Notes problem 3
Schizophrenia:
The phrase "positive symptoms" refers to symptoms that are in excess or added to normal mental
functioning.
Negative symptoms are so called because they describe thoughts or behaviour that the person used
to have before they became ill but now no longer have or have to a lesser extent and so have been
lost or taken away from their psyche. It describes normal aspects of the person's behaviour that they
no longer have.
Homework assignment:
Positive: thoughts of external agents trying to control him, auditory hallucinations three voices of
his house mates they are talking about him, racing thoughts (manic?), feels sensation of chip in brain,
self-harm thoughts overdose, has been reading conspiracy theories
Negative: interferes with daily life, staying in his room not eating much (scared of poison) not seeing
his parents, used to smoke weed regularly used speed (not sure if he still uses),
Did not want to be there.
Psychologist is very direct.
- Characteristics
o Extreme oddities in: thinking, perception, action, sense of self and manner of relating
to others.
o Significant loss of touch with reality psychosis.
o Is a split in the intellect, between the intellect and emotion and between the intellect
and the external reality.
Delusions: erroneous belief that is fixed and firmly held despite clear
contradictory evidence. Disturbance in the content of thought. Occur with
about 90% of the patients.
Most common: beliefs that one’s thoughts, feelings or actions are
being controlled by external agents.
Private thoughts are being broadcasted to others.
Thoughts are being inserted into one’s brain by some external
agency.
Delusions of bodily changes (bowels do not work) or removal of
organs.
Hallucinations: sensory experience that seems real to the person having it
but occurs in the absence of any external perceptual stimulus.
Auditory hallucinations are most common (hearing voices).
Found in 75% of patients.
Visual 39% of patients.
, Worse when the patient is alone.
Reduction in grey matter in the left hemisphere, auditory and speech
perception areas.
Increased activity in broca’s area.
Disorganised speech
External manifestation of a disorder in thought form. an affected
person fails to make sense.
Neologism: The words and word combinations sound communicative
but the listener is left with little to no understanding of the point the
speaker is trying to make.
Disorganised behaviour
Goal directed activity is abrupted.
Attributed to impairment of functioning in the prefrontal region of
the cerebral cortex.
Catatonia motor function disruption. Mostly seen in mood
disorders.
Negative symptoms
Reflect an absence or deficit of behaviours that are normally present.
Two domains: can co-occur.
o Reduced expressive behaviour.
Blunted affect, flat affect or alogia very little
speech.
o Reduction in motivation or experience of pleasure
(anhedonia).
Inability to initiate or persist in goal-oriented activity.
avolition.
General lack of interest in social interactions.
Positive symptoms
Reflect an excess or distortion in a normal repertoire of behaviour
and experience, such as delusions and hallucinations.
o Patients with schizophrenia show less emotion but feel as much or sometimes even
more than healthy people.
- Diagnosis:
o Hallucinations and disorganised speech, two symptoms need to be present for a
period of six months.
- Prevalence:
Schizophrenia:
The phrase "positive symptoms" refers to symptoms that are in excess or added to normal mental
functioning.
Negative symptoms are so called because they describe thoughts or behaviour that the person used
to have before they became ill but now no longer have or have to a lesser extent and so have been
lost or taken away from their psyche. It describes normal aspects of the person's behaviour that they
no longer have.
Homework assignment:
Positive: thoughts of external agents trying to control him, auditory hallucinations three voices of
his house mates they are talking about him, racing thoughts (manic?), feels sensation of chip in brain,
self-harm thoughts overdose, has been reading conspiracy theories
Negative: interferes with daily life, staying in his room not eating much (scared of poison) not seeing
his parents, used to smoke weed regularly used speed (not sure if he still uses),
Did not want to be there.
Psychologist is very direct.
- Characteristics
o Extreme oddities in: thinking, perception, action, sense of self and manner of relating
to others.
o Significant loss of touch with reality psychosis.
o Is a split in the intellect, between the intellect and emotion and between the intellect
and the external reality.
Delusions: erroneous belief that is fixed and firmly held despite clear
contradictory evidence. Disturbance in the content of thought. Occur with
about 90% of the patients.
Most common: beliefs that one’s thoughts, feelings or actions are
being controlled by external agents.
Private thoughts are being broadcasted to others.
Thoughts are being inserted into one’s brain by some external
agency.
Delusions of bodily changes (bowels do not work) or removal of
organs.
Hallucinations: sensory experience that seems real to the person having it
but occurs in the absence of any external perceptual stimulus.
Auditory hallucinations are most common (hearing voices).
Found in 75% of patients.
Visual 39% of patients.
, Worse when the patient is alone.
Reduction in grey matter in the left hemisphere, auditory and speech
perception areas.
Increased activity in broca’s area.
Disorganised speech
External manifestation of a disorder in thought form. an affected
person fails to make sense.
Neologism: The words and word combinations sound communicative
but the listener is left with little to no understanding of the point the
speaker is trying to make.
Disorganised behaviour
Goal directed activity is abrupted.
Attributed to impairment of functioning in the prefrontal region of
the cerebral cortex.
Catatonia motor function disruption. Mostly seen in mood
disorders.
Negative symptoms
Reflect an absence or deficit of behaviours that are normally present.
Two domains: can co-occur.
o Reduced expressive behaviour.
Blunted affect, flat affect or alogia very little
speech.
o Reduction in motivation or experience of pleasure
(anhedonia).
Inability to initiate or persist in goal-oriented activity.
avolition.
General lack of interest in social interactions.
Positive symptoms
Reflect an excess or distortion in a normal repertoire of behaviour
and experience, such as delusions and hallucinations.
o Patients with schizophrenia show less emotion but feel as much or sometimes even
more than healthy people.
- Diagnosis:
o Hallucinations and disorganised speech, two symptoms need to be present for a
period of six months.
- Prevalence:
