Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Chapter 13
Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Nature of Schizophrenia and Psychosis: An Overview
 Schizophrenia vs. Psychosis
 Psychosis – Broad term (e.g., hallucinations,
delusions)
 Schizophrenia – A type of psychosis
 Psychosis and Schizophrenia are heterogeneous
 Disturbed thought, emotion, behavior
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Nature of Schizophrenia and
Psychosis: History and Current Thinking
 Historical Background
 Benedict Morel – Introduced dementia praecox
 Demence (loss of mind) precoce (early, premature)
 Emil Kraepelin – Used the term dementia praecox
 Focused on subtypes of schizophrenia
 Eugen Bleuler – Introduced the term “schizophrenia”
 “Splitting of the mind”
 Impact of Early Ideas on Current Thinking
 Many of Kraeplin and Bleuler’s ideas are still with us
 Understanding onset and course considered important
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Table 13.1
Table 13.1 Early Figures in the History of Schizophrenia
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Schizophrenia: The “Positive” Symptom Cluster
 The Positive Symptoms
 Active manifestations of abnormal behavior
 Distortions of normal behavior
 Delusions: The Basic Feature of Madness
 Gross misrepresentations of reality
 Include delusions of grandeur or persecution
 Hallucinations: Auditory and/or Visual
 Experience of sensory events without
environmental input
 Can involve all senses
 Findings from SPECT studies
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Schizophrenia: The “Positive” Symptom
Cluster (cont.)
Figure 13.1 Major areas of functioning of the cerebral cortex. In most people, only
the left hemisphere is specialized for language.
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Schizophrenia: The “Negative” Symptom Cluster
 The Negative Symptoms
 Absence or insufficiency of normal behavior
 Spectrum of Negative Symptoms
 Avolition (or apathy) – Lack of initiation and
persistence
 Alogia – Relative absence of speech
 Anhedonia – Lack of pleasure, or indifference
 Affective flattening – Little expressed emotion
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Schizophrenia: The “Disorganized” Symptom Cluster
 The Disorganized Symptoms
 Include severe and excess disruptions
 Speech, behavior, and emotion
 Nature of Disorganized Speech
 Cognitive slippage – Illogical and incoherent speech
 Tangentiality – “Going off on a tangent”
 Loose associations – Conversation in unrelated directions
 Nature of Disorganized Affect
 Inappropriate emotional behavior
 Nature of Disorganized Behavior
 Includes a variety of unusual behaviors
 Catatonia – Spectrum
 Wild agitation, waxy flexibility, immobility
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Subtypes of Schizophrenia
 Paranoid Type
 Intact cognitive skills and affect
 Do not show disorganized behavior
 Hallucinations and delusions – Grandeur or persecution
 The best prognosis of all types of schizophrenia
 Disorganized Type
 Marked disruptions in speech and behavior
 Flat or inappropriate affect
 Hallucinations and delusions – Tend to be fragmented
 Develops early, tends to be chronic, lacks remissions
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Subtypes of Schizophrenia (cont.)
 Catatonic Type
 Show unusual motor responses and odd mannerisms
 Examples include echolalia and echopraxia
 Tends to be severe and quite rare
 Undifferentiated Type
 Wastebasket category
 Major symptoms of schizophrenia
 Fail to meet criteria for another type
 Residual Type
 One past episode of schizophrenia
 Continue to display less extreme residual symptoms
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Other Disorders with Psychotic Features
 Schizophreniform Disorder
 Schizophrenic symptoms for a few months
 Associated with good premorbid functioning
 Most resume normal lives
 Schizoaffective Disorder
 Symptoms of schizophrenia and a mood disorder
 Both disorders are independent of one another
 Prognosis is similar for people with schizophrenia
 Such persons do not tend to get better on their own
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Other Disorders with Psychotic Features (cont.)
 Delusional Disorder
 Delusions that are contrary to reality
 Lack other positive and negative symptoms
 Types of delusions include
 Erotomanic
 Grandiose
 Jealous
 Persecutory
 Somatic
 Extremely rare
 Better prognosis than schizophrenia
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Additional Disorders with Psychotic Features
 Brief Psychotic Disorder
 One or more positive symptoms of schizophrenia
 Usually precipitated by extreme stress or trauma
 Tends to remit on its owns
 Shared Psychotic Disorder
 Delusions from one person manifest in another
person
 Little is known about this condition
 Schizotypal Personality Disorder
 May reflect a less severe form of schizophrenia
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Classification Systems and Their Relation to
Schizophrenia
 Process vs. Reactive Distinction
 Process – Insidious onset, biologically based, negative
symptoms, poor prognosis
 Reactive – Acute onset (extreme stress), notable
behavioral activity, best prognosis
 Good vs. Poor Premorbid Functioning in Schizophrenia
 Focus on functioning prior to developing schizophrenia
 No longer widely used
 Type I vs. Type II Distinction
 Type I – Positive symptoms, good response to medication,
optimistic prognosis, and absence of intellectual impairment
 Type II – Negative symptoms, poor response to medication,
pessimistic prognosis, and intellectual impairments
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Schizophrenia: Some Facts and Statistics
 Onset and Prevalence of Schizophrenia worldwide
 About 0.2% to 1.5% (or about 1% population)
 Often develops in early adulthood
 Can emerge at any time
 Schizophrenia Is Generally Chronic
 Most suffer with moderate-to-severe lifetime impairment
 Life expectancy is slightly less than average
 Schizophrenia Affects Males and Females About Equally
 Females tend to have a better long-term prognosis
 Onset differs between males and females
 Schizophrenia has a Strong Genetic Component
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Schizophrenia: Some Facts and Statistics (cont.)
Figure 13.2 The natural history of schizophrenia: a 5-year follow-up. Copyright 1989
by Cambridge University Press. Reprinted with the permission of Cambridge
University Press.
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Causes of Schizophrenia:
Findings From Genetic Research
 Family Studies
 Inherit a tendency for schizophrenia
 Do not inherit specific forms of schizophrenia
 Risk increases with genetic relatedness
 Twin Studies
 Monozygotic twins – Risk for schizophrenia is 48%
 Fraternal (dizygotic) twins – Risk drops to 17%
 Adoption Studies -- Risk for schizophrenia remains high
 Cases where a biological parent has schizophrenia
 Summary of Genetic Research
 Risk for schizophrenia increases with genetic relatedness
 Risk is transmitted independently of diagnosis
 Strong genetic component does not explain everything
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Causes of Schizophrenia:
Findings From Genetic Research (cont).
Figure 13.4 Risk for schizophrenia among children of twins.
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Search for Genetic and
Behavioral Markers of Schizophrenia
 Genetic Markers: Linkage and Association Studies
 Search for genetic markers is still inconclusive
 Schizophrenia is likely to involve multiple genes
 Behavioral Markers: Smooth-Pursuit Eye Movement
 The procedure – Eye-tracking a moving object
 Tracking deficits – Schizophrenics and their
relatives
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Causes of Schizophrenia: Neurotransmitter
Influences
 The Dopamine Hypothesis
 Drugs that increase dopamine (agonists)
 Result in schizophrenic-like behavior
 Drugs that decrease dopamine (antagonists)
 Reduce schizophrenic-like behavior
 Examples – Neuroleptics, L-Dopa for Parkinson’s disease
 Dopamine hypothesis is problematic and overly simplistic
 Current theories – Emphasize many neurotransmitters
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Causes of Schizophrenia: Neurotransmitter
Influences (cont.)
Figure 13.6 Some ways drugs affect neurotransmission.
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Causes of Schizophrenia:
Other Neurobiological Influences
 Structural and Functional Abnormalities in the Brain
 Enlarged ventricles and reduced tissue volume
 Hypofrontality – Less active frontal lobes
 A major dopamine pathway
 Viral Infections During Early Prenatal Development
 Findings are inconclusive
 Conclusions About Neurobiology and Schizophrenia
 Schizophrenia – Diffuse neurobiological
dysregulation
 Structural and functional brain abnormalities
 Not unique to schizophrenia
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Causes of Schizophrenia:
Other Neurobiological Influences (cont.)
Figure 13.7 Location of the cerebrospinal fluid in the human brain. This extracellular
fluid surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord. It also fills the four
interconnected cavities (cerebral ventricles) within the brain and the central canal of
the spinal cord.
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Causes of Schizophrenia:
Psychological and Social Influences
 The Role of Stress
 May activate underlying vulnerability
 May also increase risk of relapse
 Family Interactions
 Families – Show ineffective communication
patterns
 High expressed emotion – Associated with relapse
 The Role of Psychological Factors
 Exert only a minimal effect in producing
schizophrenia
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Cultural Differences
Figure 13.8 Cultural differences in expressed emotion (EE).
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Medical Treatment of Schizophrenia
 Historical Precursors
 Development of Antipsychotic (Neuroleptic) Medications
 Often the first line treatment for schizophrenia
 Began in the 1950s
 Most reduce or eliminate positive symptoms
 Acute and permanent side effects are common
 Extrapyramidal and Parkinson-like side effects
 Tardive dyskinesia
 Compliance with medication is often a problem
 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
 Relatively untested procedure for hallucinations
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Table 13.2
Table 13.2 Commonly Used Antipsychotic
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Psychosocial Treatment of Schizophrenia
 Historical Precursors
 Psychosocial Approaches: Overview and Goals
 Behavioral (i.e., token economies) on inpatient
units
 Community care programs
 Social and living skills training
 Behavioral family therapy
 Vocational rehabilitation
 Psychosocial Approaches
 A necessary part of medication therapy
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Studies on Treatment
Figure 13.9 Studies on treatment of schizophrenia from 1980 to 1992
(from Falloon, Brooker, & Graham-Hole, 1992).
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Summary of Schizophrenia and Psychotic
Disorders
 Schizophrenia – Spectrum of Dysfunctions
 Affecting cognitive, emotional, and behavioral
domains
 Positive, negative, and disorganized symptom
clusters
 DSM-IV and DSM-IV-TR
 Five subtypes of schizophrenia
 Includes other disorders with psychotic features
 Several Bio-Psycho-Social Variables are Involved
 Successful Treatment Rarely Includes Complete
Recovery
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Exploring Schizophrenia
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Exploring Schizophrenia (cont.)
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Exploring Schizophrenia (cont.)
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Exploring Schizophrenia (cont.)
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Exploring Schizophrenia (cont.)
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Exploring Schizophrenia (cont.)
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 4th Edition, David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Exploring Schizophrenia (cont.)