Schizophrenia

What additional treatments may be given to treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients?

Mood stabilizing drugs and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

What is the main goal of antipsychotic medication management?

To monitor and adjust dosages and manage side effects through regular check-ups.

What is psychoeducation in schizophrenia treatment?

Informing the person and their family about the disorder, stress links, and coping strategies.

What did Sensky et al. (2000) find about CBT for schizophrenia?

CBT was more effective than befriending in the long term for reducing symptoms.

What is the aim of paced activity scheduling in CBT?

To reduce fatigue and stress by structuring activities.

Describe the main components of CBT for schizophrenia.

Forming therapeutic alliances, identifying links between events/thoughts/feelings, managing stress, challenging delusions, and psychoeducation.

What is Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT) used for in schizophrenia?

It is an adjunct to medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia; believed to trigger gene expression and improve neural connectivity.

What do atypical antipsychotics do?

Block both dopamine and serotonin receptors; treat positive and negative symptoms; lower risk of some side effects like tardive dyskinesia but can cause agranulocytosis.

Do typical antipsychotics treat negative symptoms well?

No, they primarily treat positive symptoms; negative symptoms often remain.

How do typical antipsychotics help reduce schizophrenia ?

They block dopamine receptors, reducing positive symptoms.

What is counter-evidence bias in the cognitive explanation of schizophrenia?

Drawing conclusions without sufficient evidence and failing to revise delusional beliefs when contradicted.

What is a 'difficulty with mentalising' in schizophrenia?

Inability to understand others' mental states or intentions, leading to paranoia and social withdrawal.

Explain the self-monitoring error in the cognitive explanation of schizophrenia.

People misattribute their own thoughts as coming from external sources, leading to auditory hallucinations.

What evidence challenges the dopamine hypothesis?

Apomorphine does not trigger schizophrenic symptoms in healthy people or increase symptoms in those with schizophrenia.

What evidence supports the dopamine hypothesis?

Rats given amphetamines (increase dopamine) show schizophrenic-like symptoms.

What is the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?

• Excessive dopamine activity (especially D2 receptors) leads to schizophrenia symptoms.
• Dopamine helps neurons communicate across the synapse
•  Too much is released or the receiving neurons are too sensitive - Leading to potential overstimulation

What is the genetic explanation of schizophrenia?

• Certain genes might make someone more vulnerable- Predisposition suggested by family and twin studies.- Risk increases the closer one is to a person with schizophrenia in their family (48% for twins 1 for general population)- But it is more a vulnerability that other factors might trigger.

List a weakness of Freeman et al. (2003).

Small, non-representative sample; low ecological validity.

List a strength of Freeman et al. (2003).

Standardized VR program improved reliability; equal split of males and females reduced gender bias.

What did Freeman et al. (2003) conclude?

People attribute mental states to VR avatars, and those with higher interpersonal sensitivity or anxiety show more persecutory ideation.

What were the results of Freeman et al. (2003)?

Mean paranoia score was low; 46% agreed at least a little with negative beliefs; VR persecutory ideation correlated with paranoia, interpersonal sensitivity, and anxiety.

Describe the method used in Freeman et al. (2003).

Participants' baseline paranoia and emotional distress were measured; they experienced a VR library; post-VR paranoia was assessed; interviews and questionnaires were conducted.

Describe the sample in Freeman et al. (2003).

21 university students and 3 administrative staff (mean age 26) from London, UK.

What was the aim of Freeman et al. (2003) VR study?

To investigate if people without mental illness have persecutory thoughts in virtual reality, and if there are predictors for such ideation.

What is a delusion of reference?

A belief that unrelated events in the environment are directly related to oneself.

What are grandiose delusions?

A strong belief in having special abilities or powers.

What are persecutory delusions?

A belief that one is in danger or being conspired against.

Name three types of delusions found in schizophrenia.

Persecutory delusions, grandiose delusions, delusion of reference.

What did Aneja et al. (2018) conclude?

Schizophrenia is rare in children and treatment can be hard to optimize.

What type of study did Aneja et al. (2018) perform?

A six-month case analysis of a child with very early onset schizophrenia, using observations, self-report, IQ tests, and medical records.

What is catatonia?

A state characterized by lack of movement or speech.

What is flattened affect?

The absence or reduction of outward expression of emotions such as facial expressions (blunted emotional expression).

What is avolition?

A lack of motivation or inability to initiate and persist in goal-directed activity.

Give examples of negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Avolition (lack of motivation), flattened affect (reduced emotional expression), impaired cognitive function, catatonia.

What are negative symptoms in schizophrenia?

Symptoms where level of functioning or experience falls below normal levels, like avolition and flattened affect.

What is a thought disorder?

An inability to think and speak in an organized manner.

What are hallucinations in schizophrenia?

Sensory experiences that occur without external stimuli, most commonly auditory (hearing voices) or visual (seeing things that are not there).

What is a delusion in the context of schizophrenia?

A belief that an individual holds which is not based on reality, such as believing someone is trying to harm them.

Give examples of positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

Persistent delusions, persistent hallucinations (most commonly auditory or visual), thought disorder, experiences of influence, passivity, or control.

What are positive symptoms in schizophrenia?

Experiences that are 'in addition to' or 'a distortion of' normal experience, such as persistent delusions and hallucinations.

What is a the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia?

-Symptoms present for at least one moth of core symptoms- Ruled out any other medical condition or effects of drugs or alcohol

What are the main symptoms of schizophrenia?

• Persistent delusions- Persistent hallucination- Thought disorder- Experience of influence passivity and control