Schizophrenia
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
• Must have two (or more) of the following: • Delusions: false beliefs held by a person who refuses to accept evidence that disproves belief
• Hallucinations: false sensory perceptions
– e.g., hearing voices that do not really exist
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
• Disorganized speech: bizarre and/or incoherent speech
• Disorganized behavior: inability to engage in normal social rituals of daily life • Catatonic behavior: periods of statue-like immobility
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
• Negative symptoms: symptoms that are less than normal behavior
– poor attention, poor speech production – flat affect: lack of emotional responsiveness
• Positive symptoms: symptoms that are in excess of normal behavior
– hallucinations, delusions, and distorted thinking
Theories of Schizophrenia
• 1) Genetic disposition
– chance of schizophrenia if one parent is 12%, chance if both parents 35-46%
• 2) Brain abnormalities
– Enlarged ventricles – Chemical imbalances
• 3) Prenatal problems or birth complications
– malnutrition, virus, deprivation of oxygen during birth