Schizophrenia Characteristics
- Schizophrenia is a chronic condition and effects about 1% of the population at some point in their
life. While the word itself means ‘split mind’ Schizophrenia refers more to a ‘split from reality’
- Generally, schizophrenia surfaces in men in their early-to-mid 20s and on the late 20s for women.
- It can come on gradually or may be brought on by stress or trauma- although no event can actually
cause schizophrenia.
- Individuals suffering from schizophrenia are likely to suffer from different symptoms to each other,
since schizophrenia is a spectrum.
- There is no single test for schizophrenia, a diagnosis typically follows an assessment by a mental
health professional.
Diagnosis
- There are two major systems for the classification of mental disorders, and they vary slightly. In UK
and Europe, ICD-10 is used and in the USA the DSM-5 is used.
- Both systems clarify symptoms and there is a lot of overlap, although the DSM focuses on mental
illness whereas the ICD includes physical illness too.
- A diagnosis involves the recognition of a cluster of signs and symptoms associated with impaired
occupational or social functioning.
- For a diagnosis to be given, the patient has to have two or more of the positive or negative symptoms
which have to have been present for a significant period of time over a one-month period.
- There are a variety of treatments, however there is no known cure for schizophrenia.
- Only about ¼ of sufferers fully recover and ½ of those whose symptoms remit fall ill again within a
year.
- It can be difficult to evaluate speech impairments, particularly if the person making the assessment
is from a different linguistic background to the patient.
- Another issue with diagnosis is that both systems could be considered culturally biased, since they
are based on western research and ideas of mental health.
Positive Symptoms
- Add something to the behaviour or experience of the sufferer, for instance delusions and
hallucinations.
- Delusions
Beliefs which are unreal, generally experienced with no evidence to offer in support of the
delusion, and which are not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. Some of the
most common include:
Delusion of Persecution based on the idea that someone is ‘out to get you’, for instance
feeling the MI5 want to harm you or are following you. Essentially paranoia.
Referential Delusions the belief that certain gestures, comments, environmental cues etc are
directed at the individual.
Delusions of Grandeur the individual feels they are special in some way, that they are
powerful or have some superior knowledge. They may assume the identity of a powerful
historical figure.
Delusions are deemed bizarre if they are clearly implausible and not understandable to people
of the same culture and do not derive from ordinary life experiences
Non bizarre delusions refer to those which are somewhat plausible but there remains no proof
or backing.
- Hallucinations
Bizarre, unreal perceptions of the environment that are usually auditory, but may also be
visual or olfactory (smelling things)
Hallucinations are vivid and clear, with the full force of ordinary perceptions.
Lewandowski et al (2009) estimated that 20% of people with schizophrenia have tactile
hallucinations. The sensation is very real to the person suffering and they may not be able to
appreciate that they are hallucinations.
Formication is a sensation that resembles the feeling of small insects crawling on or
underneath the the skin.
Disorganised Thinking
- Schizophrenia is a chronic condition and effects about 1% of the population at some point in their
life. While the word itself means ‘split mind’ Schizophrenia refers more to a ‘split from reality’
- Generally, schizophrenia surfaces in men in their early-to-mid 20s and on the late 20s for women.
- It can come on gradually or may be brought on by stress or trauma- although no event can actually
cause schizophrenia.
- Individuals suffering from schizophrenia are likely to suffer from different symptoms to each other,
since schizophrenia is a spectrum.
- There is no single test for schizophrenia, a diagnosis typically follows an assessment by a mental
health professional.
Diagnosis
- There are two major systems for the classification of mental disorders, and they vary slightly. In UK
and Europe, ICD-10 is used and in the USA the DSM-5 is used.
- Both systems clarify symptoms and there is a lot of overlap, although the DSM focuses on mental
illness whereas the ICD includes physical illness too.
- A diagnosis involves the recognition of a cluster of signs and symptoms associated with impaired
occupational or social functioning.
- For a diagnosis to be given, the patient has to have two or more of the positive or negative symptoms
which have to have been present for a significant period of time over a one-month period.
- There are a variety of treatments, however there is no known cure for schizophrenia.
- Only about ¼ of sufferers fully recover and ½ of those whose symptoms remit fall ill again within a
year.
- It can be difficult to evaluate speech impairments, particularly if the person making the assessment
is from a different linguistic background to the patient.
- Another issue with diagnosis is that both systems could be considered culturally biased, since they
are based on western research and ideas of mental health.
Positive Symptoms
- Add something to the behaviour or experience of the sufferer, for instance delusions and
hallucinations.
- Delusions
Beliefs which are unreal, generally experienced with no evidence to offer in support of the
delusion, and which are not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. Some of the
most common include:
Delusion of Persecution based on the idea that someone is ‘out to get you’, for instance
feeling the MI5 want to harm you or are following you. Essentially paranoia.
Referential Delusions the belief that certain gestures, comments, environmental cues etc are
directed at the individual.
Delusions of Grandeur the individual feels they are special in some way, that they are
powerful or have some superior knowledge. They may assume the identity of a powerful
historical figure.
Delusions are deemed bizarre if they are clearly implausible and not understandable to people
of the same culture and do not derive from ordinary life experiences
Non bizarre delusions refer to those which are somewhat plausible but there remains no proof
or backing.
- Hallucinations
Bizarre, unreal perceptions of the environment that are usually auditory, but may also be
visual or olfactory (smelling things)
Hallucinations are vivid and clear, with the full force of ordinary perceptions.
Lewandowski et al (2009) estimated that 20% of people with schizophrenia have tactile
hallucinations. The sensation is very real to the person suffering and they may not be able to
appreciate that they are hallucinations.
Formication is a sensation that resembles the feeling of small insects crawling on or
underneath the the skin.
Disorganised Thinking
