1. Schizophrenia

2. Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia -- “split mind” which refers to a split from reality. Key features that define the psychotic disorders are:
Delusions
Hallucinations
Disorganized thinking
Disorganized behavior
Negative Symptoms

3. Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Positive symptoms: the presence of inappropriate behaviors (hallucinations, Delusions, disorganized or delusional talking)
Negative symptoms: the absence of appropriate behaviors
Preview Question 11: What patterns of thinking, perceiving, feeling, and behaving characterize schizophrenia?

4. Disturbed Perceptions
A schizophrenic person may perceive things that are not there (hallucinations). Frequently such hallucinations are auditory and lesser visual, somatosensory, olfactory, or gustatory.
Photos of paintings by Krannert Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
August Natter, Witches Head. The Prinzhorn Collection, University of Heidelberg
L. Berthold, Untitled. The Prinzhorn Collection, University of Heidelberg

5. Disorganized & Delusional Thinking
Many psychologists believe disorganized thoughts occur because of selective attention failure (fragmented and bizarre thoughts).
Fragmented, bizarre thinking with distorted beliefs is called delusions.
Examples:
Belief in themselves to be a messiah
Somebody may believe that CIA or Russian spies are after them.

6. Disturbed/abnormal motor behaviors Catatonia:
Stupor – no psychomotor activity
Mutism – no or very little verbal response
Negativism – Opposition or no response to instructions or external stimuli
Patients with schizophrenia may continually rub an arm, rock a chair, or remain motionless for hours (catatonia).

7. Negative Symptoms Inappropriate Emotions & Actions
Flat Affect/ Affective Flattening
"Affect" refers to emotional expression. It is, distinguished by a restricted range of expressed emotion
Alogia
difficulty of speech, is the lessening of speech fluency and productivity, thought to reflect slowing or blocked thoughts, and often manifested as short, empty replies to questions
Avolition
Loss of motivation, difficulty, or inability to initiate and persist in goal-directed behavior (examples of avolition include: no longer interested in going out and meeting with friends, no longer interested in activities that the person used to show enthusiasm for, no longer interested in much of anything, sitting in the house for many hours a day doing nothing
Someone may tell a person they lost a loved one, and schizophrenic may not show any emotions

8. Onset and Development of Schizophrenia
Nearly 1 in a 100 suffer from schizophrenia, and throughout the world over 24 million people suffer from this disease (WHO, 2002).
Schizophrenia strikes young people as they mature into adults. It affects men and women equally, but men suffer from it more severely than women.

9. Chronic and Acute Schizophrenia
When schizophrenia is slow to develop (chronic/process) recovery is doubtful. Such schizophrenics usually display negative symptoms.
When schizophrenia rapidly develops (acute/reactive) recovery is better. Such schizophrenics usually show positive symptoms.

10. Understanding Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a disease of the brain exhibited by the symptoms of the mind.
Brain Abnormalities
Dopamine Overactivity: Researchers found that schizophrenic patients express higher levels of dopamine D4 receptors in the brain.
Preview Question 12: What causes schizophrenia?

11. Abnormal Brain Activity
Brain scans show abnormal activity in the frontal cortex, thalamus, and amygdala of schizophrenic patients.
Paul Thompson and Arthur W. Toga, UCLA Laboratory of Neuro
Imaging and Judith L. Rapport, National Institute of Mental Health

12. Abnormal Brain Morphology
Research has shown that individuals with schizophrenia reportedly have a smaller thalamus

13. Viral Infection
Schizophrenia has also been observed in individuals who contracted a viral infection (flu) during the middle of their fetal development.

14. Genetic Factors
The likelihood of an individual suffering from schizophrenia is 50% if their identical twin has the disease (Gottesman, 2001).
Identical
Both parents
Fraternal
One parent
Sibling
Nephew or niece
Unrelated

15. Genetic Factors
The following shows the prevalence of schizophrenia in identical twins as seen in different countries.

16. Psychological Factors
Psychological and environmental factors can trigger schizophrenia if the individual is genetically predisposed (Nicol & Gottesman, 1983).
The genetically identical Genain
sisters suffer from schizophrenia. Two more than others, thus there are contributing environmental factors.
Courtesy of Genain Family
Genain Sisters

17. Somatic Symptom Disorder
Conversion Disorder
Physical symptoms occurring due to psychological conflict
No physical cause to the symptoms
Stressful experience will be followed by medical illness
Blindness
Inability to speak
Numbness
Paralysis
Health concerns
Physical symptoms arising from psychological factors

18. Somatic Symptom Disorder
Illness Anxiety Disorder
Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness
Great level of anxiety about health concerns
Health concerns
Physical symptoms arising from psychological factors

19. Dissociative Disorders
Dissociation means the disconnection or separation of something from something else or the state of being disconnected.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states
Recurrent gaps in memory (Unable to recall everyday events)
Difficult time recalling events experienced by “other” personalities
Brought on my stress triggers

20. Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Amnesia
An inability to recall important autobiographical information
Usually of a traumatic or stressful nature (“selective” amnesia)
Dissociative Fugue State – Memory loss accompanied by flight from the person’s home and establishing a new identity

21. Dissociative Disorders
Depersonalization disorder (DPD)
also known as depersonalization-derealization syndrome, is a mental disorder in which the person has persistent or recurrent feelings of depersonalization
Depersonalization – experiences of unreality or detachment of their own body
Derealization – experiences of unreality or detachment with their surroundings

22. Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Deficit in social emotional reciprocity and communication
Restricted, repetitive behaviors
Symptoms must be present in the early development (early childhood)
Three levels of severity
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Persistent pattern of inattention – difficulty sustaining attention
hyperactivity-impulsivity – constant fidgeting, excessive talking, inability to wait