Chapter 91. Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Learning Objectives

catatonia

disturbance in a person’s movement produced by a person’s mental state; often involves a trance-like stupor with rigid limbs

delusions

beliefs that do not match reality

disorganized behavior

in schizophrenia, repetitive, purposeless actions, or behaviors that don't fit the situation

disorganized speech

in schizophrenia, illogical or incoherent statements that jump from topic to topic

dopamine

neurotransmitter involved in movement and motivation; excessively high levels may produce distortions in perception or thinking

emotion

a conscious mental state or feeling that arises spontaneously as a reaction to events

flat affect

absence of normal, expected emotional reactions

hallucinations

false sensory experiences or distortions in perception

negative symptoms

in schizophrenia, the absence of normal emotions or typical behaviors

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers released by the axon terminal into the synaptic gap between neurons

paranoia

a distortion in thinking characterized by excessive suspicion and fear of other people

perception

organizing and interpreting information from the senses to understand its meaning

positive symptoms

in schizophrenia, the occurrence of unusual thoughts or behaviors, such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, or repetitive movements

psychological disorder

a disturbance in a person’s thinking, behavior, or emotions serious enough to cause distress

schizophrenia

a psychological disorder characterized by disturbed, irrational thinking and inappropriate emotional behavior

stimulus

an external event, such as a light or sound, detected by our senses

Concept Formation

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Learning Objectives:

Describe the major symptoms of schizophrenia.

Contrast positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

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1. The term schizophrenia comes from the Greek words for "split mind." It is considered one of the most serious psychological disorders because it involves a break with reality severe enough to impair functioning and cause a person to experience difficulties in relationships, at school, and/or at work.

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2. The symptoms of schizophrenia are often divided into positive symptoms and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are active, unusual behaviors that demonstrate distortions in perception or thinking. These symptoms are associated with high levels of the neurotransmitter called dopamine. Negative symptoms are harder to notice, because they represent the absence of normal, expected behaviors.

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3. Hallucinations are perceptions of stimuli that are not really present. The most common hallucination is hearing voices. Some individuals with schizophrenia experience visual hallucinations (such as seeing blood dripping down the walls) or tactile hallucinations (such as feeling insects crawling on their skin).

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4. Delusions are beliefs that do not match reality. Some individuals with schizophrenia have delusions of grandeur, believing that they are some famous or powerful person. Others experience paranoia and have delusions of persecution, believing that someone or something is trying to harm them.

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5. Other positive symptoms include disorganized speech (containing illogical or incoherent statements) or disorganized behavior (such as repetitive, purposeless actions, or behaviors that don’t fit the situation). Some individuals with schizophrenia also display catatonia, holding a rigid, motionless pose for hours at a time.

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6. The main negative symptom of schizophrenia is flat affect, an absence of normal emotional reactions. (Affect, with accent on the first syllable, is another word for mood or emotion.) Some individuals with schizophrenia also display social withdrawal, cutting off contact with friends and family.

Practice 1: Exploring Schizophrenic Symptoms

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Practice 1: Exploring Schizophrenic Symptoms

Roll over the images to see some of the symptoms associated with schizophrenia.

Symptoms:

Flat affect: absence of normal, expected emotional reactions (such as showing no sadness at the funeral of a close friend)

Disorganized speech: illogical or incoherent statements

Disorganized behavior: repetitive, purposeless actions, or behaviors that don't fit the situation (such as wearing a heavy coat on a hot summer day)

Hallucinations: false sensory experiences or distortions in perception

Delusions: beliefs that do not match reality

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Practice 2: Hallucinations and Delusions

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Practice 2: Hallucinations and Delusions

Select the PLAY button to hear this woman describe her symptoms.

These symptoms of schizophrenia indicate that the person has lost touch with reality. Hallucinations can occur in any of the senses, but they are usually auditory. People who experience auditory hallucinations may hear voices talking about them or giving commands, such as telling them to kill their family members. Often, the hallucinations are related to the person’s delusions.

People with delusions of persecution have paranoid thoughts that others are "out to get me." People with delusions of grandeur are convinced they have special powers or status, such as the ability to control other people’s thoughts.

Practice 3: Disorganized Thinking and Behavior

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Practice 3: Disorganized Thinking and Behavior

Select the PLAY button to hear this man talk about his symptoms.

People who suffer from schizophrenia sometimes exhibit bizarre disorganized behavior—repetitive, purposeless movements or rigid immobility. Some schizophrenic patients repeatedly twirl their hair or shake their feet continuously for no apparent reason.

Another symptom is disorganized speech—a disturbed pattern of speech, perhaps filled with made-up words and sentence fragments, separated with long pauses. The person jumps from one topic to the next in a disorganized, incoherent manner.

Quiz 1

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Quiz 1

Drag each term for a symptom of schizophrenia to the gray area near the appropriate scenario. When all the terms have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to Quiz 2.

Perhaps you should go back to review the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Hikaru said, “The voices told me to stop taking my medications.”

Jenny refused to get onto the bus because “Cleopatra only rides in chariots.”

Maria’s face was expressionless and her voice was a monotone as she described winning the lottery.

Samuel said, “She put on her head and then became respectable. Stands up himself and eats it.”

After Kyle fell off his bike, he laughed uncontrollably when he saw that his leg was bleeding.

flat affect

disorganized speech

hallucinations

disorganized behavior

delusions

Quiz 2

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Quiz 2

Drag one of the terms for a symptom category to the gray area in front of each specific symptom of schizophrenia. When all the terms have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to the Conclusion.

Perhaps you should go back to review the symptoms of schizophrenia.

positive symptom

negative symptom

hallucinations

flat affect (lack of emotions)

delusions

poor social functioning

low energy, apathetic

disorganized speech

Conclusion

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Congratulations!

You have completed
Concept Formation