Understanding Psychosis : Exploring Disconnected Realities

schizophrenic spectrum disorders

characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking or speech, disorganized motor behavior

schizophrenia

psychological disorder characterized by persistent delusions, hallucinations, disorganized, motor behavior

positive (+) symptoms

additional behaviors or experiences not present in healthy individuals

negative (-) symptoms

deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functions

delusions

false beliefs strongly held despite clear evidence to the contrary

hallucinations

false sensory experiences without external stimuli

disorganized thinking or speech

incoherent or nonsensical speech patterns

disorganized motor behavior

abnormal or erratic movements

flat affect

severe reduction in emotional expressiveness

dopamine hypothesis

suggests that the disorder is linked to an imbalance of dopamine activity in the brain

dissociative disorders

characterized by disruptions or discontinuities in consciousness memory, identity, or perception

dissociative amnesia

involves inability to recall important autobiographical information

dissociative identity disorder

characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states or identities