AQA Psychology – Schizophrenia Exam Questions and Answers

AQA Psychology – Schizophrenia Exam Questions and Answers What is schizophrenia? How common is it? -Answer-It is a psychological disorder affecting approximately 1% of people What do people diagnosed with schizophrenia often experience? -Answer-Major disruption to their everyday life Research shows that approximately: - 80% of people with schizophrenia in the UK are unemployed - 20% attempt suicide Schizophrenia has a a condition that causes what? -Answer-Psychosis - where the person experiences a loss of touch with reality, perceiving and/or believing things differently to everyone else People with schizophrenia can experience a range of symptoms that can be categorised into what? -Answer-Positive and negative symptoms What is meant by positive symptoms of schizophrenia? -Answer-Experiences that are in addition to most people's normal everyday experiences What is meant by negative symptoms of schizophrenia? -Answer-Those that are a loss of most people normal everyday experiences What are two examples of negative symptoms of schizophrenia? -Answer-- Avolition - Speech poverty What is avolition? -Answer-A reduced motivation to perform purposeful actions What are some signs of avolition? -Answer-Include failure to attend work or education and poor personal hygiene Why is avolition a negative symptom of schizophrenia? -Answer-This is a negative symptoms as it represents a loss of the normal experience of engaging in purposeful behaviour What is speech poverty? -Answer-Reduced quantity and/or quality of speech What are some common indicators of speech poverty? -Answer-A person speaking less than expected or long delays before responding in conversation Why is speech poverty a negative symptom of schizophrenia? -Answer-This is a negative symptom as it represents the loss of the normal experience of being able to engage in fluent conversation with other people What are hallucinations? -Answer-Sensory experiences that do not correspond with environmental stimuli What can a person experience hallucinations relating to? -Answer-Sights, sound, touch, taste or smell What is the most common form of hallucination in people with schizophrenia? -Answer- Auditory hallucinations, especially hearing voices What are three ways that people with schizophrenia may hear voices? -Answer-Many people with schizophrenia experience voices that: - commentate on what the person is doing - criticise the person - command them to do an action What are delusions? -Answer-Improbable beliefs held with complete certainty that are contrary to evidence and/or logic What are three common types of delusions in people with schizophrenia? -Answer-- Grandiose delusions - Persecutory delusions - Referential delusions What are grandiose delusions? -Answer-When a person believes they have a special importance What are persecutory delusions? -Answer-Where they believe that people are trying to harm them What are referential delusions? -Answer-Where they believe that the environment contains personal messages for them What does the diversity of symptoms associated with the different types of schizophrenia show? -Answer-The breadth of symptoms associated with the category of schizophrenia Can two people with very different symptoms be diagnosed with the same condition (schizophrenia)? -Answer-Yes What are three types of schizophrenia? -Answer-- Paranoid schizophrenia - Simple schizophrenia - Catatonic schizophrenia What is paranoid schizophrenia? -Answer-- The most common type of schizophrenia - Persecutory delusions and auditory hallucinations are the most common symptoms of this subtype