Schizophrenia Spectrum & Other Psychotic Disorders

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering symptoms, subtypes, diagnostic criteria, theoretical perspectives, and treatments for schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders.

Psychosis

The loss of the ability to tell what is real from what is not.

Positive Symptoms

Added, overt psychotic experiences, including delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought/speech, and disorganized or catatonic behavior.

Negative Symptoms

Lost normal qualities and functions, specifically restricted affect (flattened emotional expression) and avolition/asociality; they tend to be more persistent, harder to treat, and associated with worse outcomes.

Cognitive Symptoms (Deficits)

Deficits in attention, working memory, and processing speed that are often present before the acute phase, cannot be easily improved with treatment, and strongly drive long-term disability.

Delusions

Fixed beliefs not amenable to change despite conflicting evidence, which differ from ordinary self-deception by being often impossible, all-consuming, and clung to against all argument.

Persecutory Delusions

The most common delusion type, characterized by the belief that one is being watched, conspired against, or tormented.

Delusions of Reference

The belief that random events, remarks, or occurrences carry special, direct personal meaning aimed at oneself.

Grandiose Delusions

The belief that one possesses great power, knowledge, talent, or a special identity.

Delusions of Being Controlled

The belief that an external force is imposing its will on one's thoughts, feelings, or actions.

Thought Broadcasting / Insertion / Withdrawal

The belief that thoughts are being transmitted out of, placed into, or removed from one's mind.

Hallucinations

Unreal sensory perceptions occurring in any sensory modality; auditory hallucinations (such as running commentary, third-person voices, or commands) are the most frequent, with content often culturally shaped.

Disorganized Thought & Speech

A formal thought disorder presenting as loose associations/derailment, incoherence ('word salad'), neologisms, and clang associations.

Loose Associations / Derailment

A pattern of disorganized thought and speech where an individual slips between completely unrelated topics.

Neologisms

Made-up, invented words used by a person experiencing disorganized thought and speech.

Clang Associations

The linking together of words based on their sounds rather than their meaning.

Catatonia

A spectrum of motor behaviors ranging from negativism, rigid posturing, and mutism to purposeless catatonic excitement.

Restricted Affect

A negative symptom marked by reduced facial expression, eye contact, gesture, and vocal inflection, even though inner emotion may remain intact and intense.

Avolition / Asociality

A negative symptom defined by the inability to initiate or persist in goal-directed activities, accompanied by withdrawal from social relationships.

Schizophrenia (Diagnostic Timing Rule)

A disorder requiring continuous signs for at least $6$ months, including at least $1$ month of active Criterion A symptoms (with at least one being delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech), alongside marked functional decline.

Prodromal and Residual Phases

Phases occurring before (prodromal) and after (residual) active psychotic episodes characterized by milder or negative symptoms, often causing families to sense the individual 'slipping away.'

Schizophrenogenic Mother

A historic, now-discredited psychodynamic theory that attributed the cause of schizophrenia to maternal rejection or coldness.

Expressed Emotion (Systems Perspective)

A family interaction pattern characterized by criticism, hostility, and emotional overinvolvement that strongly predicts symptom relapse in schizophrenia.

Schizoaffective Disorder

A psychotic disorder marked by active psychotic symptoms concurrent with a major mood episode (depressive or manic) for most of the illness, combined with at least $2$ weeks of delusions or hallucinations in the absence of prominent mood symptoms.

Schizophreniform Disorder

A psychotic disorder meeting Criteria A, D, and E of schizophrenia, lasting at least $1$ month but fewer than $6$ months, without requiring a decline in functioning.

Brief Psychotic Disorder

The sudden onset of psychotic symptoms lasting from $1$ day to $1$ month, followed by a full return to premorbid functioning, often triggered by a marked stressor.

Delusional Disorder

The presence of one or more non-bizarre delusions regarding real-life situations persisting for $1$ month or longer, without other active psychotic symptoms or significant functional impairment.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

A lifelong personality pattern featuring odd beliefs, magical thinking, unusual perceptions, and social deficits, while retaining a basic grasp on reality.

Diathesis-Stress Synthesis (Nolen-Hoeksema)

A model stating that a strong biological or genetic vulnerability (diathesis) alters early neurodevelopment, while psychosocial stressors trigger the emergence and relapse of the disorder.

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

A comprehensive, $24/7$ wraparound care model providing integrated assistance for housing, medication management, income, and community support.

Republic Act 11036 (RA 11036)

Philippine mental health legislation vital for providing community-based care to reduce stigma, costs, and the treatment gap.