Download Schizophrenia

Xavier Fung
Miriam Hjertnes







Thought, mood and anxiety disorder
Neurotransmitter and messaging centre disturbed
Affects ones perception of
reality
12000 – 16000 in Norway
600 – 800 per year
approxiamately
Rough estimate
10% suicide rate
1)
2)
3)
Paranoid type – suspicions, paranoia and
relationship difficulties
Disorganized type – Disorder and Flat effect.
Occurs earlier and gradually, disorganized
speech and behavior, trouble taking care of
themselves
Catatonic type – Disturbance in movement
and decreased motor activity
Positive symptoms – distort and exaggerated
sights, sounds, thoughts and behavior Beliefs, hallucinations, bizzare behavior and
disorganized sppech, thoughts and movement
 Negative symptoms – lack of motion or
interest and flat effect, personal hygeine Alogia and lack of speech, Avoltion and
Anhedonia, posturing

1)
2)
Genetic factors – only influencing
 First degree relative  10%
 General population  1%
 60%  no family history
Environmental factors – trigger

High levels of stress  examples

Cortisol concentration increase
• 40 – 50% Schizophrenics have abnormalities
• Enlarged brain ventricles
 Abnormalties: temporal
lobe, hippocampus,
amygdala, frontal lobe
 Two main
neurotransmitters–
dopamine, glutamate
PET scans - Regions of the brain that are activated when a
person performs a memory task.
Movement and thoughts, reward, feelings and
pleasure
 High levels = psychotic and paranoid thinking
 Larger amount of dopamine receptors in
schizophrenics
 Overactive dopamine system
 Amphetamine induces dopamine and
symptoms of schizophrenia






Learning and formation and encoding of memory
Inhibition of glutamate receptors cause symptoms of
schizophrenia e.g. PCP and ketamine
High levels of glutamate inhibitors  thought
disorders
Glutamate receptors located throughout the brain 
widespread cortical dysfunction
Located in brain circuits regulating dopamine release
 dopamine concentration is linked to glutamate
activity
25% recovery
 Medication + psychosocial treatment + regular
examination
 Exercise of Cognitive and Social skills
 Men diagnosed earlier and tend to have have
greater social dysfunction
 Encouragement and help controlling of
symptoms

 Learning
required social skills
 Supporting goals and activities
 Regaining confidence – ordinary tasks
 Group therapy + medication
 Family therapy reduces relapse rate
below 10%
Antidepressant
 Antipsychotic
 Anti-anxiety
 Challenges
-cease taking medication



1)
2)
Normalise biochemical imbalances, reduce relapse
Two types
Traditional Antipsychotics – hallucinations, delusions
and confusions – block dopamine receptors
New antipsychotics – may work on both serotonin and
deopamine receptors, fewer side effects and more
effective
 Atypical antipsychotics- Stabalization of mood,
decreases frequency and intensity of mood
swings – side effects
Used as priority medication
1% of world
 Roughly 1.5million will be diagnosed every
year
 Prevlance rate : 1.1% of the population over
18
 7.2 people out of 1000
 51 million worldwide at any one time

30%
Graph showing recovery of
Schizophrenics
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Complete
Recovery
Much
Improved Hospitalized
improved but requires
support
Dead
http://www.humanillnesses.com/Behavioral-Health-ObSea/Schizophrenia.html#b
http://www.jamesdisabilitylaw.com/schizophrenia.htm
http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/schizophrenia/en/
http://www.schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm 5
http://www.physio-pedia.com/Schizophrenia
http://www.fhi.no/eway/default.aspx?pid=233&trg=MainLeft_5565
&MainArea_5661=5565:0:15,2343:1:0:0:::0:0&MainLeft_5565=5544
:61140::1:5569:9:::0:0
http://nhi.no/sykdommer/psykisk-helse/schizofreni/schizofrenioversikt-3090.html?page=4
http://www.medicinenet.com/schizophrenia/page4.htm#how_is_sch
izophrenia_diagnosed