schizophrenia classification

Question 1

classification definition

Answer 1

organising symptoms into categories based on which symptoms cluster together in sufferers i.e. what are the symptoms of schizophrenia?

Question 2

diagnosis definition

Answer 2

deciding whether someone has a particular mental illness using the classifications.

Question 3

hallucinations definition

Answer 3

Disturbance of perceptions from any of the senses. False sensory perceptions that are not based in reality or a distorted perception of things that are e.g. auditory hallucinations like hearing voices

Question 4

delusion definition

Answer 4

false, irrational, firmly held beliefs that are not based in reality e.g. persecution, grandeur, control, reference

Question 5

positive symptoms

Answer 5

atypical symptoms that people experience in addition to normal behaviours and experiences e.g. hallucinations and delusions

Question 6

negative symptoms

Answer 6

atypical symptoms that represent a loss of a typical/normal behaviour or experience e.g. reduced ability to function, lack of emotion, expressionless face

Question 7

common negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 7

avolition
speech poverty

Question 8

avolition

Answer 8

• a lack of purposeful, willed behaviour
• the reduction, difficulty or inability to start and continue with goal directed behaviour
• reduced motivation and activity levels

Question 9

speech poverty

Answer 9

• reduced frequency, quality, output of speech
• limited and repetitive content
• sometimes accompanied by delay in verbal responses during conversation

Question 10

What are the two major systems for classifying schizophrenia and where are they used?

Answer 10

• World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Disease edition 10 (ICD-10) and the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual edition 5 (DSM-5)
• The ICD-10 is mostly used in Europe, and the DSM-5 is mostly used in the USA
• These differ slightly in their classification of schizophrenia

Question 11

According to each classification system, what symptoms does someone need to have to be diagnosed with schizophrenia?

Answer 11

• In the DSM-5 system, two of the positive symptoms must be present for diagnosis, but only one if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the person’s behaviour or thoughts, or two or more voices conversing together. There must be continuous signs of disturbance for at least 1 month. For a significant portion of the time, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations or self-care must be markedly below the level achieved prior to onset.
• In the ICD-10 system, two or more negative symptoms are sufficient for diagnosis or one positive symptom.

Question 12

Why are there no longer subtypes of schizophrenia recognised in the classification systems?

Answer 12

The ICD-10 and DSM-5 have both dropped subtypes of schizophrenia (e.g. Paranoid schizophrenia, which is characterised by powerful hallucinations and delusions but relatively few other symptoms) because they tended to be inconsistent.

Question 13

schizophrenia definition

Answer 13

a type of psychosis, a severe mental disorder characterised by a profound disruption of cognition and emotion so that contact with external reality and insight are impaired. This affects a person’s language, thought, perception, emotions and even their sense of self.

Question 14

how much of the population does schizophrenia affect

Answer 14

• 1%
• most common psychotic disorder

Question 15

where is schizophrenia most diagnosed

Answer 15

• males
• city-dwellers
• lower socio-economic groups

Question 16

how many people recover from it

Answer 16

no more than 1 in 5

Question 17

when does it most commonly occur

Answer 17

• late adolescence or early adulthood
• peak of incidence onset is 25-30 years