Name of Group Members: Amber and Elizabeth
Name of Disorder: Schizophrenia
General Description: (Elizabeth)
Schizophrenia a serious and long term mental illness that typically begins to appear in
men around their late teens and early twenties, and for women in their late twenties
and early thirties. This illness changes the way a person sees the world around them
and the way they emotionally express themselves. There are four different types of
schizophrenia; paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, and undifferentiated. The illness
commonly forms in a person through hallucinations, hearing voices (mainly
threatening), and disorganized speech. If a person can hear two people talking
together or smell scents that others cannot, this is a sign of a bad case of
schizophrenia. Schizophrenia can happen in a person if a family member before them
has the illness, or it can be caused by their environment. A person with a past relative
with schizophrenia is more susceptible to getting the illness by 10%, than a person
without.
Signs/Symptoms:
Emotional: (Elizabeth)
Physical: (Elizabeth)
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Hallucinations and Delusions will
cause a schizophrenic person to see
things differently (ex. Looking at their
best friend and seeing a threatening
animal) affecting the way they emotional
react towards things (ex. Reacting in
fear instead of happiness at seeing their
best friend)
Grandiosity cause the persons
perception of events to be blown out of
proportion, believes that things a larger
than they really are (ex. Paper cut might
be perceived as a lot more serious of an
injury and cause hysteria), and the
person cannot tell the difference between
their perception and reality.
Affective Flattening and Alogia is a
symptom that causes a schizophrenic
person to lack emotional expression. The
person will no longer express their
emotions through facial expressions or
body language, the voice will be very
monotone and might not respond well to
conversations. However this does not
mean that they don’t feel the emotions,
they still feel at the same level as a
person without schizophrenia.
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Lack of Personal Hygiene –a
person will stop bathing regularly,
brushing their teeth, or changing
and cleaning their clothing and
linens.
Oversleeping/ Insomnia –begin to
sleep up to 15 hours a day
seemingly non-stop, or not sleep for
more than 2 hours over a period of
three days.
Forgetfulness and Difficulty
Concentrating –will have a hard
time remembering basic tasks and
won’t be able to answer
spontaneous questions with ease.
Depression
Social Withdrawal –will no longer
attend social events, or regularly
keep up with friends and family.
Strange Speaking Habits –can be
seen through a person rapidly going
through multiple topics in a very
short amount of time. Making up
words that only have meaning to
that person. Repeating the same
sentence or word multiple times.


Avolition causes the person to lack any
ambition towards completing projects or
daily activities. This is very noticeable in
their personal relationships as the
person will no longer express no interest
in people or social expressions.
Inappropriate Effect or “disorganized”
is when the person displays the wrong
emotions at the wrong time (ex.
Laughing at a funeral).This can also be
expressed through bouts of anxiety
during times that are supposed to be
calming, and can further lead to
depression.

Coming up with non-sensical
rhymes.
Inability to Cry –physical effect of
affective flattening and alogia.
Possible Impacts on Life: (Amber)
●
loss of contact with family members and/or friends
●
homelessness
●
become withdrawn no longer willing to participate in things they
previously enjoyed, such as sports or music
●
cognitive impairment may lead to a drop in grades
●
tendencies to withdraw and inappropriate mood behaviours and/or
inappropriate behaviours in general may make relationships with other difficult
Therapies/Treatments and their Effectiveness: (Amber)
●
prior to 1950s, hospitalized for extended periods of time and frequently
became institutionalized
●
insulin coma therapy (the administration of large doses of insulin to induce
coma), electroconvulsive therapy (the application of electrical current to the temples
to induce a seizure), and prefrontal lobotomy (a surgical procedure in which the tracts
connecting the frontal lobes to other areas of the brain are severed).
●
1950s class of drugs referred to as antipsychotic medications (Typical and
Atypical) discovered to be effective in treating schizophrenia. Antipsychotic drugs
significantly reduce some of the symptoms of schizophrenia in many patients.
●
people taking antipsychotic drugs are only 20% likely to relapse. 80% of
people who have stopped taking the antipsychotic drugs are likely to relapse.
●
First generation antipsychotics (conventional, or typical antipsychotics) are not
normally the first choice to treat schizophrenia due to side effects that can severely
affect body movements; however, those who do not respond to second generation
antipsychotics (atypical antipsychotics) may respond to first generation
antipsychotics.
●
Typical antipsychotics are known to induce movement disorders (tardive
dyskinesia) in more than 1-in-3 patients. Some movement disorders may be
permanent, even after the medication is stopped. Movement side effects can include:
○
Inner restlessness
○
Painful muscle cramps
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Tremor
○
Involuntary and repetitive movements
●
also known to be related to high levels of prolactin (a hormone) in the blood,
and a severe neurological side effect known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome
(NMS). Blood tests are often required to check for possible problems with this type of
schizophrenia treatment.
●
Atypical antipsychotic associated with weight gain as well as blood sugar and
cholesterol issues. People on these medications can develop type 2 diabetes.
Movement disorders can also occur with this type of treatment but they are far less
prevalent.
●
Other possible treatments may include:
○
Skills training
○
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) – a type of psychotherapy focused on
building skills and changing behaviors
○
Cognitive remediation – uses brain exercises to improve the cognitive
impairment typical in schizophrenia
○
Social cognition training – focuses on creating an understanding of social
relationships and interactions
○
Going to support groups
Typical Antipsychotics:
●
developed in the 1950s for the treatment of psychosis
●
block two types of chemical receptors in the brain – receptors for dopamine
and serotonin.
●
Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) was the first conventional antipsychotic
developed for schizophrenia.
●
Conventional antipsychotics, measured via potency when compared to
chlorpromazine (Thorazine). Potency of antipsychotic medication indicates how much
medication is needed in order to achieve the desired effects to that of 100 mg of
chlorpromazine (Thorazine).
●
Low potency conventional antipsychotics include:
○
Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
○
Thioridazine (Mellaril)
●
Medium potency conventional antipsychotics include:
○
Loxapine (Loxapac, Loxitane)
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Molindone (Moban)
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Perphenazine (Trilafon)
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Thiothixene (Navane)
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Trifluoperazine (Stelazine)
●
High potency conventional antipsychotics include:
○
Haloperidol (Haldol, Serenace)
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Fluphenazine (Prolixin)
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Zuclopenthixol (Clopixol)
Atypical Antipsychotics:
●
discovered in 1950s, not put into practice until the 1970s
●
alter dopamine and serotonin pathways in the brain but do so to a lesser
extent.
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The first atypical antipsychotic was clozapine (Clozaril) but it has fallen out of
use due to white blood cell side-effect concerns.
●
Atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia include:
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Aripiprazole (Abilify)
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Asenapine (Saphris)
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Clozapine (Clozaril)
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Lurasidone (Latuda)
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Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
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Paliperidone (Invega)
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Quetiapine (Seroquel)
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Risperidone (Risperdal)
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Ziprasidone (Geodon)
Antidepressants:
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The two most commonly used antidepressant types are SSRI's and SNRI's
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)
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Sertraline (Zoloft)
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Escitalopram (Lexapro)
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Fluoxetine (Prozac)
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Citalopram (Celexa)
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Paroxetine (Paxil)
Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI)
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Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
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Venlafaxine
Antianxiety Medications:
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Alprazolam (Xanax)
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Clonazepam (Klonopin)
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Diazepam (Valium)
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Lorazepam ( Ativan)
Sources Cited: (use APA format)
(Amber)
Walker, Elaine F. and Ingraham, Loring J. (2009). Schizophrenia: Background, types, and
symptoms. In N. Piotrowski (Ed.), Psychology and Mental Health. Hackensack:
Salem. Retrieved November 14, 2015, from http://online.salempress.com
Tracy, Natasha (2015, September 27). Schizophrenia Symptoms and Impact on Everyday
Life. Retrieved November 14, 2015, from http://www.healthyplace.com
Tracy, Natasha (2015, September 27). Schizophrenia Treatments: How do you Treat
Schizophrenia? Retrieved November 14, 2015, from http://www.healthyplace.com
Tracy, Natasha (2015, September 27). Schizophrenia Medications: Types, Side
Effects, Effectiveness. Retrieved November 14, 2015, from
http://www.healthyplace.com
Bouthner, Gerald (n.d). Schizophrenia. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from
http://www.thechallengesofmentalillness.com/p/what-is-schizophrenia.html
(Elizabeth)
Bengston, M. (2013). Types of Schizophrenia. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://psychcentral.com/lib/types-of-schizophrenia/
Joyner, J. (2010, April 13). Emotional Symptoms of Schizophrenia. Retrieved November 16, 2015,
from http://www.livestrong.com/article/105744-emotional-symptoms-schizophrenia/
Schizophrenia - Canadian Mental Health Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
https://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/facts-about-schizophrenia/
Smith, M. (2015, August 1). Schizophrenia. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/schizophrenia/schizophrenia-signs-types-and-causes.htm
Our Case Study: Lindsay's Story
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases2012/nationalauditofschizo
phreni/casestudies.aspx