Schizophrenia Mr. Koch AP Psychology Forest Lake High School

Schizophrenia A severe and disabling pattern of extremely disturbed thinking, emotion, perception, and behavior that seriously impairs the ability to communicate and relate to others and disrupts most other aspects of daily functioning One of the most serious disorders Often involves loss of contact with reality Symptoms seen in all parts of world

Schizophrenia 1-2% of population Appears equally in various ethnic groups Equal rates M/F Usually develops in adolescence, early adulthood ~40% improve w/ treatment and function reasonably well – Rest have continuous or intermittent symptoms that permanently disrupt functioning – 10-13% of homeless population have schizophrenia

Case Study in Schizophrenia (Gerald)

Common Symptoms Disorders of thought/language – Disorganization: “neologisms” (“new words”) » only have meaning to themselves “loose associations” » Tendency for one thought to be unconnected to another “Word salad” – Jumble of words reflecting utterly chaotic thoughts

Schizophrenic Word Salad

Common Symptoms Disorders of thought/language (cont’d) – Content Delusions – false beliefs – “delusions of influence” » Believe being controlled (body, thought, or behavior) by external forces – “self-significant delusions” » Exaggerated beliefs about oneself (i.e. delusions of grandeur) – “delusions of persecution” » Others are out to harass/harm them

Common Symptoms Disorders of Perception – Inability to focus attention (may feel overwhelmed) May feel detached from world or own body – Hallucinations – false perceptions Very common – often takes form of voices Can also be sights, smells, taste, touch sensations w/o external stimuli

Common Symptoms Disorders of emotion – Flat or inappropriate affect Other common symptoms – Some are extremely agitated, others move very little – Lack motivation/social skills – Poor personal hygiene – Inability to function in everyday situations

Subtypes of Schizophrenia Paranoid Disorganized Catatonic Undifferentiated Residual Some see this classification system as inadequate – Not always accurate picture of behavior (symptoms overlap) – Some show characteristics of multiple symptoms Instead some suggest describing according to “positive” and “negative” symptoms

Causes of Schizophrenia Biological – Seems to be genetic link – Connected w/ brain abnormalities Shrunken tissue in thalamic regions, prefrontal cortex, and subcortical areas – enlarged fluid-filled ventricles – Connection to dopamine levels Excess? (unclear on specific role) – Neurodevelopmental problems (birthweight, flu exposure, etc)

Causes of Schizophrenia Psychological/Sociocultural – Learned maladaptive behavior – Disturbed patterns of family communication (Diathesis-Stress Model)