BEAUTIFUL MINDS:

SCHIZOPHRENIA
Felix Kevin M. Villa IV, RN

OBJECTIVES

OBJECTIVES
1. Define Schizophrenia
2. Enumerate the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia.
3. Identify the potential risk factors for the development of
schizophrenia.
4. Explain the treatments that work for some of the
symptoms of schizophrenia.
5. Share insights and experiences in dealing and or caring
for patients with schizophrenia.

SCHIZOPHRENIA
Definition

SCHIZOPHRENIA
Clinical syndrome
Disease of the mind that manifests with multiple
signs and symptoms involving thought,
perception, emotion, movement and behavior
Manifestations combine in various ways to create
diversity
Cumulative effect of the illness is severe and longlasting

 Schizophrenia is a serious disorder which affects

how a person thinks, feels and acts. Someone
with schizophrenia may have difficulty
distinguishing between what is real and
what is imaginary; may beunresponsive or
withdrawn; and may have difficulty expressing
normal emotions in social situations.

DSM - 5
Updates on Schizophrenia

 Schizophrenia is characterized by delusions,

hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior,
and other symptoms that cause social or
occupational dysfunction. For a diagnosis,
symptoms must have been present for six months
and include at least one month of active
symptoms.

 DSM-5 raises the symptom threshold, requiring

that an individual exhibit at least two of the
specified symptoms.
No longer identify subtypes.
Some of the subtypes are now specifiers to help
provide further detail in diagnosis.
E.g. Catatonia (marked by motor immobility and
stupor) will be used as a specifier for
schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions
such as schizoaffective disorder. This specifier
can also be used in other disorder areas such as

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Positive and Negative Symptoms

 Positive symptomsare disturbances that are

added to the persons personality.
Delusions-- false ideas--individuals may believe
that someone is spying on him or her, or that they
are someone famous.
Hallucinationsseeing, feeling, tasting, hearing or
smelling something that doesnt really exist. The
most common experience is hearing imaginary
voices that give commands or comments to the
individual.
Disordered thinking and speech-- moving from

 Negative symptomsare capabilities that are

lost from the persons personality.
Social withdrawal
Extreme apathy
Lack of drive or initiative
Emotional unresponsiveness

CAUSATIVE FACTORS

GENETICS (HEREDITY).
Scientists recognize that the disorder tends to run
in families and that a person inherits a tendency
to develop the disease. Schizophrenia may also be
triggered by environmental events, such as viral
infections or highly stressful situations or a
combination of both.

CHEMISTRY
People with schizophrenia have a chemical imbalance of
brain chemicals (serotonin and dopamine) which are
neurotransmitters.
The imbalance of these chemicals affects the way a
persons brain reacts to stimuli--which explains why a
person with schizophrenia may be overwhelmed by
sensory information (loud music or bright lights) which
other people can easily handle.
This problem in processing different sounds, sights, smells
and tastes can also lead to hallucinations or delusions.

No cure for schizophrenia has been discovered,

but with proper treatment, many people with this
illness can lead productive and fulfilling lives.

WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR

SCHIZOPHRENIA?

Recovery and Rehabilitation

Case managementhelps people access services,
financial assistance, treatment and other resources.
Psychosocial Rehabilitation Programsare
programs that help people regain skills such as:
employment, cooking, cleaning, budgeting, shopping,
socializing, problem solving, and stress management.
Self-help groupsprovide on-going support and
information to persons with serious mental illness by
individuals who experience mental illness themselves.
Drop-in centersare places where individuals with
mental illness can socialize and/or receive informal

 Housing programsoffer a range of support and

supervision from 24 hour supervised living to drop-in
support as needed.
Employment programsassist individuals in finding
employment and/or gaining the skills necessary to reenter the workforce.
Therapy/Counselingincludes different forms of
talktherapy, both individual and group, that can help
both the patient and family members to better
understand the illness and share their concerns.
Crisis Servicesinclude 24 hour hotlines, after hours
counseling, residential placement and in-patient

ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION
There are two major types of antipsychotic
medication:
Conventional antipsychotics
effectively control the positivesymptoms such as
hallucinations, delusions, and confusion of
schizophrenia.

New Generation (also called atypical)

antipsychotics

SIDE EFFECTS OF PSYCHOTIC

MEDICATIONS
Dry mouth
Blurred vision
Constipation
Drowsiness
Dizziness
Trouble with muscle control
Pacing
Tremors
Facial ticks

EVALUATION
In a 1 whole yellow pad, please answer the following questions
with not more than 5 sentences:
1. What is Schizophrenia?
2. What are the two types of signs and symptoms of
schizophrenia? Give examples for each
3. What are the two types of antipsychotics prescribed to
schizophrenic patients? Give an example for each
4. Give at least 2 risk factors for a person to develop
schizophrenia.

ASSIGNMENT

SUBMIT IN A SHORT BOND PAPER AND PREPARE FOR A DISCUSSION NEXT MEETING.

What are the major characterisic symptoms of schizophrenia? Are they

captured adequately in the DSM-IV characterization? Are they always present?
What are the associated features which are not themselves central but are
often seen?
Is schizophrenia a single disease, or a cluster or diseases? How would you go
about answering this experimentally? How does this address the lumping of
several schizoid diseases into a spectrum of schizophrenic illnesses rather
than categorically different ones?
What is the interaction between nature and nurture in the risk for, and onset of
schizophrenia?
Clearly state the neurodevelopmental hypothesis for the etiology of
schizophrenia.
There is increasing evidence that maternal problems during pregnancy can
predispose the fetus to later onset of schizophrenia. How could birth

Mental Illness is nothing to be ashamed

of, but stigma and bias shame us all.
- Bill Clinton

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Kaplan HI, Sadock BJ. Synopsis of Psychiatry , Behavioral Sciences/ Clinical
Psychiatry. 9th ed. Hong Kong : William and Wilkinson Publishers;1998
Stuart, G. W. (2009).Principles and practice of psychiatric nursing(9th ed.). St.
Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Varcarolis, E. M. (2010).Foundations of psychiatric mental health nursing:A
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Videbeck, S. L. (2013). Psychiatric-mental health nursing (6th ed.). Philadelphia:
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.