Summary and Self-Test: Schizophrenia & Related Psychotic Disorders
Summary
Schizophrenia and the related psychotic disorders are some of the most impairing forms of psychopathology. Psychotic disorders involve many different types of symptoms that involved altered cognition and perception.
Symptoms include delusions, which are false beliefs that are often fixed, and hallucinations, which are perceptual experiences that occur without stimulus from the outside world generating them. Other symptoms include disorganized speech and behaviour, flat affect, alogia, catatonia, and lack of motivation.
Problems in cognitive functioning are a critical aspect of psychotic disorders, and a major source of disability and loss of functional capacity. These include problems with episodic memory, working memory, and processing speed. Some people with schizophrenia also show deficits in social cognition.
There are important genetic contributions to the likelihood someone will develop schizophrenia, but it is important to know there is no “schizophrenia gene.” Like most forms of psychopathology, the genetic risk for schizophrenia reflects the summation of many different genes.
Environmental factors can also increase risk of developing schizophrenia such as stress, infection, malnutrition and diabetes during pregnancy. Birth complications that cause hypoxia (lack of oxygen) are also associated with an increased risk for schizophrenia.
Using cannabis increases risk for developing psychosis, especially if you have other risk factors. The likelihood is also higher for children who grow up in urban settings and for some minority ethnic groups.
Unfortunately, none of these risk factors are specific enough to be used in a clinical setting.
An important area of research is with individuals who are at “clinical high risk,” for psychosis. These are individuals who show milder symptoms that have developed recently and who are experiencing some distress or disability. When followed over time, about 35% of these individuals develop a psychotic disorder.
Schizophrenia is treated with antipsychotic medication. Newer antipsychotics have fewer size effects. Schizophrenia is also treated with Cognitive Enhancement Therapy, which has been shown to improve cognition, functional outcome, and social cognition.
Application to Social Service Work Practice
- Part of a role of social service worker is to advocate for populations of people who are misrepresented. There are many myths that people believe about people living with schizophrenia. For example, that people living with schizophrenia are dangerous or unable to live on their own. However, many people living with schizophrenia are more of a harm to themselves than others and are able to live on their own. There are organizations in various communities, for example Napanee Ontario, where social service workers go into people’s homes daily to check in on them, help them get groceries, and made sure they are safe and supported. The social service worker work with multidisciplinary teams to support these clients to have autonomy and independent living.
Reflections
-Prior to reading this chapter, what were your thoughts, feelings and experiences with people living with schizophrenia? Where did these beliefs come from for you? Has your view changed at all since reading this chapter?
As a social service worker, how can you maintain the Ontario SSW college code of ethics when working with people living with schizophrenia?
Link: https://openpress.usask.ca/abnormalpsychology/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&id=7
