W7 Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders

Schizophrenia

a chronic and severe mental disorder involving disturbances in thinking, perception, emotions, and behaviour that significantly impair daily functioning

Disorganised speech

speech that is incoherent, illogical, or difficult to follow due to disrupted thought processes

Delusions

fixed, false beliefs that are strongly held despite clear evidence to the contrary

Hallucinations

sensory experiences (such as hearing voices or seeing things) that occur without any external stimulus

Avolition

a marked lack of motivation or ability to initiate and sustain goal-directed activities

Alogia

reduced quantity or content of speech, reflecting diminished thought processes

Anhedonia

reduced ability to experience pleasure from activities that are normally enjoyable

Affective flattening

limited or absent emotional expression, including reduced facial expressions, tone of voice, and gestures

Brief psychotic episode

a sudden onset of psychotic symptoms lasting at least one day but less than one month, followed by full return to normal functioning

Negative symptoms

deficits or losses of normal functions, such as reduced emotion, motivation, speech, and pleasure

Positive symptoms

excesses or distortions of normal functioning, including delusions, hallucinations, and disorganised thinking

Disorganised symptoms

symptoms involving chaotic speech, behaviour, or thought processes that impair communication and daily functioning

Schizophreniform

a disorder with symptoms similar to schizophrenia but lasting between one and six months

Hypofrontality hypothesis

the theory that schizophrenia is associated with reduced activity in the frontal lobes of the brain, affecting reasoning and decision-making

Traditional neuroleptics

first-generation antipsychotic medications that primarily reduce positive symptoms by blocking dopamine receptors

Schizoaffective disorder

a condition characterised by symptoms of schizophrenia along with significant mood episodes such as depression or mania

Catatonia

a state of abnormal movement and behaviour, ranging from immobility to excessive, purposeless activity

Hebephrenia

an older term for disorganised schizophrenia, marked by disorganised behaviour, speech, and inappropriate emotional responses

Paranoia

intense and irrational mistrust or suspicion of others, often involving beliefs of being harmed or persecuted

Dementia praecox

an outdated term historically used to describe schizophrenia, emphasising early onset and cognitive decline

Psychotic behaviour

behaviour that reflects a loss of contact with reality, including disordered thinking, perceptions, or actions

Associative splitting

a breakdown in the normal connections between thoughts, leading to disorganised thinking

Prosody

the rhythm, tone, and emotional expression of speech

Loose association

a pattern of speech in which ideas shift from one topic to another with weak or illogical connections

Derailment

a severe form of loose association in which speech rapidly shifts to unrelated topics

Catatonic immobility

a state of prolonged physical stillness and unresponsiveness despite being conscious

Echopraxia

the involuntary imitation of another person’s movements

Delusional disorder

a disorder characterised by persistent delusions without the other prominent symptoms of schizophrenia

Attenuated psychosis syndrome

a condition involving mild or brief psychotic-like symptoms that do not meet full criteria for psychosis but may indicate increased risk

Schizotypal personality disorder

a personality disorder marked by odd beliefs, unusual behaviour, social discomfort, and distorted thinking

Prodromal stage

the early phase before the onset of full psychosis, marked by subtle behavioural, emotional, or cognitive changes

Endophenotypes

measurable biological or cognitive traits that lie between genetic risk and observable symptoms of a disorder

Schizophrenogenic

a term describing factors believed to contribute to the development of schizophrenia, often used historically in reference to family environments

Double bind communication

a communication pattern involving contradictory messages that create confusion and stress, historically linked to schizophrenia theories

Neuroleptics

antipsychotic medications used to manage symptoms of psychotic disorders

Token economy

a behavioural therapy system in which desired behaviours are reinforced with tokens that can be exchanged for rewards