Symptoms and Features of Schizophrenia

What is a symptom?

subjective feelings, what's happening to the patient

What is a feature?

facts

What is schizophrenia?

a psychotic disorder characterised by positive symptoms with negative symptoms often present too

What are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

flat emotions, lack of self-care, energy, social withdrawal

Give an example of flat emotions.

blank facial expressions

Give an example of lack of self-care.

doesn't brush teeth

Give an example of lack of energy.

no motivation to do daily chores

Give an example of social withdrawal.

doesn't want to go and see friends

What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, thought insertion

Give an example of hallucinations.

hearing voices, seeing things

What are delusions?

believing things that aren't true

Give an example of delusions.

thinking someone is after them, thinking they have powers (grandiose delusions)

Characterise disordered thinking.

disrupted flow of speech and jumping from one topic to another

What is thought insertion?

believe thoughts are someone else's or someone else can hear own thoughts

What is the lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia?

0.3-0.7% (this changes depending on ethnicity, nationality and geographic origin)

What is lifetime prevalence?

how likely you are within a lifetime to acquire that disease

What is the onset for sz?

early to mid 20s in males, late 20s in females

What is the prognosis?

hard to predict, a minority recover completely, but most experience chronic episodic impairment and some show progressive deterioration with increasing brief periods of remission and severe cognitive deficits

Which symptoms may reduce over time?

positive symptoms but debilitating negative symptoms often remain