Easy to read, detailed exam notes for the schizophrenia topic in AQA Psychology A level. Written by a four A* student. Covers the entire memory spec with detailed examples, positives and negatives and full evaluations.
Schizophrenia
Diagnosis and Classification
A severe mental illness which affects the way you think and feel and can affect
the ability to cope with daily life. Classified using the DSM-IV and ICD-10.
Positive symptoms – excess/distortion of normal functions: hallucinations and delusions
– more acute – treatable
• Hallucinations - auditory or visual perceptions of things that aren’t present. Imagined
stimuli could involve any of the senses. Voices heard coming from outside the person’s head
giving instructions on how to behave. 70% sufferers.
• Delusions are false beliefs - Delusions of Grandeur – believe they are Jesus/the queen or
paranoia worrying that people are out to get them.
• Psychomotor Disturbances - Stereotypical - Rocking backwards and forwards, twitches, &
repetitive behaviours. Catatonia- staying in position for hours/days on end.
Negative Symptoms – normal functions limited -speech poverty and avolition – chronic
• Thought disorder - breaks in the train of thought - illogical jumps from one topic to
another (loose association). Words confused/sentences incoherent = ‘word salad’.
Broadcasting - believes their thoughts are being broadcast to others - Alogia - aka speech
poverty – correct words are used but with little meaning.
• Avolition - person becomes totally apathetic and sits around waiting for things to happen.
No self-motivated behaviour.
EXAMPLE
2 psychiatrists independently diagnose 100 people using the DSM and ICD criteria – inter-
rate reliability is poor – One diagnosed 26 people with DSM and 44 with ICM whereas the
other diagnosed 13 with DS and 24 with ICD
, Classification
The clinical interview – client self-report symptoms in an interview – observations from
family and friends taken into account – diagnosis can take several months. Onset fast and
severe you can be sectioned.
Positives
Allows doctors to communicate more effectively with patient
Can predict outcome of the disorder/suggest treatment
Negatives
Slater & Roth (1969) – hallucinations least important as not exclusive to SZ
Scheff (1966) classification labels the individual – adverse effects – lower self-
esteem
Ethics – do benefits (treatment, care) outweigh costs (misdiagnosis/mistreatment)
Reliability - For the classification system to be reliable, different clinicians using the
same system should arrive at the same diagnosis.
Diagnosis complex – no physical signs but only symptoms
Comorbidity – 2 or more mental disorders – complex to diagnose SZ confidently –
symptoms of disorders overlap – major depression and SZ have low levels of motivation
EXAMPLE
Jackobsen et al. (2005) – tested reliability of ICD-10 – 100 Danish patients assessed and
concordance rate 98%. Demonstrates high reliability of clinical diagnosis.
Negative
Gender bias – Loring and Powell (1988) – some behaviour regarded as psychotic in males
was not in females.
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