Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia means split mind – it is the most severe and most dreaded of all psychological disorders

Characteristics of Schizophrenia Disordered thinking  Delusions – false beliefs Ex. Dialogue from Myers’ text Delusions of persecution – that people are out to get you Delusions of grandeur – the belief that you enjoy a greater power and influence than you do.  Word salad – jumping from one subject to another  Why do those with schizophrenia suffer from disordered thinking/ Many suppose it is due to a breakdown in selective attention. May fail to clear the working memory, thus many ideas remain on the mind at once.

Characteristics of Schizophrenia Disturbed perception  Hallucinations – sensory experiences without sensory stimulation Hallucinations are usually auditory, but schizophrenics may also see, feel, taste, or even smell things that are not actually there. Auditory hallucinations usually give orders or are insulting

A Beautiful Mind- beginning :58. So Far: True Story/ Best picture, Princeton after WW 2. Brilliant Mathemetician, Economic Theory, Roomate Charles (Bl. curly hair, has taken in niece into his calls him Uncle John, leaves Princeton MIT Dept of Defense hired him to break codes that the Soviets have been using to communicate to their spies within the US, William Parcher D.O.D agent (Ed Harris Radio) meets him drops off packages at abandoned building mailbox. Married to Jennifer Connolly. Earlier in movie implant a secret code into his forearm.

Characteristics of Schizophrenia Inappropriate actions and emotions  Ex. you cry when it is appropriate to laugh and laugh when it is appropriate to cry.  Flat affect (mood)– zombie-like state of apathy  Continuous actions – rocking back and forth or rubbing arms repeatedly

Positive and Negative Symptoms Positive symptoms of schizophrenia – presence of inappropriate behaviors  hallucinations  disorganized talk  inappropriate emotions Negative symptoms of schizophrenia – absence of appropriate behaviors  toneless voice  expressionless face  lack of speech  flat affect Talking about my schizophreniaTalking about my schizophrenia

Prevalence of Schizophrenia Nearly 1/100 people suffer from schizophrenia – 24 million throughout the world. Schizophrenia is usually diagnosed at the onset of adulthood, and affects males and females equally Young schizophrenic at her mind's mercy

Types of schizophrenia Paranoid schizophrenia –  Characteristics: delusions of grandeur or persecution, anger, anxiety, extreme jealousy  Onset is often sudden  Prevalence: 40% of those with schizophrenia and appears later in life (25 – 30)

Types of schizophrenia Disorganized schizophrenia –  Characteristics: delusions, hallucinations, incoherent speech, inappropriate emotion, neglected personal hygiene, loss of bladder/bowel control Neologisms – made up words Clang associations – stringing nonsense words that rhyme  Prevalence: 5% of those with schizophrenia and high prevalence in the homeless population

Video Clips…. The Schizophrenias – learner.org The Schizophrenias William (about 8:50?) example of neologisms, word salad

Types of schizophrenia Catatonic schizophrenia –  Characteristic: disordered movement, alternate between stupor (total immobility) and wild excitement.  Prevalence: 8% of those with schizophrenia – becoming increasingly rare in the US  Waxy flexibility – if motionless will allow their bodies to be moved into an alternative shape and will hold that pose.

Types of schizophrenia Undifferentiated schizophrenia –  Characteristics: patterns of disordered behavior that do not fit into any other subtype.  Prevalence: 40% of those with schizophrenia Schizophrenia: Gerald, Part 1 - YouTube

Types of schizophrenia Residual schizophrenia –  Applies to people who have had prior episodes of schizophrenia but are not currently displaying symptoms.

Explaining Schizophrenia Dopamine hypothesis – schizophrenics have high levels of dopamine  Antipsychotic drugs reduce dopamine and decrease disordered thought and behavior  The schizophrenias start at 25:10  Extensive use of the antipsychotic drug will cause muscle tremors  Parkinson’s disease is treated by L-dopa which increases dopamine levels – too much L-dopa and the patient will experience hallucinations

Explaining Schizophrenia The brain and schizophrenia  Abnormally low activity in the frontal lobe  During hallucinations – high activity in the thalamus which sends the sensory info to the cortex  Shrinkage of cortex tissue with more fluid filled areas (“enlarged brain ventricles”)

What could cause these abnormalities? Prenatal problems – low birth weight and birth complications Mid pregnancy virus Genetic predispositions  1/100 in the general population  1/10 if parent or sibling is schizophrenic  1/2 if identical twin is schizophrenic (p. 652 of quadruplets) Nutritional deprivations Born in winter/spring and older the father correlations. Double binds – experiencing contradictory messages growing up. Parents tell child not to be promiscuous yet clothe her is revealing outfits. (This is the theory of the cognitive perspective.)

Home Videos of childhood and Paintings can detect The Schizophrenias 11:00 then 25:10- 27:00

Girl creates schizophrenia awareness video ( mindyourmind ) Schizophrenia - YouTube