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
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
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)
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