What is a delusion? A delusion is a fixed, false belief that persists despite evidence to the contrary. Culturally or religiously normative beliefs are not considered delusions. What are characteristics of delusions associated with schizophrenia, delusional disorder and dementia, and delirium? In schizophrenia and delusional disorder, delusions are typically well systematized and paranoid. In advanced …
In what sensory modalities may hallucination occur and does the modality suggest a particular syndrome or etiology? Hallucinations may be experienced in any sensory modality visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, somatic, proprioceptive, equilibroceptive, nociceptive, thermoceptive, chronoceptive Hallucination Modalities and Associated Syndrome or Etiology Modality Associated Syndrome/Etiology Comment Auditory Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders (SaRPD), mood disorders …
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What are some of the major causes of hallucinations? Hallucinations can be caused by a multitude of etiologies, but the essential common theme is aberrant activation of the primary sensory cortex. Examples include focal epilepsy, toxic (including hallucinogenic substances) and metabolic encephalopathy (including delirium, interictal and postictal hallucinations), rapid eye movement (REM) sleep intrusion (including …
What is the difference between a hallucination and an illusion? Hallucinations are sensations (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, or tactile) without stimuli and are contrasted with illusions that are misperceptions of actual stimuli (e.g., perceiving a shadow on the wall as a snake).
Is the catatonia syndrome only associated with schizophrenia? No. Roughly 15% of cases of catatonia are associated with psychotic disorders. Among psychiatric disorders, mood disorders, primarily bipolar disorder, account for most catatonia cases (∼30%). Perhaps nearly half of the time catatonia is in the context of a medical condition.
Positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia What is meant by positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and which account for greater impairment in overall functioning? Hallucinations and delusions are considered positive symptoms because they are experiences in addition to normal experience, whereas negative symptoms (“the 5 As”: diminished or flattened a ffective expression, a volition, a logia, a nhedonia, and a sociality) denote a deficit of experience. Negative symptoms are prominent in schizophrenia …
Domains of impairment in schizophrenia spectrum What are the five major domains of impairment in schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders? 1. Perception (hallucinations—perceptions without stimuli) 2. Belief (delusions—fixed false beliefs despite conflicting evidence) 3. Thought (disorganized thinking/speech; e.g., loosening of associations, derailment) 4. Motor (disorganized motor behavior; e.g., catatonic behavior) 5. Emotion (negative symptoms; e.g., flattened affect, alogia, avolition, …