Psychosis & Treatment
I. Schizophrenia
1. definition
2. psychotic
symptoms
A. positive: e.g., hallucinations,
delusions
B. negative: e.g., flat affect, alogia
3. lab findings:
e.g., enlarged ventricles sometimes
4. onset: usually
between late teen and mid 30s
5. outcome:
prognosis is not good
6. subtypes
A. paranoid
B. disorganized
C. catatonic
D. undifferentiated
7. etiology: the
following have been implicated
A. genetics
B. complications in childbirth
C. virus
8. dopamine (DA)
hypothesis
A. too much DA activity in certain brain
regions
B. meds. block DA receptors
C. DA agonists cause psychotic symptoms
D. problems with DA hypothesis
II. Medication for the
disease
1. antipsychotics,
major tranquilizers, neuroleptics
2. type of med.
& dosage determined thru trial & error
3. meds don’t work
on some
4. where did the
drugs come from?
5. types of antipsychotics meds.
A. typical antipsychotics
a. e.g., phenothiazines
(e.g., Thorazine)
B. atypical antipsychotics
(e.g., clozapine)
6. routes of
administration
7. absorption &
excretion
A. not eliminated quickly
8. side effects:
range from mild to very bothersome & severe
A. e.g., pill rolling, hypotension
B. hormone changes
C. involving movements (e.g., resemble
Parkinson’s)
D. agranulocytosis
9. tardive
dyskinesia
A. involuntary writhing & ticlike movement of mouth, hands
10. Effects on normal people
11. Tolerance: none for therapeutic effects
12. overdose &
dependence
A. physical dependence is rare if at all
B. safe in terms of overdose
13. other uses of antipsychotics