
• Anhedonia


  Where an individual does not react appropriately to previously pleasurable experiences
• Inappropriate affect


  • Silliness and laughter which are out of context, e.g. laughing when hearing terrible news
• Flat emotions


  • No emotional response can be elicited to any stimulus; Face is immobile, eyes are lifeless, speech is toneless, often staring vacantly
• Cataleptic stupor


  • Standing motionless like a statue in bizarre postures
  • Fast, repetitive and useless movements, e.g. energetically pacing or wandering in circles
• Echopraxia


  • People with schizophrenia mimic the movements of others around them, e.g. mimicking the way someone eats/drinks
• Echolalia


  • Repetitive echoing of words spoken by others, or the accentuated imitation of the mannerisms of other people, e.g. mimicking someone's accent
• Diagnostic systems


  ICD-11

  DSM-V (USA) Whilst there is a lot of overlap and agreement between the two systems, there are differences that could mean that someone might receive a diagnosis with one system but not the other.

  Another difference, DSM-V exclusively focuses on mental illness ICD also includes physical symptoms.
• ICD-11 criteria for diagnosis

  At least two symptoms must be present (by the individual’s report or through observation by the clinician or other informants) most of the time for a period of 1 month or more.

  At least one of these symptoms should be positive symptoms.