Paranoid Schizophrenia - Assignment Example

Paranoid Schizophrenia Diagnostic Overview Paranoid schizophrenia distorts a person’s perception and thoughts and leaves them unable to carry out ordinary life demands. It entails positive and negative symptoms. The prominent symptoms include delusions and hallucination (Kohn, 2012). A delusion is a firmly held belief which is not grounded on the truth. Hallucination comprises a perception error. In this case, a person hears and sees inexistent things. Negative symptoms are not prominent in paranoid schizophrenia.

Things predisposing to this disorder include biological and genetic factors. Research indicates that the dopamine pathway plays a crucial part in its pathogenesis.DSM IV featuresThere are four DSM IV features. The first feature is that the patient must exhibit two of the following symptoms. These include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, catatonic or disorganized behavior and negative symptoms such as lack of action or speech and flat affect. The other DSM IV feature is that active symptoms must persist for at least one month.

Some symptoms must remain for at least six moths. The third DSM IV feature is that these symptoms must interfere with a person’s relationship or work. The fourth feature is that another psychological or medical effect cannot explain these symptoms.Case HistoryThe case history involves Valerie. She states that her childhood was good and normal even at school work. She went to graduate school and married in her twenties. She started experiencing delusions at 28 years, where she thought that people were plotting against her.

She was committed to an asylum whereupon she started believing that the doctors were performing experiments on her. In addition, she thought that she was being imprisoned. She has delusions of persecution, reference and grandeur. She gained insight 8 years after disease onset and has started recovering after being put on medication. Demographics and detailsIn America about 1-2% of the total population will suffer schizophrenia in their lifetime. This statistic is similar to the world records.

In men, the average age of onset is in their mid-twenties while women develop schizophrenia in their late 20’s. Patients with schizophrenia are classified depending on the duration of symptoms. Patients who suffer the symptoms for less than one month are classified as Brief Psychotic Disorder. While those with duration of symptoms between 1-6 months are said to have schizophreniform disorder. Schizophrenia is diagnosed in patients with symptoms for more than 6 months (Kohn, 2012).The life expectancy of these patients is 10 years less than that of a normal individual.

This is attributed to the high risk of committing suicide in schizophrenia patients. About 50% of admissions in the Psychiatric hospital are due to schizophrenia. Good prognosis is associated with female gender, expression of few negative symptoms, insight, acute onset of the disease and good social adjustment before the onset of the disease (Kohn, 2012). Clinical questionsIt is important for the psychiatrist to establish the life of the patient before to the symptoms begun. It is also crucial to ascertain how the disease started and the progression.

The clinician should also identify where the detainment in the asylum has benefited the patient. It is crucial to ask the patient whether they experience hallucination or delusions. If the patient is on of medication, ask the patient whether they experience any side effects. Try and establish any signs of recovery and plans the patient has for the future. It is also important to advise the patient about the disease and how they should take care of themselves. TreatmentTreatment modalities have developed tremendously with the advent of technology.

Previously, psychiatrist restrained the patients or used invasive methods, for example, electroshock therapy. Later on narcoleptic drugs were used to treat the psychotic symptoms. These drugs act by altering the activity level of dopamine in the neurons. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter mediating an individual’s feelings and mood. The most commonly used agents include Haldol, thorazine and prolixin (Kohn, 2012). These drugs are successful in the treatment of the psychotic symptoms.

However, about 20-40% was not successfully cured by these drugs (Kohn, 2012). Some side effects attributed to these drugs include involuntary eye movements as well as unstable muscle tightening. In addition to medical treatment, patients may benefit from psychotherapy, for example, cognitive behavioral therapy. In the class quiz, I scored 100% (12/12). In the critical analysis, Valerie believes that people are plotting against her. She also believed that television was talking about her. These are delusions of persecution and reference respectively.

Valarie will benefit from psychotherapy techniques, for example, cognitive behavioral therapy. In her case, this will teach her on acceptable social behaviors as well as improve her behavioral skills.In the DSM criteria, she exhibits delusion and hallucination, satisfying the first criteria. In terms of active symptoms duration, they have persisted for greater that a month and as a whole greater than six months. These symptoms have interfered with her work and relationship. Other causes of her symptoms could not be justified.

As a whole, she satisfies the DSM criteria. In Valarie’s good prognostic features include being female, insight, few negative symptoms and there is no history of schizophrenia in her family.ReferenceKohn, A. (2012). Abnormal Psychology information centre: faces interactive. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073133698/student_view0/.