Lesson 13: Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
Attention
Although the relationship is not fully understood, the brain on the right, a person with Schizophrenia, has significantly larger ventricles, or fluid filled spaces, in the brain.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:
- Distinguish between the positive and negative symptoms of Schizophrenia.
- Correctly diagnose the appropriate subtype of schizophrenia in a case study.
- Discuss the genetic and neurobiological etiological factors related to Schizophrenia.
- Identify why many patients are noncompliant with their medication.
- Discuss the insanity defense and express an educated opinion regarding its use.
Teaching
Chapter 13 - Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
You are sitting in a local Starbuck’s chatting with a friend. As you enjoy your coffee and the company, a very dirty, disheveled man enters the store and approaches you. Standing there, he begins to urinate down his horribly dirty pants and giggles hysterically. As the urine is pooling on the floor, he asks if you have a wrench. When you respond in the negative, he begins turning in circles and starts to sing very loudly, “Edelweis, Edelweis, my shoes are not in my ear.” About that time, the manager asks the man to leave the store. He complies but shouts, “Don’t blame me…blame Jesus!” What a “whack-job” you say to your friend. You both laugh anxiously. In fact, you are incredibly relieved that he left. “People like that should be locked-up,” says the lady at the next table angrily.
This chapter will focus on Psychotic Disorders. Literally, a psychotic individual is considered to be out of touch with reality. This is most commonly defined by the presence of hallucinations (false sensory experiences) and/or delusions (false beliefs). While we don’t know if the gentleman just described is Psychotic (he may very well be on some form of psychoactive substance), he certainly shows some of the features. One common term people often misapply to a psychotic individual is “insanity.” Even though some people suffering with psychosis may be insane, these are not synonymous terms. Insanity is a legal term that implies a person is not aware of right from wrong. This is most often used when determining culpability for a crime. For example, if I impulsively murder someone while I am under the influence of methamphetamine, should I be held to the same level of accountability as someone who planned a murder and fully understood the consequences of their actions? Although most people who have Psychotic Disorders are not dangerous, some may be. We typically hear of these cases in the media, yet, we don’t hear about the much larger number of psychotic individuals who do no harm to anyone. We will address these types of issues in this chapter as well.
Assessment
Lesson 13 Assignment - Case Study
Open the Case Study labeled “Riley” You have a case and a series of questions to answer (this case study will look familiar)
Click here to download the Case Study
Lesson 13 Discussion
Please post at least one response to both of the following questions.
- Is Riley a criminal? If he would have killed anyone in his family, should he have been found innocent by reason of insanity? Why or why not? What makes someone “insane” legally?
- Will Riley’s daughters have a greater chance of developing Schizophrenia than he did? What do you base your answer on? Should the mentally ill be banned from reproducing? Why or why not?