Chapter Fourteen: Schizophrenia and Related Disorders

schizophrenia

a psychotic disorder in which personal, social, and occupational functioning deteriorate as a result of unusual perceptions, odd thoughts, disturbed emotions, and motor abnormalities

psychosis

a loss of contact with reality

hallucinations

false sensory perceptions

delusions

false beliefs

downward drift theory

schizophrenia causes its sufferers to fall from a higher to a lower socioeconomic level or to remain poor because they are unable to function effectively

Positive Symptoms

excesses of thought, emotion, and behavior

Delusions

ideas that people believe wholeheartedly but that have no basis in fact

delusions of reference

attach special and personal meaning to the actions of others or to various objects or events

delusions of grandeur

believe themselves to be specially empowered persons

delusions of control

believe their feelings, thoughts, and actions are controlled by other people

formal thought disorder

a disturbance in the production and organization of thought

loose associations / derailment

a common thinking disturbance, characterized by rapid shifts from one topic of conversation to another

neologisms

made-up words that typically have meaning only to the person using them

preservation

repeating their words and statements again and again

hallucinations

perceptions that a person has in the absence of external stimuli

tactile hallucinations

tingling, burning, or electric-shock sensations

somatic hallucinations

feel as if something is happening inside the body

visual hallucinations

may produce vague perceptions of colors or clouds or distinct visions of people or objects

gustatory hallucinations

regularly find that their food or drink tastes strange

olfactory hallucinations

smell odors that no one else does

Inappropriate Affect

emotions that are unsuited to the situation

Negative Symptoms

deficits of thought emotion, and behavior

Poverty of Speech / Alogia

a reduction in speech or speech content

Restricted Affect

display less anger, sadness, joy, and other feelings than most people

flat affect

showing almost no emotions at all

ambivalence

conflicting feelings

Psychomotor Symptoms

unusual movements or gestures

catatonia

a pattern of extreme psychomotor symptoms, found in some forms of schizophrenia

catatonic stupor

people stop responding to their environment, remaining motionless and silent for long stretches of time

catatonic rigidity

people maintain a rigid, upright posture for hours and resist efforts to be moved

catatonic posturing

people assume awkward, bizarre positions for long periods of time

catatonic excitement

different form of catatonia in which people move excitedly

schizophrenia spectrum disorders

schizophrenia-like disorders that are distinguished by particular durations and sets of symptoms

diathesis-stress relationship

people with a biological predisposition will develop schizophrenia only if certain kinds of events or stressors are also present

dopamine hypothesis

certain neurons that use the neurotransmitter dopamine fire too often and transmit too many messages, producing the symptoms of schizophrenia

antipsychotic drugs

drugs that help correct grossly confused or distorted thinking

phenothiazines

a group of antihistamine drugs that became the first group of effective antipsychotic medications

second-generation antipsychotic drugs

a relatively new group of antipsychotic drugs whose biological action is different from that of the first-generation antipsychotic drugs

Operant Conditioning

the process by which people learn to perform behaviors for which they have been rewarded frequently

expressed emotion

the general level of criticism, disapproval, and hostility expressed in a family

Schizophrenia

A psychotic disorder in which personal, social, and occupational functioning deteriorate as a result of unusual perceptions, odd thoughts, disturbed emotions, and motor abnormalities

Psychosis

A loss of contact with reality

Downward Drift Theory

Schizophrenia causes its sufferers to fall from a higher to a lower socioeconomic level or to remain poor because they are unable to function effectively

Positive Symptoms

Excesses of thought, emotion, and behavior

Delusions

Ideas that people believe wholeheartedly but that have no basis in fact

Delusions of Reference

Attach special and personal meaning to the actions of others or to various objects or events

Delusions of Grandeur

Believe themselves to be specially empowered persons

Delusions of Control

Believe their feelings, thoughts, and actions are controlled by other people

Formal Thought Disorder

A disturbance in the production and organization of thought

Loose Associations / Derailment

A common thinking disturbance, characterized by rapid shifts from one topic of conversation to another

Neologisms

Made-up words that typically have meaning only to the person using them

Preservation

Repeating their words and statements again and again

Hallucinations

Perceptions that a person has in the absence of external stimuli

Tactile Hallucinations

Tingling, burning, or electric-shock sensations

Somatic Hallucinations

Feel as if something is happening inside the body

Visual Hallucinations

May produce vague perceptions of colors or clouds or distinct visions of people or objects

Gustatory Hallucinations

Regularly find that their food or drink tastes strange

Olfactory Hallucinations

Smell odors that no one else does

Inappropriate Affect

Emotions that are unsuited to the situation

Negative Symptoms

Deficits of thought emotion, and behavior

Poverty of Speech / Alogia

A reduction in speech or speech content

Restricted Affect

Display less anger, sadness, joy, and other feelings than most people

Flat Affect

Showing almost no emotions at all

Ambivalence

Conflicting feelings

Psychomotor Symptoms

Unusual movements or gestures

Catatonia

A pattern of extreme psychomotor symptoms, found in some forms of schizophrenia

Catatonic Stupor

People stop responding to their environment, remaining motionless and silent for long stretches of time

Catatonic Rigidity

People maintain a rigid, upright posture for hours and resist efforts to be moved

Catatonic Posturing

People assume awkward, bizarre positions for long periods of time

Catatonic Excitement

Different form of catatonia in which people move excitedly

Dopamine Hypothesis

Certain neurons that use the neurotransmitter dopamine fire too often and transmit too many messages, producing the symptoms of schizophrenia

Antipsychotic Drugs

Drugs that help correct grossly confused or distorted thinking

Phenothiazines

A group of antihistamine drugs that became the first group of effective antipsychotic medications

Second-generation Antipsychotic Drugs

A relatively new group of antipsychotic drugs whose biological action is different from that of the first-generation antipsychotic drugs

Schizophrenogenic Mother

A type of mother - supposedly cold, domineering, and uninterested in the needs of her children - who was once thought to cause schizophrenia in her child

Operant Conditioning

The process by which people learn to perform behaviors for which they have been rewarded frequently

Expressed Emotion

The general level of criticism, disapproval, and hostility expressed in a family