Schizophrenia and Mood Disorders Lesson 4

Objectives • Describe the disorder of schizophrenia • Describe several theories that try to explain mood disorders

Bell Ringer • Read exploring psychology p.465

Schizophrenia • Difficulty using language • Go from one phrase to another in random association – Don’t remember beginning of sentence so finish in random • Is the most severe and complex psychological disorder

What is schizophrenia?

• Affects 1 in 100 worldwide • 1 in 10 within families • Involves confused and disordered thoughts and perceptions • Lose contact with reality • Serious difficulty meeting demands of life

What is schizophrenia?

• Many experience delusions – False beliefs maintained in the face of contrary evidence • Hallucinations- perceptions in the absence of corresponding sensation – Hear voice when no sound present • Incoherence- marked decline in thought process

What is schizophrenia?

• Emotions may be inappropriate for the circumstances • Deterioration of normal movement- slow • Decline in previous levels of functioning – Dropoff at work • Diverted attention

Types of Schizophrenia • Paranoid type- hallucinations and delusions • Catatonic type- remain motionless for long periods • Disorganized type- incoherent language, inappropriate emotions, hallucinations, and delusions

What is schizophrenia?

• Remission type- anyone whose symptoms are not severe enough or are seen as being in remission • Very complex • Long term hospitalization required, sometime institutionalization • No real cure exists

Causes of Schizophrenia • Genetics – But not completely – Studied identical twins and only 42% of the twins had the disease develop in the other twin • Biochemistry – Chemicals may be involved

Causes of Schizophrenia • Deteriorated brain tissue – Shown by CAT and MRI scans • Family Interactions- Freud- blamed family – Do tend to be in families on verge of falling apart • Diathesis-stress hypothesis- inherit predisposition, but placed in environment with stressors

Schizophrenia • Affects more males than females • First signs appear in teenage years

Schizophrenia • April 1997- mass suicide of Marshall Applewhite and 38 followers of Heaven’s Gate cult – Many were identified as schizophrenic

Schizophrenia And Autism • Autistic children do not respond to other people • Child is slow to develop language and communication skills • Autistic children are very limited in their interests and behaviors

Research People With Schizophrenia • John Nash-mathematician and Nobel Prize winner • Lionel Aldridge- defensive end for Green Bay Packers • Peter Green-guitarist for Fleetwood Mac • Syd Barrett-guitarist for Pink Floyd • Vaclav Nijinsky- Russian dancer

Catatonic Schizophrenia • See p. 468

Effects of Diagnosis on Treatment • 1970’s David Rosenhan and seven others became psudopatients at a hospital • Were diagnosed as schizophrenic • After admission, none exhibited any abnormal behaviors • Staff did not recognize them as normal • Many patients knew they didn’t belong

Mood Disorders • Everyone experiences mood swings • Occasional depression is common

Major Depressive Disorder • At least two weeks feeling depressed, sad, anxious, fatigued or agitated • Reduced ability to function and interact with others • Feelings not attributed to bereavement

Major Depressive Disorder • Have 4 other symptoms: problems eating, sleeping, thinking, concentrating, decision making, lack energy, consider suicide, feel worthless or guilty

Postpartum Depression • Relatively common • 3 to 4 weeks after birth of a child • Usually attributed to wide hormonal swings • These episodes increase the risk for developing other types of depressive disorders

Research People With Depressive Disorders • Vincent Van Gogh • Robert Schumann • Hector Berlioz • William Styron • Gustav Mahler

Films dealing with mental illness • Blue Sky (1994) • A Fine Madness (1966) • Mr. Jones (1991) • The Snake Pit (1947) Bipolar • Awakenings (1990) • Possessed (1947) Schizophrenia

Bipolar Disorder • People are excessively happy or unhappy • Manic phase- up phase – Read excerpt p. 471 • Depressive- low phase • Caused by a chemical imbalance

Seasonal Affective Disorder • People who develop a deep depression in the winter • Believe hormone melatonin plays a role – Higher levels in their blood • Many treated by sitting under bright fluorescent lights

Explaining Mood Disorders • Aaron Beck and Martin Seligman – Beck- depressed people draw illogical conclusions about themselves – Blame themselves for normal problems – Minor failure is a catastrophe – Seligman- Learned helplessness – No control over their life so it’s useless to try

Explaining Mood Disorders

Explaining Mood Disorders • Think neurotransmitters may play a role – Serotonin – noradrenaline

Explaining Mood Disorders • After adolescence, women are twice as likely to experience depression – Hormonal changes – More women report their depression and seek help – Men try and distract themselves during depression so not to think about feelings.

Suicide and Depression • Escape physical or emotional pain • End the torment of unacceptable feelings • Punish themselves for wrongs they committed • Punish other who have not perceived their needs

Suicide and Depression • Each year 32,000 Americans end their lives – 1 every 16 minutes • More women than men attempt suicide – Men are more successful • Common among college students

Suicide and Depression • People who threaten suicide or make an unsuccessful attempt are usually serious – 70% threaten to do so within 3 months preceding their death • Unsuccessful attempt is often a trial run • All threats MUST be taken seriously

Suicide • Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.