Schizophrenia Chapter 14, Lecture 6 “If depression is the common cold of psychological disorders, chronic schizophrenia is the cancer.” - David Myers.

SchizophreniaSchizophreniaChapter 14, Lecture 6Chapter 14, Lecture 6

“If depression is the common cold ofpsychological disorders, chronic schizophreniais the cancer.”

- David Myers

Schizophrenia

The literal translation is “split mind” which refers to a split from reality. A group of severe

disorders characterized by the following:

1. Disorganized and delusional thinking.

2. Disturbed perceptions. 3. Inappropriate emotions

and actions.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Positive symptoms: the presence of inappropriate behaviors (hallucinations, disorganized or delusional talking)

Negative symptoms: the absence of appropriate behaviors (expressionless faces, rigid bodies)

Other forms of delusions include, delusions of persecution (“someone is following me”) or grandeur (“I am a

king”).

Disorganized & Delusional Thinking

This morning when I was at Hillside [Hospital], I was making a movie. I was surrounded by movie stars … I’m Mary Poppins. Is this room painted blue to get me upset? My grandmother died four weeks after my eighteenth birthday.”

(Sheehan, 1982)

This monologue illustrates fragmented, bizarre thinking with distorted beliefs

called delusions (“I’m Mary Poppins”).

Disorganized & Delusional Thinking

Many psychologists believe disorganized thoughts occur because of selective

attention failure (fragmented and bizarre thoughts).

Disturbed PerceptionsA schizophrenic person may perceive things

that are not there (hallucinations). Frequently such hallucinations are auditory and lesser

visual, somatosensory, olfactory, or gustatory.

Inappropriate Emotions & Actions

A schizophrenic person may laugh at the news of someone dying or show no

emotion at all (flat affect).

Patients with schizophrenia may continually rub an arm, rock a chair, or

remain motionless for hours (catatonia).

Onset and Development of Schizophrenia

Nearly 1 in a 100 suffer from schizophrenia, and throughout the world

over 24 million people suffer from this disease (WHO, 2002).

Schizophrenia strikes young people as they mature into adults. It affects men

and women equally, but men suffer from it more severely than women.

Chronic and Acute Schizophrenia

When schizophrenia is slow to develop (chronic/process) recovery is doubtful.

Such schizophrenics usually display negative symptoms.

When schizophrenia rapidly develops (acute/reactive) recovery is better. Such

schizophrenics usually show positive symptoms.

Understanding Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a disease of the brain exhibited by the symptoms of the mind.

Dopamine Overactivity: Researchers found that schizophrenic patients express higher levels of dopamine D4 receptors in

the brain.

Brain Abnormalities

Abnormal Brain Activity

Brain scans show abnormal activity in the frontal cortex, thalamus, and

amygdala of schizophrenic patients.

Abnormal Brain MorphologySchizophrenia patients may exhibit

morphological changes in the brain like enlargement of fluid-filled ventricles.

Both P

hotos: Courtesy of D

aniel R.

Weinberger, M

.D., N

IH-N

IMH

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Viral Infection

Schizophrenia has also been observed in individuals who contracted a viral

infection (flu) during the middle of their fetal development.

Genetic FactorsThe likelihood of an individual suffering

from schizophrenia is 50% if their identical twin has the disease (Gottesman, 2001).

0 10 20 30 40 50

Identical

Both parents

Fraternal

One parent

Sibling

Nephew or niece

Unrelated

Genetic FactorsThe following shows the prevalence of

schizophrenia in identical twins as seen in different countries.

Psychological Factors

Psychological and environmental factors can trigger schizophrenia if the individual is

genetically predisposed (Nicol & Gottesman, 1983).

Genain Sisters

The genetically identical Genain

sisters suffer from schizophrenia. Two more than others,

thus there are contributing

environmental factors.

Courtesy of G

enain Fam

ily

Take a look at Handout 14-21…

1. T2. T3. T4. T5. T6. T7. F8. T9. T10.T

11.T12.F13.F14.T15.T16.F17.T18.F19.T20.T

21.T22.F23.F24.T25.T26.T27.T28.T29.T30.T

Handout 14-21 is Mark Eckblad and Loren Chapman’s 30-item true-false scale to assess “magical thinking.” The scale is based on the idea that schizophrenia-prone people often show a belief in magical influences. Most of the items inquire about respondents’ interpretations of their own experiences rather than their belief in the theoretical possibility of magical forms of causation. Of more than 1500 college students who completed the scale, males and females had mean scores of 8.56 and 9.69, respectively.

The scale is part of a larger project aimed at developing “measures of deviant functioning to identify young adults who may be psychosis prone.” Participants who scored very high on the Magical Ideation Scale were interviewed extensively. Compared to a control group, they did report “more schizotypical experiences, more affective symptoms, and more difficulties in concentration.”

HomeworkRead p.628-633