SCHIZOPHRENIAMental Illness Unit

Word Salad

A woman was delighted to receive a letter from her son abroad, but distraught when she read it: “Dear mother…I am writing on paper. The pen I am using is from a factory called Perry and Co. The factory is in England. The city of London is in England. I know this from my school days. Then I always liked geography. My last teacher in that subject was Professor August A. He was a man with black eyes. There are also blue and grey eyes and other sorts too. I have heard it said that snakes have green eyes. All people have eyes. There are some, too, who are blind.”

Schizophrenia

Sufferers have difficulty using language to communicate Affects working memory

(used to make sentences)

May not remember the beginning of a sentence and thus finishes it with an unrelated thought

What is Schizophrenia

Definition: a group of disorders characterized by confused and disconnected thoughts, emotions, and perceptions Affects 1% of worlds

population (2.4 mil Americans)

Delusions: false beliefs that a person maintains in the face of contrary evidence “Losing contact with

reality”

What is Schizophrenia

Hallucinations: Perceptions that have no direct or external cause

Incoherence: marked decline in thought process Disturbances of affect: emotions that are

inappropriate for the circumstances Deterioration in Normal Movement: slowed

movement, no movement, or highly agitated behavior

Decline in previous levels of functioning: EX – sharp drop off in productivity at work

Diverted Attention: inability to focus attention

Types of Schizophrenia

Several Subtypes: Paranoid: involves hallucinations and delusions

of grandeur Persecution: Someone is always watching me Catatonic: long, motionless periods, waxy

flexibility Disorganized: incoherent lang., inappropriate

emotions, giggling for no apparent reason, delusions, etc.

Remission: someone whose symptoms are gone or still exist but are not severe enough to earn diagnosis

Types of Schizophrenia

Undifferentiated : encompasses the basic symptoms of schizophrenia (deterioration of functioning, hallucinations, delusions, inappropriate emotions, thought disorders

Schizophrenia usually leads to hospitalization Patients become “burned out” – unlikely

to function normally in society Recovery is possible but no real cure

exists

Causes of Schizophrenia

Biological Influences: Genetics play a role

(1% of general population)

Odds increase 10% if already found in family

Environmental factors as well

Biochemistry & Physiology Chemical imbalances in

the brain Dopamine Hypothesis

Causes of Schizophrenia

Family and Interactions: Not enough on its own but may

CONTRIBUTE to problems in adult years Families of individuals who later develop

schizophrenia are often on the verge of falling apart

Communication often seems disorganized in the early family life of people who later develop schizophrenia