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
/ NS
C
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