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PsychSim 5: Losing Touch With Reality

PsychSim 5: LOSING TOUCH WITH REALITY Name: __________________________________________ Date: __________________________________________ This activity explores schizophrenia, one of the most severe and bizarre psychological disorders. Schizophrenia: A Serious Psychological Disorder What are the four behavioral criteria necessary for a person to be classified as having a psychological disorder? 1. delusions 2.
disorganized speech

Section: ________________________

3. 4.

hallucinations disorganized or inappropriate behavior

Delusions What are delusions?

Delusions are false beliefs, not based on any external reality, and not subject to reason or contradictory evidence.

Hallucinations What are hallucinations?

Hallucinations are false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Negative Symptoms What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Some patients may be apathetic and lack motivation to do much of anything. Patients may rarely speak, and have little to say when they do. This is sometimes called poverty of speech or impoverished thought. Patients may feel no pleasure at all, even from formerly pleasurable activities, and seem unable to have positive feelings about anything. Patients may show at affect; that is, almost no emotional responsiveness in their speech, facial expressions, or gestures.

Types of Schizophrenia Name and briefly describe the three main types of schizophrenia. 1. Paranoid schizophrenia People with paranoid schizophrenia are preoccupied with at 2. Catatonic schizophrenia People with catatonic schizophrenia are characterized by
unusual patterns of movement and bizarre postures . Their behavior may show excessive, repetitive activity, not related to the events around them. least one delusion.They also have frequent auditory hallucinations, often related to their delusions.

3.

Disorganized schizophrenia People with disorganized schizophrenia have a broader range of disorganized symptoms than those of catatonic schizophrenia, which is dominated by disturbed behaviors and motor movements.

Case 1: Identify the Symptom Which symptom did she display?

Hallucination

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Case 2: Identify the Type of Hallucination Can you identify the type of hallucination?
Auditory

Case 3: Identify the Symptom Which symptom did she display?

Delusions

Case 4-a: Identify the Symptom Which symptom did he display?

Negative symptoms: poverty of speech, at affect, lack of motivation or pleasure

Case 5: Delusions of Grandeur Delusions of persecution or grandeur tend to occur most often in one of the three main types of schizophrenia. Which type is most closely associated with the symptom of delusions?
Delusions of persecution or grandeur are most closely associated with paranoid schizophrenia.

Case 4-b: Identify Another Symptom Which of the five major symptoms of schizophrenia did the young man display in this video segment? disorganized speech

Case 6: Disorganized Speech With Loose Associations Loose associations can occur in any type of schizophrenia, but they tend to occur most often in one of the three main types. Which type is most closely associated with the symptom of loose associations? Loose associations are one form of disorganized speech, and therefore are
most closely associated with disorganized schizophrenia.

Case 4-c: Disorganized Speech With Inappropriate Affect In your own words, try to describe the symptoms this man is exhibiting in this conversation.
The man in this video clip displays unpredictable and uctuating emotionsin this case anger and fear about imaginary threatswhich is an example of inappropriate affect.

Case 7: Identify the Symptom Can you identify which symptom this psychiatric patient displays?
disorganized or inappropriate behavior