SCHIZOPHRENIA EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
Nihilistic Delusion - ANSWER-The belief that one is dead or a calmity is impending
Persecutory Delusion - ANSWER-The belief that once is being watched, ridiculed,
harmed, or plotted against
Somatic Delusion - ANSWER-Beliefs about abnormalities in bodily functions or
structures
Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia - ANSWER-Emotions & Behaviors that should
be present but are diminished in persons with Schizophrenia
-Affects ability to function Day-Day
-Cause individuals to withdraw & experience feelings of Severe Isolation
-Expressing Emotion is difficult from them: Laugh, Cry, Get angry less often
Affect: Flat: Show little or no emotion when personal loss occurs
-Ambivalence: Concurrent experience of equally strong opposing feelings so that it is
impossible to make a decision
-Avolition: Can't make decisions, so profound ADLs may not get done (Getting
Dressed)
-Anhedonia: Prevents person from enjoying activity
-Algoia: Limited speech & difficulty saying anything new or carrying on a
conversation - ANSWER-Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Neurocognitive Impairment - ANSWER-Neurocognition includes Memory (Short &
Long Term), Vigilance or Sustained Attention, Verbal Fluency or the ability to
generate new words, Executive Functioning: Volition, Planning, Purposeful Action,
Self Monitoring Behavior
-Working Memory: A concept that includes short term memory & the ability to store &
process information
Neurocognitive Impairment - ANSWER-Memory, Vigilance, Executive Functioning is
r/t poor functional outcomes in Schizophrenia. This impairment is independent of the
+ symptoms; That is cognitive dysfunction can exist even if the positive symptoms
are in remission
-Low intellectual functioning & may be related to a lack of educational experiences &
opportunity due to the age of illness onset
-Not all cognitive functioning affected
Neurcognitive Dysfunction - ANSWER-What is often manifested in disorganized
symptoms?
,Schizophrenia Disorganized Thinking - ANSWER--Findings that make it difficult for
the person to understand & respond to the ordinary sights & sounds of daily living,
These include confused speech, thinking, & disorganized behavior
-Echolalia
-Circumstantiality
-Loose Associations
-Tangentiality
-Flight of Ideas
-Word Salad
-Neologism
-Paranoia
-Referential Thinking
-Autistic Thinking
-Concrete Thinking
-Verbigeration
-Metonymic Speech
-Clang Association
-Silted Language
-Pressured Speech - ANSWER-Name the Schizophrenia Disorganized Thinking
-Relapses can occur at any time during TX/Recovery
**With each relapse, a longer period of time is needed to recover**
-Combining Meds & Psychosocial TX gradually diminishes the severity & frequency
of recurrent relapses - ANSWER-Explain Schizophrenia Relapses
-Failure to take Medication inconsistently
-Impairment in cognition and coping leaves patients vulnerable to stressors
-Limited accessibility of community resources [Public Transportation, Housing, Entry-
Level & Low-Stress Employment, Limited Social Services] which leaves individuals
without access to Social Support
-Income supports that can buffer the day-to-day stressors of living may be
inadequate
-Degree of Stigmatization that the community holds for mental illness attacks the
self-concept of patients
-Social Isolation & the Level of Responsiveness from Family, Friends, and
Supportive Others(Professionals) when patients need assistance also have an
impact - ANSWER-Factors for Schizophrenia Relapse
-Positive Symptoms
-Negative Symptoms
-Neurocognitive Impairment - ANSWER-What is the Diagnostic Criteria for
Schizophrenia?
, -Hallucinations & Delusions
Positive symptoms can be thought of as excessive or distorted thoughts &
perceptions that occur within the individual but are not experienced by others -
ANSWER-Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
HALLUCINATIONS
-Most Common: Auditory, Visual
-Command Hallucinations: Auditory Hallucination instructing the patient to act in a
certain way, because voices are telling person to do something
-CH: Range from innocuous(Eat all of your dinner) to very serious (Hurt someones or
jump in front of a bus) - ANSWER--Perceptual experiences that occur without actual
external sensory stimuli
Involve one or more of the 5 Senses
DELUSIONS - ANSWER--Erroneous, Fixed, False Beliefs that cannot be changed
by reasonable argument; they usually involve a misinterpretation of experience
-Involve only thoughts
Grandiose Delusions - ANSWER-the belief that one has exceptional powers, wealth,
skill, influence, or destiny
Echolalia - ANSWER-Repetition of another's words what is parrot-like &
inappropriate
Circumstantiality - ANSWER-extremely detailed and lengthy discourse about a topic
Loose Associations - ANSWER-absence of the normal connectedness of thoughts,
ideas, and topics; sudden shifts without apparent relationship to preceding topics
Tangentiality - ANSWER-the topic of conversation is changed to an entirely different
topic that is a logical progression but causes a permanent detour from the original
focus
Flight of Ideas - ANSWER-the topic of conversation changes repeatedly and rapidly,
generally after just one sentence or phrase
Word Salad - ANSWER-stringing together words that are not connected in any way
Neologisms - ANSWER-Words that are made up that have no common meaning and
are unrecognized
Paranoia - ANSWER-suspiciousness and guardedness that are unrealistic and often
accompanied by grandiosity
Referential Thinking - ANSWER-Belief that neutral stimuli have special meaning to
the individual, such as the television commentator speaking directly to the individual
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
Nihilistic Delusion - ANSWER-The belief that one is dead or a calmity is impending
Persecutory Delusion - ANSWER-The belief that once is being watched, ridiculed,
harmed, or plotted against
Somatic Delusion - ANSWER-Beliefs about abnormalities in bodily functions or
structures
Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia - ANSWER-Emotions & Behaviors that should
be present but are diminished in persons with Schizophrenia
-Affects ability to function Day-Day
-Cause individuals to withdraw & experience feelings of Severe Isolation
-Expressing Emotion is difficult from them: Laugh, Cry, Get angry less often
Affect: Flat: Show little or no emotion when personal loss occurs
-Ambivalence: Concurrent experience of equally strong opposing feelings so that it is
impossible to make a decision
-Avolition: Can't make decisions, so profound ADLs may not get done (Getting
Dressed)
-Anhedonia: Prevents person from enjoying activity
-Algoia: Limited speech & difficulty saying anything new or carrying on a
conversation - ANSWER-Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Neurocognitive Impairment - ANSWER-Neurocognition includes Memory (Short &
Long Term), Vigilance or Sustained Attention, Verbal Fluency or the ability to
generate new words, Executive Functioning: Volition, Planning, Purposeful Action,
Self Monitoring Behavior
-Working Memory: A concept that includes short term memory & the ability to store &
process information
Neurocognitive Impairment - ANSWER-Memory, Vigilance, Executive Functioning is
r/t poor functional outcomes in Schizophrenia. This impairment is independent of the
+ symptoms; That is cognitive dysfunction can exist even if the positive symptoms
are in remission
-Low intellectual functioning & may be related to a lack of educational experiences &
opportunity due to the age of illness onset
-Not all cognitive functioning affected
Neurcognitive Dysfunction - ANSWER-What is often manifested in disorganized
symptoms?
,Schizophrenia Disorganized Thinking - ANSWER--Findings that make it difficult for
the person to understand & respond to the ordinary sights & sounds of daily living,
These include confused speech, thinking, & disorganized behavior
-Echolalia
-Circumstantiality
-Loose Associations
-Tangentiality
-Flight of Ideas
-Word Salad
-Neologism
-Paranoia
-Referential Thinking
-Autistic Thinking
-Concrete Thinking
-Verbigeration
-Metonymic Speech
-Clang Association
-Silted Language
-Pressured Speech - ANSWER-Name the Schizophrenia Disorganized Thinking
-Relapses can occur at any time during TX/Recovery
**With each relapse, a longer period of time is needed to recover**
-Combining Meds & Psychosocial TX gradually diminishes the severity & frequency
of recurrent relapses - ANSWER-Explain Schizophrenia Relapses
-Failure to take Medication inconsistently
-Impairment in cognition and coping leaves patients vulnerable to stressors
-Limited accessibility of community resources [Public Transportation, Housing, Entry-
Level & Low-Stress Employment, Limited Social Services] which leaves individuals
without access to Social Support
-Income supports that can buffer the day-to-day stressors of living may be
inadequate
-Degree of Stigmatization that the community holds for mental illness attacks the
self-concept of patients
-Social Isolation & the Level of Responsiveness from Family, Friends, and
Supportive Others(Professionals) when patients need assistance also have an
impact - ANSWER-Factors for Schizophrenia Relapse
-Positive Symptoms
-Negative Symptoms
-Neurocognitive Impairment - ANSWER-What is the Diagnostic Criteria for
Schizophrenia?
, -Hallucinations & Delusions
Positive symptoms can be thought of as excessive or distorted thoughts &
perceptions that occur within the individual but are not experienced by others -
ANSWER-Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
HALLUCINATIONS
-Most Common: Auditory, Visual
-Command Hallucinations: Auditory Hallucination instructing the patient to act in a
certain way, because voices are telling person to do something
-CH: Range from innocuous(Eat all of your dinner) to very serious (Hurt someones or
jump in front of a bus) - ANSWER--Perceptual experiences that occur without actual
external sensory stimuli
Involve one or more of the 5 Senses
DELUSIONS - ANSWER--Erroneous, Fixed, False Beliefs that cannot be changed
by reasonable argument; they usually involve a misinterpretation of experience
-Involve only thoughts
Grandiose Delusions - ANSWER-the belief that one has exceptional powers, wealth,
skill, influence, or destiny
Echolalia - ANSWER-Repetition of another's words what is parrot-like &
inappropriate
Circumstantiality - ANSWER-extremely detailed and lengthy discourse about a topic
Loose Associations - ANSWER-absence of the normal connectedness of thoughts,
ideas, and topics; sudden shifts without apparent relationship to preceding topics
Tangentiality - ANSWER-the topic of conversation is changed to an entirely different
topic that is a logical progression but causes a permanent detour from the original
focus
Flight of Ideas - ANSWER-the topic of conversation changes repeatedly and rapidly,
generally after just one sentence or phrase
Word Salad - ANSWER-stringing together words that are not connected in any way
Neologisms - ANSWER-Words that are made up that have no common meaning and
are unrecognized
Paranoia - ANSWER-suspiciousness and guardedness that are unrealistic and often
accompanied by grandiosity
Referential Thinking - ANSWER-Belief that neutral stimuli have special meaning to
the individual, such as the television commentator speaking directly to the individual
