Schizophrenia Overview

Schizophrenia

• A chronic and severe mental disorder characterized by disturbances in thought, perception, emotion, and behavior.
• Symptoms often emerge in late adolescence or early adulthood.
• Positive symptoms include hallucinations (e.g., hearing voices), delusions (e.g., believing one is being followed), disorganized thinking and speech (e.g., derailment, tangentiality), and exaggerated or bizarre behaviors.
• Negative symptoms include diminished emotional expression, avolition (reduced motivation), alogia (reduced speech output), and anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure).
• Cognitive symptoms include difficulties with attention, working memory, executive function, and processing speed.
• Diagnosis typically involves a clinical assessment considering the duration and severity of symptoms and their impact on daily functioning.
• Treatment often involves a combination of medication (antipsychotics), psychotherapy (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy), and psychosocial support services.
• The exact cause of schizophrenia remains unknown, but is likely a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

• A personality disorder characterized by a pattern of social and interpersonal deficits, eccentricities of behavior, and unusual or distorted perceptions.
• Individuals with schizotypal personality disorder may experience social anxiety and discomfort, but do not typically experience the significant impairments in reality testing characteristic of schizophrenia.
• Cognitive and perceptual anomalies might include magical thinking, suspiciousness, and unusual perceptions or beliefs.
• Symptoms can often cause significant distress in social or occupational functioning, and may increase susceptibility to psychosis.
• Often diagnosed in adulthood.
• Treatment may involve psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or medications to manage anxiety or mood symptoms, although there is no specific medication for this disorder.

Psychotic Disorders

• Psychotic disorders are mental disorders characterized by a loss of contact with reality.
• They are a group of conditions involving significant disturbances in thought, perception, emotion, and behavior.
• This includes schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders classified based on specific symptom patterns and duration of illness.
• Examples of other psychotic conditions:
  • Schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, and delusional disorder.
• Shared psychotic disorder (folie à deux): Psychotic symptoms develop in one or both individuals within an interpersonal shared environment.
• Substance-induced psychotic disorder: Psychotic symptoms directly attributed to substance use or withdrawal.
• Psychotic disorders due to another medical condition.
• Diagnosis often involves clinical assessment and may require neuropsychological testing to identify contributing factors and assess functional impact. Treatment and management are tailored to the individual and condition.