ABNORMAL
PSYCHOLOGY.
SCHIZOPHRENIA
By Aman Psychologist.
SCHIZOPHRENIA:
Is the Brain break down. It is considered as a psychotic psychological
disorder.
Schizophrenia
affect all area of human functioning like thoughts, perception, emotion and
behavior.
Schizophrenia
is characterized by two major categories;
v POSITIVE SYMPTOMS
v NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS
POSTIVE SYMPTOMS
These are distortion or excessive of normal functioning of
an individual. Positive symptoms are more likely to be treated than the
Negative symptoms.
The following are the positive symptoms;
A.
Delusion ;
Are the false belief that are well established and held by the individual
despite the fact that are not confirmed by the culture or logic.
Delusion can be of six types;
I.
Delusion of control. Are
belief that some external forces are trying to take control of an individual
thoughts, Emotions, Behaviors and Body.
II.
Delusion of Reference. Are
the belief that all happening revolve around oneself (individual).
III.
Delusion of Grandeur . Are the belief that a
person think is a fairness or more powerful than others,(very special one).
IV.
Delusion of persecution.
Are the belief that a person seems to be more targeted of others mistreatment.
V.
Delusion of thoughts of broadcasting.
Are the belief that individual’s
thoughts are being transmitted to others,
VI.
Delusions of thought of withdrawal.
Are belief that an individual thoughts are been removed from his/her own head.
E.g A student complaining about his/her pass marker as are not his/her score but her/his score has been
taken by others.
B.
Hallucinations;
is a sensory experience in absence of any stimulation from the environment. It
can be occurred to the very small stimulation area of the environment .Example
seeing , hearing things that are not there.
In Hallucination the following can be
involved;
a)
Auditory sensory moderator
b)
Visual sensory moderator
c)
Tactile (touching) sensory moderator
d)
Olfactory sensory moderator. (relating to the
sense of smell)
The common Auditory Hallucination are;
Voice s that arguing.
Hearing or own thoughts being spoken by other
individual
Voices commenting on person’s own behavior.
C.
Disorganized speech or thoughts. These are
problem in organizing the speech, therefore the listener cannot understand.
Example ,
v
Loosing association; This
is the continuous shifting from one story/topic to another without having any
logical connection.
v
Neologism; is the tendency
of using new and meaningless word in combining two words/ideas.
D.
Disorganized motor activity (ies). This can be of the following,
v
Extreme motor activity level. This can be high
or unusual (low-level activity).
v
Per curial motor (body movement/body posture.
NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS.
These behaviors persist beyond the acute episode of
schizophrenia. More negative symptoms are associated with poor treatments.
Example of Negative symptoms;
1.
Avolition . Is the inability of energy to engage in daily
routine activities and goal directed like studying.
2.
Anhedonia , Is an
inability to feel pleasure or lack of interest in an activity or relationship.
3.
Impairment in social relationship,
Example lack of friends, few friends, and poor social skills.
4.
Flat affect, this is the
external expression and not interest experience . A person suffer from this is
charecterised by lifeless eye and Toneless voice.
THE SUB TYPES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA.
a)
CATATONIC
SCHIZOPHRENIA, the essential
feature is serious motor behavior disturbances.
Other features are;
i.
State of being unconscious/stupor.
This is the decrease of responsiveness in the environment, that is spontaneous
movement and mutism.
ii.
Negativism
. Is the resistance to all instructions given.
iii.
Rigidly .The tendency of
maintaining a rigid body posture against
all effort to be moved.
iv.
Excitement .Purposeless
and excited activity.
v.
Echolalia . A tendency of
having a senseless repetition of words just spoken by others.
vi.
Echopraxia .Is the
senseless repetition and imitataion of the movement of another person.
b)
PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA. This is featured by the following;
Ø
Presence
of delusion and Hallucination. The common themes are those of persecution
and grandiosity. People with Paranoid Schizophrenia do not show disorder
speech/behavior, but they highly resistance against any argument. These people
can show arrogantly to show that are more superior.
