2.4 schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder

Schizophrenia – meaning split mind, spectrum disorder, abnormalities in one or more of the following: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking/speech, grossly disorganized/abnormal behavior, and negative symptoms

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia

behavior and experiences that persons otherwise would not have including delusions and hallucinations

Delusions – false beliefs

Hallucinations – false sensory experience

Negative symptoms – deficits example lack of interest in pleasure to activities

Disorganized symptoms – disorganized speech behavior or catatonic behavior

Schizophrenia diagnosis – disturbances must last at least six months with at least a month of active symptoms, common symptoms may be brought by other conditions do you have more of the following symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, catatonic behavior, or negative symptoms

Causes of schizophrenia

biological and environmental, having a parent with disorder makes child 10 to 14x more likely, can be induced by stress.

Underlying biological contributors to schizophrenia – genetics and abnormality in the brain to use of dopamine (reduced brain volume, difficulty with eye tracking activities)

Diathesis stress hypothesis

When do symptoms appear – late teens through mid 30s with men peeking early to mid

20s and women late 20s. Men more likely diagnosed. 20% attempt suicide at least once and depression co occurs

Prefrontal cortex

under activity associated with ADHD attention deficit

Frontal lobe – linked to executive dysfunction in schizophrenia

Corpus callosum

irregularities served in autism spectrum disorder

Dopamine pathways

over activity related to psychotic symptoms