Schizophrenia

1. Schizophrenia Section D Modular 23

2. Definition and Types • Page 538– Michael McCabe • Schizophrenia– at least two of the following: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, behavior, and decreased emotional expression • No two patients have same symptoms • Paranoid schizophrenia • Disorganized schizophrenia • Catatonic schizophrenia

3. Definition and Types • Type I schizophrenia (positive symptoms) has a good chance of recovery because it reacts well to medication • Type II Schizophrenia (negative symptoms) has poor chance at recovery because • Page 538– Symptoms (Disorders of thought, attention, perception, motor disorders, emotional disorders)

4. Biological Causes • Biological, neurological and environmental factors can lead to schizophrenia • The Genain quadruplets all developed schizophrenia showing that genetic code plays a role in schizophrenia (identical twins show similar numbers) • Researchers are now trying to find the genetic marker for schizophrenia

5. Neurological Causes • Schizophrenics seam to have larger ventricles and decreased activity in the prefrontal lobe • Our brain has four fluid filled cavities to cushion the brain called ventricles • The large ventricles result in smaller brains • The smaller prefrontal lobe suits the symptoms well with disorganized thought, irrational beliefs, and lack of concentration

6. Environmental Causes • Researchers believe that stressful events can contribute to the onset of schizophrenia • Diathesis theory states that a genetic predisposition that interacts with life stressor lead to schizophrenia

7. Treatment • Positive symptoms are distortion of normal functions– thinking leading to delusion, perceptions resulting in hallucinations, language leading to disorganized speech • Negative symptoms reflect a decrease of normal functions • Neuroleptic drugs (antipsychotic drugs) are used to treat serious mental disorders by changing levels of neurotransmitters

8. Treatment • Two of the more common Neuroleptic drugs are thorazine and haloperidol that reduce positive symptoms • Dopamine theory– states that neurons in the basal ganglia use dopamine in communicating and are blocked

9. Treatment • Atypical Neuroleptic Drugs- reduce the levels of serotonin • Drugs are for positive symptoms but may also improve some negative symptoms (used by Michael) • The atypical Neuroleptic drugs are now the primary choice of doctors

10. Evaluation of Neuroleptic Drugs • Typical Neuroleptic • Side Effects • Tardivedyskinesia– slow, involuntary and uncontrollable rhythmic movements and rapid twitching of the mouth and unusual movements of limbs • The risk for developing tardivedyskinesia increases with use • Relapse • Patients relapse when they are taken off typical neuroleptic drugs • The problem arises when balancing whether to take patients off drug or face tardivedyskinesia • Effectiveness • 2-12 years after treatment 40-60% experienced symptoms of schizophrenia • 5% are not helped by drugs

11. Evaluation of Neuroleptic Drugs • Atypical Neuroleptic • Side Effects • Tardivedyskinesia shows up in only about 5% of patients using the drug • 15-35% of patients felt fatigued and emotionally indifferent to surroundings • There is a major problem with 1-2% of patients that lose white blood cells because of use • Effectiveness • More recently it was found that Atypical Neuroleptic drugs have been effective at treating positive and negative symptoms (more then typical) • Some felt “awakened” from a dream • Second Revolution • The new atypical neuroleoptics account for a majority of antipsychotic prescriptions • The second revolution in this fight for helping schizophrenics is the discovery that atypical neuroleptic drugs are successful with many symptoms