53 Questions
Which term was originally coined by Eugen Bleuler to describe a type of psychotic disorder?
Schizophrenia
What percentage of individuals with schizophrenia die by suicide?
5-6%
What is the main characteristic of schizophrenia?
Loss of reality testing
Which of the following is a key symptom of schizophrenia?
Loss of reality testing including hallucinations, delusions, and mental confusion
Who originally coined the term 'schizophrenia' and derived it from the Greek phrase for 'split mind'?
Eugen Bleuler
When Eugen Bleuler referred to a 'splitting of the associations between basic aspects of the same personality,' what aspects was he specifically referring to?
Splitting of thought, emotion, and behavior
Which of the following best defines a 'heterogeneous disorder'?
A disorder that exhibits significant variability in its presentation, symptoms, underlying causes, or responses to treatment among individuals who have the disorder.
Which age group has the highest peak onset of illness for males?
15 - 25
When is the onset of illness more common in females?
After 35
Which gender tends to have better outcomes in general?
Females
What is the estimated lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia?
0.2-1.5%
Which of the following is NOT one of the categories of symptoms associated with schizophrenia?
Cognitive
Which type of symptoms in schizophrenia involve difficulties with thinking, memory, and attention?
Cognitive symptoms
What type of symptoms in schizophrenia involve an excess or distortion of normal behaviour?
Positive symptoms
Which type of hallucination is the most common in schizophrenia?
Auditory hallucinations
What do auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia sometimes involve?
Commenting on the person and their actions
What have functional neuroimaging studies found during auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia?
Activation of the speech production areas of the brain
Which of the following best describes hallucinations in schizophrenia?
A sensory experience in the absence of environmental stimuli
According to the content, how are delusions defined?
Fixed, false beliefs that are not consistent with a person's culture or societal background
What distinguishes delusions from other types of thoughts, according to the content?
The content of thought rather than the process or form of thought
How can delusions be characterized in terms of their plausibility, according to the content?
Non-bizarre (possible but unlikely) or bizarre (clearly implausible/impossible)
Which of the following is an example of a bizarre delusion, as mentioned in the content?
Believing that squirrels from Neptune are monitoring thoughts
Which of the following is an example of a non-bizarre delusion?
Believing that government agencies are monitoring you
Which type of delusion involves the belief that others are targeting the person for harassment or harm?
Delusion of persecution
Which type of delusion involves the belief that others' behavior is interpreted as meaningful or directed at them?
Delusion of reference
Which type of delusion involves the belief that one's thoughts or will is being controlled by others?
Delusion of control
Which type of delusion involves believing that one possesses special powers or abilities and an inflated sense of personal importance?
Delusion of grandeur
Which type of symptoms in schizophrenia involve a loss or decrease in normal behavior?
Negative symptoms
Which negative symptom of schizophrenia is characterized by a lack of pleasure in day-to-day activities?
Anhedonia
What negative symptom of schizophrenia involves a flat or expressionless face and tone of voice, as well as a reduced ability to express emotions?
Affective flattening
Which negative symptom of schizophrenia involves a reduced interest or ability to start or continue an activity?
Avolition
Which negative symptom of schizophrenia is characterized by a reduced speech output aka “poverty of speech”?
Alogia
Which negative symptom of schizophrenia is characterized by a lack of interest in social activities and forming relationships?
Social withdrawal
Which type of symptoms in schizophrenia involve a variety of erratic behaviours that affect speech motor behaviour and emotional reactions?
Disorganized symptoms
Which term describes a person's tendency to provide excessive and unnecessary detail when communicating, often causing their speech to stray from the main topic?
Circumstantiality
What is the term for thinking that involves going off-topic during conversations and never returning to the original point?
Tangentiality
What is the term for the use of words and phrases that are strung together in a way that lacks logical connections or meaningful structure?
Incoherence
What is the term for the creation of new words that have meaning only to the individual, making communication with others difficult?
Neologisms
What is the term for a disruption in the logical and coherent flow of thought, where the person's speech moves from one idea to another in a way that seems unrelated or only loosely connected?
Loose associations
What is the term for when a person's speech is abruptly interrupted, as if their thoughts have been taken away?
Thought blocking
What is the term for the repetition of a particular word, phrase, gesture, or behavior despite the context having changed?
Perseveration
Which term describes the repetition or echoing of words, phrases, or sounds that are spoken by someone else?
Echolalia
What is the term for the repetitive fixed pattern of movement, such as posturing or grimacing?
Stereotypies
Which symptom in schizophrenia involves the adoption of unusual or rigid body positions that are often maintained for an extended period of time?
Posturing
What is the term for the facial expressions or movements that appear unusual, inappropriate, or disconnected from the person's emotional state or context?
Grimacing
Which symptom in schizophrenia involves the individual remaining consistently silent and refraining from speaking, even though they are physically capable of speech?
Mutism
What is the term for the maintenance of a position that a person has been placed in by another?
Catatonic immobility
Which symptom in schizophrenia involves agitated purposeless movement and a variety of hyperactive and frenzied behaviors?
Catatonic excitement
Which term describes purposeless imitation of behavior witnessed in another?
Echopraxia
Which of the following is a common characteristic of IQ scores among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia?
IQ scores tend to be below expectations based on family and environmental factors.
Which cognitive skills are commonly affected by neuropsychological deficits in individuals with schizophrenia, as mentioned in the content?
Working memory, novel problem-solving, and explicit memory
Approximately what percentage of individuals with schizophrenia perform in the impaired range on cognitive tasks?
50%
What did a monozygotic twin study involving schizophrenia-discordant twin pairs reveal about cognitive performance in individuals with schizophrenia?
Schizophrenic twins consistently scored lower than their non-schizophrenic twin on cognitive tasks.
Study Notes
Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia was originally coined by Eugen Bleuler to describe a type of psychotic disorder.
Mortality Rate
- Approximately 5% of individuals with schizophrenia die by suicide.
Main Characteristics
- The main characteristic of schizophrenia is a 'splitting of the associations between basic aspects of the same personality.'
Eugen Bleuler's Concept
- When Eugen Bleuler referred to a 'splitting of the associations between basic aspects of the same personality,' he was specifically referring to the disconnection between thinking, feeling, and perception.
Heterogeneous Disorder
- Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder, meaning it has multiple causes and manifestations.
Age and Gender
- The highest peak onset of illness for males is in the early to mid-20s.
- The onset of illness is more common in females in the late 20s.
- Females tend to have better outcomes in general.
Prevalence
- The estimated lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia is approximately 0.5-1%.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
- Positive symptoms involve an excess or distortion of normal behavior.
- Negative symptoms involve a loss or decrease in normal behavior.
- Cognitive symptoms involve difficulties with thinking, memory, and attention.
Hallucinations
- The most common type of hallucination in schizophrenia is auditory.
- Auditory hallucinations sometimes involve a voice commenting on the person's actions.
- Functional neuroimaging studies have found that hallucinations in schizophrenia involve abnormal activity in the brain's auditory cortex.
- Hallucinations in schizophrenia are characterized as false sensory perceptions that occur in the absence of an external stimulus.
Delusions
- Delusions are defined as false, firm beliefs that are not based on reality.
- Delusions are distinguished from other types of thoughts by their degree of conviction and imperviousness to evidence.
- Delusions can be bizarre or non-bizarre, with bizarre delusions being more characteristic of schizophrenia.
- Examples of delusions include persecutory delusions, referential delusions, and grandiose delusions.
Negative Symptoms
- Negative symptoms of schizophrenia include alogia (poverty of speech), avolition (lack of motivation), anhedonia (lack of pleasure), and asociality (lack of interest in social activities).
Disorganized Symptoms
- Disorganized symptoms of schizophrenia involve a variety of erratic behaviors that affect speech motor behavior and emotional reactions.
- Examples of disorganized symptoms include derailment (thinking that involves going off-topic), tangentiality (thinking that involves going off-topic and never returning to the original point), and neologisms (creation of new words that have meaning only to the individual).
Cognitive Deficits
- Individuals with schizophrenia often have cognitive deficits, particularly in attention, memory, and executive function.
- Approximately 70% of individuals with schizophrenia perform in the impaired range on cognitive tasks.
- A monozygotic twin study involving schizophrenia-discordant twin pairs revealed that cognitive performance in individuals with schizophrenia is characterized by subtle deficits that predate the onset of illness.
Test your knowledge about Schizophrenia and its characteristics, including hallucinations, delusions, and mental confusion. Learn about the alarming rates of suicide and suicide attempts in individuals with this psychotic disorder. Discover the origins of the term "schizophrenia" coined by Eugen Bleuler.
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