signs + symptoms of schizophrenia
What is the average age of the onset of schizophrenia?
mid to late 20s and can span up until mid 30s.
1. How much lower is the life expectancy for people with schizophrenia?
2. What is the life expectancy for men and women with schizophrenia?
1. around 15 - 20 years less
2. 60 for men and 68 for women
What is the most common behavioural approach to treating schizophrenia?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Which of these is not an antipsychotic:
1. lansoprazole
2. risperidone
3. quetiapine
4. olanzapine
1. lansoprazole
Disordered speech is one symptom of schizophrenia, what is the medical term used to describe this.
dysarthria.
What are some environmental contributors to the aetiology if schizophrenia. (2)
1. drug or alcohol
2. infectious agents - time of the year you're born
3. obstetrical complications
what are first generation antipsychotics?
D2 receptor antagonists
high risk of extrapyramidal effects - involuntary movements you cant control
e.g., haloperidol
prevalence of schizophrenia in the UK
1.1% of people will experience
define positive and negative symptoms.
positive = any change in behaviour or thoughts such as hallucinations.
negative = where people appear to withdraw from the world around them.
name some social contributors to the aetiology of schizophrenia. (2)
1. abuse
2. losing a job
3. money problems
4. feelings of loneliness
what are second generation antipsychotics?
5HT/A2 and D2 receptor antagonists
lower risk of extrapyramidal effects but higher risk of metabolic effects - weight gain, diabetes etc.
e.g., risperidone, quetiapine
Define the margin of error.
A statistical expression of the amount of random sampling error in the results of a survey. The larger the margin of error, the less confident you can be that the results reflect onto the population.
what is the difference between delusions and hallucinations?
hallucinations centre around the senses, so involve seeing, hearing, smelling etc something that isn't there.
delusions centre around beliefs and remain despite the contradiction with reality or a rational argument.
name some neurobiological contributors to the aetiology of schizophrenia (2)
1. genetic contributions
2. brain damage
3. altered dopamine and glutamine transportation
4. obstetric complications
5. structural abnormalities
What is the focus of social approaches to the treatment of schizophrenia?
Help improve interactions with other people and their integration into society. Potentially due to impairments in social processing.
Aims to improve three areas:
1. perception of social stimuli
2. understanding of others mental states
3. the understanding of the way people interact with each other.
what two neurotransmitters are implicated in schizophrenia?
dopamine and serotonin
name 2 different types of schizophrenia
(there are at least 4)
1. paranoid schizophrenia - most common, characterised by hallucinations and delusions.
2. catatonic schizophrenia - characterised by negative symptoms and are usually not very responsive.
3. residual schizophrenia - have had a history of positive symptoms but now only have lingering negative symptoms or none at all.
4. undifferentiated schizophrenia - don't fit into another category. they have both neg. and pos. symptoms.
What are some reasons that can account for the lower expectancy in schizophrenics?
1. metabolic side effects of antipsychotic medication
2. poor management of other pathologies
3. high suicide rates or more violence
4. potential for unhealthy lifestyle choices
5. access to healthcare
What are the psychological approaches to treating schizophrenia?
Helps people to cope with positive symptoms - delusions and hallucinations as well as negative - lack of enjoyment.
examples:
1. CBT
2. Family therapy
what are some signs and symptoms that someone may be experiencing an acute schizophrenic episode?
1. feeling suspicious or fearful
2. worrying about people's motives
3. hearing quiet voices now and again
4. finding it difficult to concentrate