Class 2 Schizophrenia

Delusions:

Strange beliefs that don’t make sense or cannot possibly be true
Serious misrepresentations of reality Examples include delusions of grandeur (you think you are very, very important or famous) or persecution (you think people are plotting to hurt you)
Family

The

role of psychological factors
Psychological factors play small role in producing schizophrenia
Cecilia:
67 years old José: 32 years old
Schizophrenia

vs. psychosis

Psychosis – Broad term referring to hallucinations and/or delusions; in general, a loss of touch with reality Schizophrenia – A type of psychosis with disturbed thought, language, and behavior

Hallucinations: 5 types (can involve all senses) but auditory and visual are most common
Auditory: hearing voices that aren’t there Visual: seeing things that aren’t there Other hallucinations can involve smelling (olfactory), tasting (gustatory), or feeling (tactile) things that aren’t there The nature of auditory and visual hallucinations – Findings from Single Photo Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) studies show that Broca’s area (involved in speaking) is most active when people have auditory hallucinations, not Wernicke’s area (involved in understanding language). So, person may be hearing his own thoughts or voices and can’t tell the difference.




Onset and prevalence of schizophrenia worldwide


Schizophrenia Is generally chronic

About 0.2% to 1.5% (or about 1% population) Usually develops in early adulthood, but can emerge at any time
More
information about schizophrenia /szfacts.htm

The

Negative Symptoms: Normal behaviors that are absent or are insufficient
Emotional/social withdrawal – the person may try to
avoid talking with others. In conversation, he or she may appear bored, uninterested or cold, or avoid eye contact. Alogia (or poverty of thought/speech) - Poor communication with others. Often, they won’t speak unless spoken to directly. Avolition (or apathy) – Loss of interest in usual activities; low energy Anhedonia – Lack of pleasure, or indifference to pleasurable activities Affective flattening – Have few facial expressions or speak in monotonous voice, but may still feel emotion
Gender differences in onset of schizophrenia in a sample of 470 patients
Neurobiologicalypothesis: Too much dopamine (a type of neurotransmitter) in brain; now we know this is too simple Brain has abnormal structures or does not function normally Viral infections during pregnancy that affect fetus
The

role of stress interactions
Stress may activate predisposition (vulnerability) and/or increase risk of relapse Families of people with schizophrenia show ineffective communication patterns

Schizophrenia has a strong genetic component
Females tend to have a better long-term prognosis Onset of schizophrenia differs between males and females

Schizophrenia affects males and females about equally

Most suffer with moderate-to-severe impairment throughout their lives Life expectancy in persons with schizophrenia is slightly less than average
The

Positive Symptoms

Abnormal behavior in active phase of illness; behavior that is not present when healthy Examples include delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech
Historical

Background
Emil Kraeplin – Used the term dementia praecox, focused on onset and outcomes Eugen Bleuler – Introduced the term “schizophrenia” or “splitting of the mind”