Schizophrenia and Personality Disorders

Schizophrenia

• Characterized by disorganized through and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions– Delusion – irrational, unjustifiable, usually paranoid,

belief of persecution by an unseen entity, delusions of grandeur (I’m Napoleon)

– Hallucinations: perception of non-existent, external stimuli, usually auditory but can be visual (rarely)

• May result from breakdown of selective attention

• Inappropriate emotions and actions related to schizophrenia– May laugh at a funeral, get angry at a child’s

birthday party for no reason– Flat affect – emotionless state

Onset and development

• Psychology: Triggering experiences, genes predisposed to react to trauma

• Biochemical – 6x the normal amount of dopamine receptors: dopamine hypothesis– Which type of medication is going to be

necessary to treat schizophrenia?

Other possible links

• prenatal virus that affects brain development, possibly in the thalamus. – People conceived in Winter months are more apt to develop

schizophrenia in Northern hemisphere, while the reverse is true in the Southern.

• Amphetamines and cocaine sometimes intensify symptoms. – Dopamine is also associated with physical movement, disruption

of it is associated with schizophrenia.

• Brain anatomy: they have abnormal brain tissue, low frontal lobe activity.

• Thalamus—reactions are smaller than normal and are reactive--that may cause brain overstimulation.

Genetic links

• Genetic factors

• Definite genetic link: the closer you are genetically to someone with Schizophrenia, the more likely you are to get it.

• 1 in 100 people get it.

• 1 in 10 of siblings

• 1 in 2 identical twins, even if raised apart

Rule of Thirds

• About 1/3 of people who develop schizophrenia have one episode, 1/3 have recurring episodes, and 1/3 are chronic with unremitting symptoms

Personality Disorders

• Characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning

• Prognosis for treatment is usually not very good

Antisocial (previously Asocial or sociopathic disorder)

• Usually men

• Usually emerges before 15 Person may be aggressive and/or

ruthless. Deceiving or conning others or be

aggressive sexually with no remorse. Psychopaths, serial killers, sociopaths.

Histrionic

• displays shallow, attention-getting behaviors, feeling uncomfortable when not the center of attention.

• Acting in an aggressive, sexual way that makes others uncomfortable

• Rapid shifting of emotions. Dressing provocatively to gain attention, speaks in dramatic tones.

Narcissistic

• Preoccupied with themselves and an exaggerated sense of their own importance-self-focused, self-inflating

• What’s the difference between Narcissistic and Histrionic?

Schizoid

• eccentric behavior expressed as emotionless disengagement

Avoidant

• Anxiety expressed through fearful sensitivity to rejection causing sufferer to withdraw

• Which other types of disorders does this sound like?

Borderline

• unstable sense of self; • rapidly changing affect; • will be clingy one minute and then hostile

the next; try to pull people close and then do things to drive them away;

• very manipulative to gain attention; unstable relationships;

• Very poor prognosis for recovery, so some therapists won’t even treat them.