Abnormal Psychology Exam 4: Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders

neologism

"My father and I swiggered to the beach yesterday." This is an example of a(n) __________.

The risk of developing schizophrenia is around __________.

0.7 percent

Cognitive remeditation

Training efforts designed to help patients improve their neurocognitive (e.g., memory, vigilance) skills. The hope is that this will also help improve patients' overall levels of functioning.

Antipsychotics

(neuroleptics) medications that alleviate or diminish the intensity of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions. Examples are chlorpromazine (Thorazine) and haloperidol (Haldol)

erotomania

Although Shelby has never met Donald Trump, she firmly believes he is in love with her because of the way he looks at her when he appears on the television. Her efforts to contact him have never been successful, which Shelby attributes to his need to keep their love secret "for now." Shelby has covered the walls of her bedroom with Trump photographs and posts long essays about their mutual love on her blog and social media accounts. Shelby works full-time, lives alone in an apartment, and exhibits no unusual behavior apart from her "secret affair" with Trump. Shelby's behavior is consistent with the DSM-5 diagnosis of __________.

Glutamate

An excitatory neurotransmitter that is widespread throughout the brain. A dysfunction in this might be linked to schizophrenia

the first signs are usually seen in a child's motor movement

Based on developmental studies of children who later developed schizophrenia, __________.

Endophenotypes

Discrete, measurable traits that are linked to specific genes that might be involved in schizophrenia or other mental disorders.

Schizophrenia

Disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and behavior, as well as problems in self-care and general functioning.

genome-wide association study (GWAS)

Dr. Mickens is conducting a study in which the entire genetic code of two groups—one with schizophrenia and one without the disorder—is investigated. What kind of study is this?

Delusion

False belief about reality maintained in spite of strong evidence to the contrary.

Hallucination

False perception such as things seen or heard that are not real or present

work by blocking dopamine receptors

First generation antipsychotics __________.

Schizoaffective disorder

Form of psychotic disorder in which the symptoms of schizophrenia co-occur with symptoms of mood disorder

Candidate genes

Genes that are of specific interest to researchers because they are thought to be involved in processes that are known to be aberrant in that disorder (e.g., serotonin transporter genes in depression, or dopamine receptor genes in schizophrenia).

b. Not being able to pick up on emotions associated with facial expressions

Having basic problems in social cognition is one symptom associated with schizophrenia. Which of the following is an example of a lack of social cognition? a. Being able to follow the speed limit. b. Not being able to pick up on emotions associated with facial expressions. c. Picking up on implicit rules. d. Not being able to follow the speed limit.

urban; rural

In an examination of environmental factors contributing to the development of schizophrenia, researchers in Denmark found that children who spent the first 15 years of their lives living in __________ environments were 2.75 times as likely to develop the condition as children who were raised in __________ settings.

sensory gating

In the area of auditory processing, people with schizophrenia show deficits in a process called __________. This may interfere with their ability to habituate to similar stimuli that are presented in rapid succession.

b. His mother worked as a dry cleaner.

Marcus, age 19, is a college sophomore who has recently begun demonstrating the symptoms of schizophrenia. Which of the following details is most likely true of Marcus? a. When Marcus was born, his father was in his mid-40s. b. His mother worked as a dry cleaner. c. When Marcus was conceived, his mother was 15. d. His parents were both born in the United States.

The number of excess synapses are being reduced, or "pruned."

Marlon is transitioning between his adolescent and early-adulthood years. His brain is, therefore, going through a lot of structural changes. Which of the following is one of those changes?

characterized as an absence or deficit of normal behavior

Negative symptoms are __________

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter from the catecholamine family that is initially synthesized from tyrosine, an amino acid common in the diet. Dopamine is produced from L-DOPA by the enzyme dopamine decarboxylase. This is also the most well-studied neurotransmitter implicated in schizophrenia.

Delusional disorder

Nurturing, giving voice to, and sometimes taking action on beliefs that are considered completely false by others; formerly called paranoia.

c. humor

One aspect of family environment that has been found to be important in schizophrenia is the level of expressed emotion. Which of the following is not one of the expressed emotions found to be predictive of relapse? a. criticism b. hostility c. humor d. emotional overinvolvement

difference between schizophrenia and dementias of old age

The term "démence précoce"—mental deterioration at an early age—was used by Benedict Morel to describe schizophrenia and to explain the __________.

Genome-wide association study (GWAS)

This type of study allows researchers to scan the entire genomes of large numbers of individuals to search for genetic variants associated with specific diseases. DNA is usually obtained from blood or from cheek swab samples. The DNA is then placed on tiny chips and scanned on highly specialized automated machines. Genetic variations in people with and without disease or disorder are then compared.

Expressed emotion (EE)

Type of negative communication involving criticism and emotional overinvolvement directed at a patient by family members

provisional schizophreniform disorder

Virginia exhibits a variety of schizophrenic symptoms including delusions, auditory hallucinations, and formal thought disorder. She has been symptomatic for a little more than a month. Virginia qualifies for a diagnosis of ________

a. Cognitive difficulties often occur at the start of the illness, or even before it is diagnosed.

What evidence is noted in your textbook to support the following statement: "It is unlikely that the cognitive impairments seen in people suffering from schizophrenia are due to the effects of extended hospitalization or medication"? a. Cognitive difficulties often occur at the start of the illness, or even before it is diagnosed. b. Experimental research that has used antipsychotic medication has found that those on extended regimens of such drugs do not show significant changes in cognitive abilities. c. Comparative research has looked at those with and those without schizophrenia and has found significant differences in cognitive skills. d. Those who are diagnosed with schizophrenia prior to age 30 usually do not experience the cognitive symptoms that are seen in older people diagnosed with the condition.

Mild psychotic symptoms that are not severe enough to meet clinical criteria for a full-blown psychotic disorder

What is attenuated psychoses syndrome?

splitting of the intellect from emotion and external reality

When Eugen Bleuler used the word schizophrenia to describe a "splitting" he observed in patients, he used the term to represent a __________.

proinflammatory cytokines; anti-inflammatory cytokines

Whereas __________ in mothers are associated with higher rates of schizophrenia, __________ in mothers are associated with reduced risk of schizophrenia in their offspring.

d. schizoaffective disorder

Which disorder would provide the greatest challenge for a clinician to accurately diagnose? a. delusional disorder b. schizophreniform disorder c. brief psychotic disorder d. schizoaffective disorder

c. losing contact with reality, referred to as psychosis

Which of the following is the hallmark of schizophrenia? a. experiencing physical symptoms in the absence of any physical or organic cause b. perceiving a major flaw in one's body that is either nonexistent or highly exaggerated c. losing contact with reality, referred to as psychosis d. experiencing more than one personality in the same individual

The onset of schizophrenia occurs earlier in men than in women.

Which of the following most accurately describes some sex differences observed in schizophrenia?

tardive dyskinesia

Which of the following terms, which refers to marked involuntary movement of the lips, tongue, hands, and neck, is a side effect that sometimes accompanies the use of antipsychotic medications?

dysconnectivity

Which problem, recently identified in the white matter of people with schizophrenia, explains a lot of the clinical features of the disorder?

d. Some deaf people with schizophrenia experience auditory hallucinations.

Which statement supports the notion that a hallucination is a sensory experience that is internally rather than externally generated? a. Hallucinations are the symptoms of schizophrenia that are least responsive to antipsychotic medications. b. Hallucinations are always of the sensory system that matches the delusion that is being simultaneously experienced. c. Auditory hallucinations are the most common, while olfactory, tactile, and gustatory hallucinations are the least common. d. Some deaf people with schizophrenia experience auditory hallucinations.

up to 1 month; between 1 and 6 months

While the symptoms of brief psychotic disorder may last for __________, the symptoms of a schizophreniform disorder can persist for __________.

they reduce the amount of time that patients spend in a hospital

Why are assertive community treatment programs a cost effective way to provide treatment to those with schizophrenia?

They reflect an excess or distortion in a normal repertoire of behavior or experience.

Why are symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking categorized as positive symptoms?

When stringent criteria are used to define recovery, only about 14 percent of those with schizophrenia recover.

Why would it be accurate to say that a "cure" for schizophrenia has yet to be uncovered?

candidate

__________ genes are genes that are involved in processes that are believed to be aberrant in schizophrenia.

Expressed emotion

__________ has been a very important topic in the study of psychosocial factors that contribute to schizophrenia. High levels of this quality in families have been found to predict relapse in patients with the disorder.

dopamine

The most well-studied neurotransmitter implicated in schizophrenia is __________.

reference

A person experiencing a delusion of __________ might believe that the billboard that she saw while driving down the highway was speaking directly to her instead of simply advertising a product.

Avolition

A type of negative symptom in its own subgrouping: Refers to a psychological state that is characterized by a general lack of drive or motivation to pursue meaningful goals.

Blunted affect

A type of negative symptom: A reduction in the range of affective expression commonly found in patients with schizophrenia. The difference between blunted affect and flat affect is one of degree. When the reduction in affective range is more pronounced and extreme (such that the person is almost expressionless the patient may be said to have flat affect.

Alogia

A type of negative symptom: A term referring to poverty of speech; a symptom that often occurs in schizophrenia.

Flat affect

A type of negative symptom: The lack of emotional expression

Brief Psychotic Disorder

Brief episodes (lasting a month or less) of otherwise uncomplicated delusional thinking

Schizophreniform disorder

Category of schizophrenic-like psychosis less than 6 months in duration and at least a month; hence, it does not warrant a diagnosis of schizophrenia

Attenuated psychosis syndrome

Characterized by psychotic-like sypmtoms that are less severe and more transient and that lie below the threshold for a full psychotic disorder

Prodromal

Considered to be an early (subclinical) stage of schizophrenia, characterized by very low-level symptoms or behavioral idiosyncrasies

intellectual impairments, neurosis, and psychopathy

Research by Heston in 1966 suggested that a diagnosis of schizophrenia in one's mother was associated with an increased probability of being diagnosed with several other conditions, including __________.

cannabis

Research suggests that using __________ during adolescence more than doubles a person's risk of developing schizophrenia at a later stage of life.

1 out of 100

Schizophrenia occurs in about ________ of the general population.

Psychosis

Severe impairment in the ability to tell what is real and what is not real

Positive symptoms

Symptoms are characterized by something being added to normal behavior or experience. Includes delusions, hallucinations, motor agitation, and marked emotional turmoil

Negative symptoms

Symptoms that reflect an absence or deficit in normal functions (e.g., blunted affect, social withdrawal)