AO1 SZ Classification

• What is schizophrenia?

  A mental disorder marked by servere impaired thinking, emotions and behaviours
• ’Split Mind’: split between the person’s thought process and reality
• Define classifications

  Organising symptoms into exclusive categories based on which symptoms frequently cluster together
• Define Diagnosis

  assigning a label of disorder to a patient
• What is used for diagnosis?

  DSM 5 or ICD 10
• What are positive symptoms?

  Additional experiences beyond those of ordinary existence
• Examples of positive symptoms 


  Hallucinations and delusions
• What are hallucinations?

  Distortions in perception that have no basis in reality (distorted view of a real stimuli or perceptions of stimuli which have no basis in reality)
• What is the most common type of hallucinations?

  Auditory (hearing voices)
• Many schizophrenics report hearing several voices talking or commenting on a person (often criticising). Some hear voices that instruct them to cause harm (to themselves or others)
• What are delusions?

  False beliefs that are firmly held despite being completely illogical, or for which there is no evidence. 
• What are the 3 common types of delusions?

  Persecution, grandeur, control
• What are delusions of persecution?

  The belief that others want to harm, threaten or manipulate you. Schizophrenics may believe that they are being spied on, that nasty rumours are being spread about them or that people are plotting to kill them.
• What are delusions of grandeur?

  This is the idea that you are an important individual, even god-like and have extraordinary powers. One of the most frequent of this type of delusion is the belief that they are Jesus Christ.
• What are delusions of control?

  False beliefs that one's thoughts, feelings, or actions are being controlled by an external force.
• What are negative symptoms?

  Involves loss of usual abilities and experiences
• What are the two negative symptoms of sz?

  Speech poverty and avolition
• What is speech poverty?

  Inability to speak properly. Lack of ability to produce fluent words. Give short, empty replies to questions accompanied by a delay in the person’s verbal responses during conversation
• What is avolition?

  Lack of motivation. The reduction, difficulty or inability to start and continue with goal directed behaviour
• Who identified 3 signs of avolition?

  Andreasen
• What are the 3 signs of avolition identified by Andreasen?

  Poor hygiene +grooming, lack of persistence in work of education, lack of energy