Module 52: Schizophrenia

The likelihood of a person suffering from schizophrenia is ____ if their identical twin has the disease.

50%

Schizophrenics may have ____ overactivity in their brains.

Dopamine -researchers found patients had higher levels of dopamine D4 receptors in the brain

One cause of disorganized thinking may be...

a breakdown in selective attention -cannot give undivided attention to one set of sensory stimuli while filtering out others.

delusion

a false belief, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

Acute Schizophrenia

a form of schizophrenia that: -rapidly develops; recovery is better -usually display positive symptoms -can begin at any age; frequently occurs in response to an emotionally traumatic event, and -has extended recovery periods -more likely to respond to drug therapy (also called reactive schizophrenia)

Schizophrenia

a psychological disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression

Positive symptoms of Schizophrenia

bizarre additions to one's behavior -hallucinations, disorganized or delusional talking

schizophrenia risk factors

childhood abuse, low birth weight, maternal diabetes, older father age, and oxygen deprivation during delivery. -conceived during famine

impaired theory of mind

difficulty perceiving facial emotions and reading other's states of mind.

Schizophrenia's been observed in individuals whose mothers _____.

had the flu during their pregnancy -when infection occurs in second trimester

Brain scans show abnormal activity in ______ of schizophrenic patients.

low activity in the frontal (lobes) cortex, thalamus (active while hallucinating, and amygdala (active while hallucinating

flat affect

showing no emotion at all (perhaps at being told someone died)

Chronic Schizophrenia

slow to develop; recovery doubtful -usually display negative symptoms -as people age, psychotic episodes last longer and recovery periods shorten -symptoms usually appear by late adolescence/ early adulthood "Process"

Negative symptoms of Schizophrenia

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

Possible early warning signs of schizophrenia

-social withdrawal -mother w/ severe/long-lasting schizophrenia -birth complications (oxygen depriv., low birth rate) -separation from parents -short attention span/ poor muscle coordination -disruptive or withdrawn behavior -emotional unpredictability -poor peer relations and solo play -childhood phys, sexual, or emotional abuse

Nearly ____ suffer from schizophrenia. Worldwide, over ____ people suffer from it.

1 in 100; 24 million

Schizophrenia is a group of severe disorders characterized by...

1) disorganized and delusional thinking 2) disturbed perceptions 3) inappropriate emotions and actions

Schizophrenia patients may exhibit ____ changes in the brain like _____.

morphological; enlargement of fluid-filled ventricles

hallucinations

perceiving things that are not there -auditory most common, but also can be visual, olfactory, or gustatory (taste)

There is a small increased risk for those born in...

the winter and spring months -after the fall/winter flu season.

Catatonia

when schizophrenic patients continually rub an arm, rock a chair, or remain motionless for hours.

Schizophrenia strikes _____, and affects men and women _____. Men suffer from it _____.

young people as they mature into adults; men and women equally; more severely than women.