Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders Study Guide

A comprehensive vocabulary study guide covering chapters 13 and 14 on Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders, including symptoms, developmental stages, causes, and treatments.

Schizophrenia

A disorder characterized by a broad spectrum of cognitive and emotional dysfunctions, delusions and hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and inappropriate emotions.

Positive Symptoms

Symptoms of schizophrenia that include delusions and hallucinations (or hallucinogens).

Avolition

A negative symptom of schizophrenia characterized by the inability to initiate and persist in activities.

Allogia

A negative symptom characterized by an absence of speech.

Anhedonia

A negative symptom of schizophrenia characterized by a presumed lack of pleasure.

Asociality

A negative symptom characterized by a lack of interest in social interactions.

Affective Flattening

A negative symptom defined by a lack of displayed emotions when emotions would normally be expected.

Disorganized Symptoms

Schizophrenia symptoms that involve erratic speech and emotions, inappropriate affect, and disorganized behavior such as catatonic immobility and waxy flexibility.

Premorbid Stage

A developmental stage of schizophrenia associated with mild motor, cognitive, and social impairments, typically occurring around $10$ years.

Prodromal Stage

A developmental stage of schizophrenia characterized by unusual psychotic-like behaviors, typically occurring around $20$ years.

Onset / Deterioration Stage

A developmental stage of schizophrenia characterized by positive, negative, cognitive, and mood symptoms, typically occurring around $30$ years.

Chronic / Residual Stage

The stage of schizophrenia development marked by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms, typically occurring at $40$ to $50$ years.

Schizo Disorder (Schizophreniform)

A disorder characterized by psychotic symptoms lasting between $1$ to $6$ months, associated with relatively good functioning, normal life resumption, and a lifetime prevalence of approximately $0.2\%$.

Schizoaffective Disorder

A disorder where schizophrenia symptoms co-occur alongside a major mood episode (major depressive or manic), requiring delusions or hallucinations for $2+$ weeks in the absence of a mood episode.

Delusional Disorder

A condition characterized by delusions contrary to reality without other positive or negative symptoms of schizophrenia, lacking severe impairment outside delusion consequences, with non-bizarre behaviors and a better prognosis.

Erotomanic Delusion (Aortaumatic)

A subtype of delusion characterized by the belief that another person is in love with the individual.

Grandiose Delusion

A type of delusion involving the conviction of having some great talent, insight, or having made some important discovery.

Jealousy Delusion

A delusion centered on the belief that one's partner is unfaithful.

Persecutory Delusion

A delusion where the individual believes they are being conspired against, cheated, spied on, followed, poisoned, or drugged.

Somatic Delusion

A type of delusion that involves bodily functions or sensations.

Catatonia

Unusual motor responses, particularly immobility or agitation and odd mannerisms, including stupor, mutism, maintaining poses for hours, lack of response to instructions, or mimicking others' speech or movement.

Brief Psychotic Disorder

A disorder characterized by positive or disorganized symptoms lasting less than $1$ month, representing the briefest duration of all psychotic disorders and typically precipitated by trauma or stress.

Substance/Medication-Induced Psychotic Disorder

Psychotic symptoms that arise during and/or following the consumption of a substance or medication.

Psychotic Disorder Associated with Another Medical Condition

Psychotic symptoms that arise during and/or following the onset of or treatment for a general medical condition.

Dopamine Hypothesis

The theory that schizophrenia is partially caused by overactive dopamine levels, supported by dopamine-altering drugs, though considered overly simplistic due to the involvement of multiple neurotransmitters.

Hypofrontality

A structural and functional brain abnormality in schizophrenia characterized by less activity in the frontal lobes.

High Expressed Emotion

A family interaction pattern characterized by high levels of emotional expression that is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia relapse.

Antipsychotic Medications

The first-line medical treatment for schizophrenia developed in the 1950s that blocks dopamine usage (and affects serotonin and glutamate) to reduce or eliminate positive symptoms.

Tardive Dyskinesia

A motor side effect resulting from antipsychotic medications characterized by Parkinson's-like movements and extreme restlessness.

Token Economy

A behavioral psychosocial intervention that rewards adaptive behavior in individuals with schizophrenia.

Behavioral Family Therapy

A psychosocial approach resembling classroom education that focuses on relieving family stress, reducing helicopter behavior and high expressed emotion, and increasing opportunities for autonomy.

Illness Management and Recovery

A psychosocial treatment that engages patients as active participants through continuous goal setting and tracking across modules such as social skills training, stress management, and substance use.