what is schizophrenia?
what is the hallmark symptom of schizophrenia?
psychosis
in schizophrenia, impairment in reality testing that may present as:
define illusion
misperception of real external stimuli
hallucinations?
sensory perceptions not generated by external stimuli
ideas of reference?
what is delusions?
false beliefs not correctable by logic or reason, not based on simple ignorance, and not shared by culture, delusions of persecution most common
loss of ego boundaries?
not knowing where one’s mind and body end and those of others begin
alogia?
lack of informative content
echolalia (clanging)
repeating statements of others/associating words by their sounds, not by their meaning (eg- I’m very sure I’ve got the cure and I’m not pure.”
thought blocking
abrupt halt in the train of thinking, often because of hallucinations
neologisms
inventing new words
circumstantiality
in responding to questions, one presents unnecessary and voluminous details ultimately arriving at an answer to the questions posed
tangentiality
beginning a response in a logical fashion but then getting further and further away from the point and fail to answer the question initially posed (can understand topic transition)
loose association
loss of logical meaning between words or thoughts, when asked a question, illogically jumps from one subject to another
Neurological abnormalities
Neurotransmitter Abnormalities
Excess dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, norepinephrine
what are the good prognostic indicators for schizophrenia?
Good prognostic indicators include:
OTC agents for sleep
Melatonin
antihistamines
Rx agents/habit forming
Benzodiazepines
triazolam
temazepam
flurazepam
Off Label Options
Trazodone is a sedating antidepressant
Quetiapine is a sedating antipsychotic
schizophrenia
2. illness that tends to get worse
characteristic of schizophrenia
downward drift
symptoms of schizophrenia