Perceptions that occur in the absence of external stimuli
sight, sound etc
Abnormal sensory experience
Most commonly appears in form of schizophrenia (also in mania, dementia, drug abuse etc)
Multiple Sclerosis
Reiss et al (2006)
Onset of psychosis with increase of MS pathology in left temporal lobe
Auditory and visual hallucinations
Paranoia with delusions
Research over the last 4 decades has revealed the importance
of dopamine (DA), D2 receptors, and the basal
ganglia in psychotic thinking.
Morris & Murray (2009)
SHANE
Sheehan & Thurber (2006)
Man with a history of head trauma, paraplegia, and chronic mental illness
SPECT found convexity of the temporal lobe; in the location of the traumatic blow
suffered 18 years earlier
Patient was reclassified with an organic psychosis and
as an individual who might benefit more from medications to treat
temporal lobe irritability rather than antipsychotic medications.
hoped that he might be reclassified as someone with TBI
Organic findings and recommendations were ignored - classified 'psychiatric case'
Attempted suicide under a month after being discharged
SEBASTIAN
Seeck et al (
Man with a history of head trauma, paraplegia, and chronic mental illness
SPECT found convexity of the temporal lobe; in the location of the traumatic blow
suffered 18 years earlier
Patient was reclassified with an organic psychosis and
as an individual who might benefit more from medications to treat
temporal lobe irritability rather than antipsychotic medications.
hoped that he might be reclassified as someone with TBI
Organic findings and recommendations were ignored - classified 'psychiatric case'
Attempted suicide under a month after being discharged
Schizophrenia
Subtype of psychosis
NOT split personality
Heterogeneous
Great variation in symptoms, triggers, cause and responsiveness to treatment
Topic
Believed by some to be group of distinct disorders with common features
e.g. 'cenesthetic schizophrenia' Huber (1992)
Not necessarily linked to violence
Schizophrenia signs linked to left hemisphere dysfunction - Pierre Flor-Henry 1969
Positive Symptoms
Hallucinations
Hallucinations - more auditory than visual
Hearing own thoughts from other voice / arguing voices
Voices commenting on patient's behaviour
Delusions
Thoughts are broadcast/transmitted
Thoughts not own
Thoughts are stolen
Feelings and behaviour controlled by external force
Problems of agency due to passivity symptoms
Negative Symptoms
Behavioural Deficits
Precede and endure beyond acute episode
Predict poor life quality
Danger of diagnosing these symptoms
The 5 'A's
Asociality
Dislike of social interaction (usually first symptom)
Avolition
Apathy, feeling drained of energy and lacking interest in normal goals
Alogia
Reduction in speech or speech content
Ahedonia
Inability to experience pleasure
Flat affect
Show almost no emotions
Disorganised Symptoms
Disorganised Speech
Poor organisation of thoughts and comprehension of content
Predict poor life quality
Danger of diagnosing these symptoms
Bizarre behaviour
Unusual clothes, collecting of rubbish, sexually inappropriate behaviour
Visual Hallucinations
Simple
Occipital lobe deficits
Complex
Cortical release phenomenon
A common (10–15% prevalence) and often distressing consequence of vision loss