Lecture notes
Schizophrenia condensed notes
Condensed notes for AQA A-level psychology Schizophrenia topic, which includes essay plans and key facts needed for the exam
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
Content preview
Schizophrenia notesSchizophrenia is a psychological illness categorised by the inability to tell the difference
between reality and fantasy, involving both positive and negative symptoms
Negative symptoms, that reflect a reduction or loss in normal functioning:
Speech poverty: reduced frequency and quality of speech
Avolition: loss of motivation to carry out tasks results in lowered activity levels
Affective flattening: reduction in range and intensity of emotional expression (face,
voice tone, eye contact and body language).
Anhedonia: loss interest and pleasure in activities which can be physical sex or social
interacting with mates
Catatonia: reduced reaction to environmental stimuli rigid motionless motor
movements
Positive symptoms, that reflect an excess or distortion of reality and normal functioning
Delusions: beliefs that have no basis in reality (e.g. a victim of conspiracy)
Hallucinations: distortions or exaggerations of perception in any senses (hearing
things)
Experiences of control: believe that they are under control of an alien force
Disordered thinking: feeling that thoughts have been inserted or withdrawn, or may
believe thoughts are being broadcast for people to see
Classification using DSM-5
1. Two or more symptoms present for the significant part of a month and with one
being either delusions, hallucinations or disorganised speech
2. Level of functioning in major areas has decreased (work/ school) and failure to
achieve what’s expected
3. Continuous signs of disturbance for at least 6 months and 1 month of symptoms
4. Other schizophrenic disorders have been ruled out, no depressive or manic episodes
5. Not psychological effects of drug abuse
6. History of autism a diagnosis can only be made if prominent delusions or
hallucinations
Reliability and validity of diagnosing schizophrenia
Reliability:
Tool such as DSM-5 must be consistent (between people or overtime)
Test retest reliability: doctors must reach same conclusion about a patient at two
different points in time
Inter-rater reliability: doctors must reach the same conclusion using the same tools
and resources
Cheniaux 2009, 2 psychiatrists independently diagnosed 100 patients with schizophrenia
using the DSM the first diagnosed 13 and the second diagnosed 26 – poor inter-rater
reliability of classification as isn’t constant.
Validity:
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller annabelwarner1. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £4.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
83637 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now