Buttaro Mental Health Disorders – [100% VERIFIED]

Buttaro Mental Health Disorders – [100% VERIFIED] Schizophrenia *Ans* -chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder -interrupts a persons capacity to accurately perceive reality, to communicate and to relate to others, and complete ADLs Onset of symptoms *Ans* onset of psychotic symptoms usually between 16 and 30 years of age *this illness rarely occurs in children, unusual to diagnose after age 45 Most common subtype *Ans* Paranoid schizophrenia characterized by one or more delusions and frequent auditory hallucinations and may be persecutotry Pathophysiology *Ans* -symptoms of schizophrenia result from altered and hyperactive dopaminergic functioning -glutamatergic pathways contribute to psychotic symptoms of the illness, the "positive symptoms", as well as the cognitive dysfunctions -evidence of alterations in GABA markers -disturbances in serotonin dysfunction contribute to negative symptoms -acetylcholine dysfunctions are present, contributing to cognitive and memory problems Clinical Presentation *Ans* -there is a characteristic "prodromal period" lasing on average 50 or more weeks before the psychotic presentation of the illness -patient or significant others may notice changes in sleep, grades, and mood with particular complaints of anergia and reduced concentration, attention, drive and motivation Symptoms of schizophrenia *Ans* Fall in to three categories: 1. Positive symptoms 2. Negative Symptoms 3. Cognitive Symptoms Positive Symptoms *Ans* -Defined as symptoms "added" to the usual human experience -most recognizable to patients, clinicians, families -auditory hallucinations are the most common type of hallucination with voices being the most common auditory hallucination -Visual hallucinations -delusions (delusions of persecution are the most common delusion) Negative Symptoms *Ans* -a decrease or loss of normal functions -severity of negative symptoms predicts long-term disability better than other symptom presentations do -persistence of negative symptoms for 12 months is predictive of the deficit syndrome in schizophrenia -negative symptoms include alogia, blunted affect, asocial, avolition, anhedoni